Adventure in the Aleutians
While I haven’t dropped off the face of the Earth, I’m close. I’m on the island of Adak in the Aleutians, easily the most remote place I’ve ever been. I’m too busy exploring (and the Internet is on the slow side), so I won’t be able to write regular posts this week. I’ll have one long post about Adak after I get back; here are some teaser photos.
The arrow marks the location of Adak Island. To the northeast is Alaska; to the east is the Yukon (Canada); to the west and northwest is Russia. Adak is about 1,300 miles from Anchorage; the flight took 3 hours.
First glimpse of Adak in the fog as the plane was descending
The raw beauty of Adak is breathtaking
Kuluk Bay
This beach could be in the Hawaiian Islands!
View of the town. Adak had a U.S. Navy base until 1997. 6,000 people used to live in these buildings. Now most of them are abandoned. Currently there are 100 permanent residents on the island.
Abandoned enlisted housing
This is a true ghost town. Not a soul lives here now. Wandering through the dark and empty corridors of these barracks is quite creepy. This would be a perfect set for a zombie movie.
World War II Quonset hut
Torn curtain fluttering in the wind
One of the most haunting views I’ve encountered on Adak so far
RELATED POSTS:
- Adventure in the Aleutians (teaser)
- Adak, Alaska: day 1 (Sunday)
- Adak, Alaska: day 2 (Monday)
- Adak, Alaska: day 3 (Tuesday)
- Adak, Alaska: day 4 (Wednesday)
- Adak, Alaska: day 5 (Thursday)
Wow!!! Stunning!! Keep the pictures coming when possible!
ReplyDeleteWill do. I've been taking a couple of hundred photos every day.
DeleteGorgeous! I love clicking on the photos to enlarge them and see them in much greater detail. :)
ReplyDeleteYes!! The larger versions have much more detail. Thank you for suggesting this.
DeleteI was anxiously awaiting your report. First of all I am so envious of where your are. Good planning. It's 106 here so I can indulge in some vicarious comfort looking at your photos You picked the right place to be right now. I thought only birders went to Adak. I like the green hills and wildflowers photo with the rusty old quonset hut
ReplyDeleteAdak is a place unlike any other I*ve ever been. Truly timeless, and the scenery is spectacular.
DeleteYes, birders (and hunters) are pretty much the only tourists that come here. It's so remote, although it's connected to Anchorage via twice-weekly flights.
Breathtaking scenery! I hope you're enjoying yourself and aren't cold. (I've visited Alaska in early September and it was cold!) I look forward to the full report.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually not that cold. Mid 50s during the day, high 40s at night. The climate in Adak is far more moderate than mainland Alaska. While it does snow here, it rarely gets much below freezing. In gardening terms, Adak is in zone 8 while Anchorage, for example, is in zone 4.
DeleteIt's the wind that's a problem on Adak. It often blows so hard that gardening is very difficult unless you have a greenhouse. It's also the reason why there are so few trees.
We continue to be amazed by your travels Gerhard! The island looks so haunting and I like it!
ReplyDeleteThis trip wouldn't have been possible without my cousin-in-law Shannon. She's an environmental consultant with a client here on Adak, and she brought me along on a companion ticket. Airfare to Adak is very expensive because there are so few passengers.
DeleteLoving your photos! And I am extremely surprised you've got internet there, slow as it may be.
ReplyDeleteInternet is VERY expensive, but I'm glad the duplex we're staying in has it. Otherwise I wouldn't been able to post photos and do my work (I usually work a few hours in the morning).
DeleteWeird coincidence, but I think my sister painted the lines on the runway there, or Atka.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible place. The "emerging from the fog" photo is surreal and wonderful. Thanks for showing us what it is like so far, far away.
Wow, I can't believe your sister might have painted the runway lines on Adak! Was she in the Navy?
DeleteI'm back in Anchorage now for a couple of days, but I'm already thinking of going back to Adak next year. It's the strangest place I've ever been--and one of the most magical. It's a totally unique mix of rural Alaska; scenery that looks like the Hawaiian islands, minus the tropical vegetation; a modern-day ghost town; and abandoned military installations with cryptic machinery, fallout shelters and bunkers.
So cool! I've never been on any part of the aleutians but your pictures make me want to visit!
ReplyDeleteI would never have made it to Adak if it hadn't been for my cousin-in-law who goes there on business. I'm so grateful to her for taking me along because Adak is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited--not to mention the strangest and most memorable. I will definitely go back (using Alaska Airlines frequent flier miles is the way to go--only 15,000 miles needed vs. $1,300 and up for a paid ticket).
DeleteI really enjoyed the photos from your trip, I now have Adak on my bucket list of places to go! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAdak home away from home. Lovely pics thank you for sharing ��
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're enjoying the photos. It's been a year since my trip to Adak. Can't wait to go back!
DeleteHello! Just stumbled on your blog after strolling down memory lane. Your pictorial journey on Adak was beautiful and bittersweet.
ReplyDeleteI lived on Adak when it was a Naval Air Station in the late 80’s. I’d just graduated from High School when my parents insisted I move with them to where Dad got a job on a remote island in Alaska. As a 17 year old, I was not at all happy about this turn of events.
My parents and brother lived there for about 5 years. I went back and forth from trying to live in the lower 48 to living with my parents on Adak for about 3 years.
They lived in one of the “Flintstone houses”. They are built like that to withstand the high winds. You will see little hoods on the sides of houses, those are covers over the one window you can crank open. That is so the wind won’t rip off the window and you can get fresh air. This was a real issue.
I remember one storm, watching a large metal dumpster being blown down a street like tumbleweed. The Navy would shut down the whole island sometimes for “Alpha” Storms (I think that’s what they called it) and if you were caught driving around during those storms you’d be arrested for reckless endangerment. They also shut down parts of the island for “war games”. It was a weird place to live.
I had so many good experiences there and I was able to get a good start to my life as an adult there. I had 2 jobs, took college classes, and even had a bit of a social life.
I went to movies at the theater near the Marine Barracks, went bowling at the lanes there, worked out at the gym, met with friends at the McDonald’s, and shopped at the commissary.
So strange to see the places I went to, once full of life now crumbling. Really puts life into perspective.
I think you’re the first person I’ve seen compare Adak scenery to the Scottish Highlands and Hawaii. Couldn’t agree more! It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve lived. I saw so many Sea Otters with their babies, Harbor seals, a whale, so many eagles! The biggest ravens you’ve ever seen and giant Norway rats! Never saw a caribou though.
Most of the island was off limits to civilians back then and you had to take special classes and get a card to hike in certain areas because of antipersonnel mines left over from WWII and top secret areas. I’m surprised people are running around willy nilly on the island. I assume they believe the antipersonnel weapons have all been found and destroyed?
I’d love to see Adak again. I recall it being very peaceful and beautiful. Your pictures reminded me of this.
Anyway, loved your pictures and travelogue. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your sharing your experience on Adak! It sounds like such a strange, yet wonderful place to grow up. It's been so gratifying to hear from folks you lived there "in the day."
Delete