Ose Mountain in Alaska

[fogtender]

This is a site that many may enjoy reading though.

It belongs to a friend of mine that lives a bit over a hundred air miles or so from the nearest road. He hiked in with his son some couple of dozen years ago and built a home in the wilderness.

Before I posted his link, I asked him about it and he was pretty excited, but there are those that don't grasp hunting, trapping and such as a life style and basically, he could care less what they think so I would suggest if you have issues with the real world, you may not want to see the link. The rest may enjoy the heck out of it!

www.osemountain.com

I will be headed back that direction this spring when the snow is off his runway.

He has access to the world now though satellite Internet and TV. Pretty neat place he has built up there.

Like to hear comments.

 

[RedRocker]

Awesome, I'd love to have those skills.
How does he get gas/fuel for his machines?

 

[Cowboy]

Wow !! best thread ever fogtender , Thanks for sharing . I certainlly will be following . I went through all 13 pages great picks as well as the story .

 

[pirate_girl]

I bookmarked it Foggy, thanks

 

[bill w]

my wife and i will be doing the same thing shortly....it is a wonderfull,fulfilling life.i was raised in the bush outside of chicken and we are looking forward to leaving the grid.way cool thread foggy.reps for you..Bill w

 

[fogtender]

Dwain will have his gas flown in once or twice a year. There is a small group of people that live on a lake a bunch of miles away and a DC-4 will land on the lake after they clear the snow for it to land on the ice. They share the cost for the plane which brings in everything from gas to food. The cost of the plane is something like $10,000.00 plus the cost of the supplies. But it can bring in tons of gear at one time.

Normally, he use to run his snow machine all the way into Nenana (100 miles+-) to pick up gear. He has the same snowmachines that I have, the Arctic Cat Bear Cat Wide Tracks with a four stoke engine, they get about twenty miles per older two stokes machines get about half or a third of that mileage.

A friend of ours took his D-6 dozer our there a few years ago after getting a mountain of paperwork permits to clear the lake for the supply plane, and he went and made a runway on top of Ose Mountain about 1500' long, otherwise he had to walk about four miles to a smaller lake where the float plane could bring him supplies, he did get a four wheeler that saved him a lot of work, but the runway is just above the house by about 1/4 mile and is a lot easier for access.

My cabin is about 40 miles out on the same winter trail that he uses to get to his place. Since this forest fires went though the area this summer, the trail is pretty much blocked to use that trail and another rougher trail is used for access, so sometime this week, I should have the permits to bring my dozer out and open those trails back up. Will take photos and post them of the trip. Anyone that wants to come along and has their own snowmachine and wants to live "Primitive" for a few days is welcome to come along.

These are photos of their mountain top runway, note the "Stipes", he put sawdust on the runway to make them look big time! The last photo is Duaine at the runway meeting the plane.

 

[fogtender]

Duane just sent me a video site that a TV station in Minn. did on him and his wife. There is a short advertizement before the video starts, but it is pretty good.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s1421499.shtml?cat=10546

He is going to send me photos and I will post them as I get them.

I sent him the link to the Forum site and he may join up and ad stuff himself to this tread.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

cool pics always nice to see trees

 

[fogtender]

Here are a few more photos that Duane sent me.

Pictures of his runway and planes coming and going, aerial of his house and view of Mt. McKinley from his yard.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

a helio currior that is one awsom plane they will haul like a 206 and preform like a cub

 

[fogtender]

a helio currior that is one awsom plane they will haul like a 206 and preform like a cub

Yeah, and they will groundloop in a heartbeat. Was looking at four of them lined up at Merrell and they all had wingtip work on them.... Always wanted one though on floats!

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

they also have a gearbox in the front of the engine like the l19's wich i understand was problematic and cut your tbo in half also like any hing military a real gas hogg if i haf the money i couldn't think of a better plane for up here

 

[cabinboy]

That is a great thread I had to go thru all of the pages also , thanks for posting it. Life does not look like it is very easy up there . I am looking forward to reading more and seeing more pictures.

 

[fogtender]

That is a great thread I had to go thru all of the pages also , thanks for posting it. Life does not look like it is very easy up there . I am looking forward to reading more and seeing more pictures.

The more set up you are, the easier it gets. But there was a lot of hard work for him to get where they are at now.

He sent some more photos, will post them a bit later on tonight or tomorrow.

 

[couchloafer]

what a great find Foggy! Thanks so much for sharing! rep points your way!

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

i will second that i worked at alexander lake lodge as a kid kenny had lived there since the late 30's he trapped and comercial fished during the summer in the beginning later he started guiding the old man had some neet stories and would keep the guest's entertained at night telling themhe was about 65 when he passed away but i remember that 50 year old man with emphazima working us kids into the ground he was about 5ft 4 and made of iron his fix for every thing was more grease we had an old 320 case crawler with a gas motor and a marvel updraft carb a st-4 st-4b and a bombi ,the bombi turned out to be useless also had 2 snowmachines and a few john boats and an old jeep all items he slowly aquired through years of hard work. every thing was heated with wood and i cut lots of it as a 12 year old and hauled it in so the cook could make breakfast.i still vividly remember those years and wonder how kids are going to get along not being able to work like that now and learning those lessons.

