So ............I gotta ask.

[rodp]

Not trying to demean anyone here or slag off their lifestyle but we have a run of programs on tv such as "Wild Alaska" and "Alaskan Railroad" and so on. It shows how hard life is in a desolate, snow covered wilderness miles from anywhere.
So, I gotta ask, Why the hell would anyone choose to live there ??

Probably nice to have a cabin and retreat there now and again, and the hunting must be great, but to live there permanently ......Why???

I live in the suberbs of a town, about five minutes one way to what was the biggest shopping mall in Europe (when it was built 20 years ago) and a major hospital, fifteen minutes the other way and I'm out in the English countryside. I just can't imagine why anyone would want to live in a frozen wasteland, no matter how beautifull the scenery is.

So come on, tell me what I can't grasp, why do you do it ????????????

(As I said earlier, not knocking anyone, it's your choice)

[SHOTGUN]

It is one of those, if you have to ask you will never understand. The scenery, the quietness of nature, taking a pee off the front porch and only your dog might be offended. There is truely something beautiful of been isolated from humanity. Some may enjoy the challenge. If we all valued the same thing the world would be very boring!!!

[rodp]

It is one of those, if you have to ask you will never understand. The scenery, the quietness of nature, taking a pee off the front porch and only your dog might be offended. There is truely something beautiful of been isolated from humanity. Some may enjoy the challenge. If we all valued the same thing the world would be very boring!!!

Thanks for the reply, I can truly understand the attraction of isolation, sometimes there's just too many folk in the world.
But the hardship of months of snow and semi darkness, the endless wet and boggy landscape in the thaw, the continual struggle for firewood and food !!! (That's if the programs are to be believed ?)

And what do most folk do for work / money ?

[SHOTGUN]

Most of jobs and work come from primary industry(mining, forestry, farming, ect). Most people do not "struggle" for survival because most are very normal ( heated house, vehicle, internet, smart phone). The people that truely ruff it almost always is their choice. The long winters sometimes get bothersome but there is always something to do like icefishing, snowmobiling, aatving, hunting, snow shoeing. Or if the weather is very bad having social events with the community still gets you out of the house, or tinkering getting everything ready for the warm months. One thing that I find funny are people that go out of their way to get into trouble, like driving in winter with no spare clothes, first aid kit, letting people know where you are headed ect. or taking extreme risks for a thrill. Where I live is by no means isolated but in good weather it takes an ambulance at least an hour to get somewhere close, fire dept. have never lost a basement to fire(our joke, they never save a house), call the cops and when they get time they may get out your way. You really have to think about what you are doing and be safe.

[rodp]

So really it's quite a normal way of life, apart from the extremes of weather which you're geared up for anyway ? What we see on Wild Alaska etc is picked out just for good viewing, like most "real life" programs around the world.

I don't think I could put up with the weather though, I'd find it hindered my way of life. Having said that, it's what you grow up to, we all think our way is normal and everyone else is "peculiar"
Personaly I would find the continual snow and slush depressing, and the cold would freeze my cobs off

[phabib]

Just in case anyone starts wondering about me in a similar way, the new HBO program Silicon Valley is (mostly) not representative of life here.

[rodp]

Just in case anyone starts wondering about me in a similar way, the new HBO program Silicon Valley is (mostly) not representative of life here.

It was just the extreme hardship portrayed by some programs that made me wonder (A) if it was a true reflection of life for the majority, and (B) if it was why would you endure it.

It appears, so far, the TV just shows what makes good viewing, the majority of folk live quite normal lives (apart from your house burning down because the fire engine is so damned far away)

[North Country Tough]

Rod you are not sounding very British,don't ask why we want to live in a harsh climate just accept we will prevail.In all honesty I only live in Northern Ontario a far cry from the deep north but that said we see more than our amount of snow and cold and bugs,and all worth every inconvenience for the unbelievable times when the weather is good and the clear air fills our lungs and the hussle bussle is a distant memory and the blood pressure is normal the call of the loon the geese flying overhead,the smell of the forest its just good for the soul,the real reason to own a AATV(going to take it on the chin for that one )we get so many days of ultimate beauty and serenity that the days where ya got to feed the wood heater and relax in the LAZEE boy chair ya don't mind so much ,perhaps when Iam seventy some odd I would like something different but Iam not sure.Cheers NCT

[rodp]

Rod you are not sounding very British,don't ask why we want to live in a harsh climate just accept we will prevail.In all honesty I only live in Northern Ontario a far cry from the deep north but that said we see more than our amount of snow and cold and bugs,and all worth every inconvenience for the unbelievable times when the weather is good and the clear air fills our lungs and the hussle bussle is a distant memory and the blood pressure is normal the call of the loon the geese flying overhead,the smell of the forest its just good for the soul,the real reason to own a AATV(going to take it on the chin for that one )we get so many days of ultimate beauty and serenity that the days where ya got to feed the wood heater and relax in the LAZEE boy chair ya don't mind so much ,perhaps when Iam seventy some odd I would like something different but Iam not sure.Cheers NCT

Oh I'm British allright, we moan about everything I was watching Extreme Alaska the other night and it said they had 4 months to get all food, wood and anything else they needed for 8 months of winter !!! One family didn't quite make it and ended having to go hunting out in the wilds in blizzards etc.

The more I see and hear on here the more I think the tv programs are cobblers to be honest.
When you think about it, if it was that bad how the hell do they get a film crew around ???

How many months of winter / snow do you get NCT ?

[North Country Tough]

We had the first snow around the middle of the month of November,the last of it still hanging around but the river system/lake we are on still full of ice but lookin like it will flush this weekish.so I guess that would be 4 months sort of the dead of winter is mid Dec till aboot mid March ish.We are aboot 50 miles from a sort of city centre not that big a deal,but fact still remains Rod this is Gods country till you have experienced it its hard to know why and the guys that are in Alaska and the Yukon my hats off to you,that is the true north and must be magnificent and hope one day I have the time to visit and soak it in.NCT