 

[fogtender]

i will second that i worked at alexander lake lodge as a kid kenny had lived there since the late 30's he trapped and comercial fished during the summer in the beginning later he started guiding the old man had some neet stories and would keep the guest's entertained at night telling themhe was about 65 when he passed away but i remember that 50 year old man with emphazima working us kids into the ground he was about 5ft 4 and made of iron his fix for every thing was more grease we had an old 320 case crawler with a gas motor and a marvel updraft carb a st-4 st-4b and a bombi ,the bombi turned out to be useless also had 2 snowmachines and a few john boats and an old jeep all items he slowly aquired through years of hard work. every thing was heated with wood and i cut lots of it as a 12 year old and hauled it in so the cook could make breakfast.i still vividly remember those years and wonder how kids are going to get along not being able to work like that now and learning those lessons.

Don't have a clue to what kids are going to do, mine turned out pretty well and left home after HS to go to college and both have pretty good jobs, better than I had at their age... Not bad, but that don't appear to be normal nowdays...

 

[fogtender]

Here is some more photos of their log home interior. The bear was on the porch was in the wrong place at the right time, was dinner and a new wall mount...

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

nice bear's we don't have any blacks up this way they are all grizzly's we will be down by white mountaain this weekend there are some linx down there if i see one thats one cat that will be on my wall.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

Don't have a clue to what kids are going to do, mine turned out pretty well and left home after HS to go to college and both have pretty good jobs, better than I had at their age... Not bad, but that don't appear to be normal nowdays...

congrats in your kids i expect mine will turn out ok too but when i was in the military i was shocked at the quality of the privates now days i had a few working in the motor pool who didn't have a clue what an honest days work was about. and i think a good bush experiance would do all youngsters some good.

 

[osemtnak]

We have Grizzly's too. Had two at diferent times that wanted me , both times I knew I was about to die , but I drew first. Up close and personal too! They put the fear of God in me , sounded like Dinosaurs. I heald fast , after it was over I melted...

 

[fogtender]

We have Grizzly's too. Had two at diferent times that wanted me , both times I knew I was about to die , but I drew first. Up close and personal too! They put the fear of God in me , sounded like Dinosaurs. I heald fast , after it was over I melted...

Well Duane, glad you got yourself set up and on the forum, now you can answer questions about your homestead!

 

[Melensdad]

We have Grizzly's too. Had two at diferent times that wanted me , both times I knew I was about to die , but I drew first. Up close and personal too! They put the fear of God in me , sounded like Dinosaurs. I heald fast , after it was over I melted...

Nice to see you joining us, I've been reading your blog. Very interesting stuff indeed.

So finish your sentence, you melted ... butter on the bear meat while it roasted on the BBQ

 

[Cowboy]

Watched the great video as well , Thanks again fogtender & welcome & thanks for sharing your life with us Duane & welcome . Reps to both .

 

[bill w]

welcome to the forum duane...i envy you guys..while it is a tough life,there is nothing better in the world than going outside and hearing nothing....just quiet...very peaceful..i take it you are back in by wein lake?my wife and i are looking at a place on wein...it has five cabins,with the main cabin right on the lake.only seen it thru the realtor's photos....we may get time to fly in this spring.Bill w

 

[cabinboy]

Welcome aboard Duane . I really enjoyed your stories and pictures, thank you for posting them , I am looking forward to seeing more of them. WELCOME!!

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

We have Grizzly's too. Had two at diferent times that wanted me , both times I knew I was about to die , but I drew first. Up close and personal too! They put the fear of God in me , sounded like Dinosaurs. I heald fast , after it was over I melted...

we had alot of the same critters where i grew up i tended to be more worried about the blackies they were smaller but tended to be more agressive the brownies weren't like the barren ground grizzley's here in the western coast down in south central they were more layed back here the grizzleys aact more like the blackies i suppose because the enviroment is so harsh and hunting is short also i remember one blackie taking 7 rounds of 45/70 at point blank range to put down.

 

[fogtender]

Duane is new here and doesn't know how to do the posting so I will post his photos and remarks he emails me.



Duane..

"For the dry times of watering the garden. Living up high far from a lake . I made this holding pond catch reservoir . Note the steel fence , no bear or moose got in yet ! Bear have tried. This is higher up for gravity flow as well. Great water pressure for sprinklers for free. Living on a hill is a lot warmer then in the cold bottom land. As all pilots know."

 

[fogtender]

Another email from Duane


Duane....



"The dugout I lived in since 1985 ,then searching the world for that special women bringing her with me, living in this, from June 1991 for, nine more years while we built our 30' X 40' tri level log home.

She seen the photos before hand, but reality sunk in after walking up hill 3.1/2 miles ,from a lake, with full packs . Arriving late at night, to this musty hole in the ground , with bear boards to save the sod roof, of this 9' X 11' dug out. That had been vacant for two years.... Worse for her, the plane was not due back for six months.... No communication ether ..105 miles from a road,and three rivers.. Just like the old days ..She past the test of,.. LOVE. !!"

 

[osemtnak]

You Are Correct , About the B & D Bear. I lived With 4 Black, At Arms Lenth When I was by my self. Bear , BO-Bo , Fuzzy, & Wink Were There names. When company came in to visit , the bear friends, went into hideing.// The Grizz Were surprised by me, & Reacted in defence , all the same they wanted to eat me. Making noise when you walkabout is good advise....