Roll Call Alaska 2016

outwestbound wrote:

PA12DRVR wrote:
"Stuff" is so dang expensive and hard to get north of the US boarder, ....."

Not just "stuff": Keep in mind that many of the recreational activities come with a pretty steep price tag, particularly if they have that magic word "fly" in them. Standard flightseeing trips from the larger towns (Los Anchorage, Squarebanks, Homer, etc) will run $200+. Charter trips, particularly if there is a need to haul gear, run between $200 - $400/hour and the clock runs both directions.

The vast bulk of Alaska's land area is still only air-accessible, so flights are often a great idea, just don't forget to plan on the $$$.

Thanks. How do the bush pilots price there? For example, the "per seat" if 4 in the plane is less than if just 1 or 2 went. Correct? What's the going rate on tips for pilots?

As can be seen by looking WMA's website, many of the set excursions are on a per seat basis with a minimum. Fairly typical. Most operators set minimums rather than reducing pricing if "more" people go along.

Should note that sometimes on shorter (i.e. day or less) fishing trips I've seen the converse might apply ($XX/person up to 4, $X per person if more than 4).

Where the $$ adds up is when folks want to be dropped off on something other than a pre-packaged trip. Again, as the WMA site will show, there are certain planned trips for a set price for air drop-off and pickup. However, if one wants to go from spot X to spot Y, and those spots aren't on the list of pre-planned options, one should expect to pay on an hourly basis which varies based on the plane type needed (i.e. Supercub up to Beaver).

...one last data point, unless booked/planned ahead of time, most operators will be reluctant to take a plane out of the "pre-planned" circuit (i.e. the sightseeing trips that are per person priced) unless they are sure of getting an equivalent revenue stream for the time the plane is "out of service".

A suggestion might be to schedule any air-dependent travel trips for mid-September or later. This timing will avoid the tourist traffic. It will hit hunting season smack dab in the middle, but it's more likely that some of the fleet might be idle at this time than in the middle of tourist season.

A few closing comments:

- Alaskan waters (no matter where and when) are universally colder than most waters in the L48; Hypothermia will get you before anything else if you take a dunking. Don't go without that PFD.
- On Alaska trips into the backcountry, hiking/climbing/whatever, cotton kills. The Alaska water that comes down vertically is just as cold as the water in the rivers or lakes and cotton will get you into hypothermia real fast.
- Alaska law requires (at least it did last I checked) that mosquito nets be carried (among other things) as part of mandatory survival gear in airplanes. There's a reason for this. On a backcountry trip, plan to deal with the bugs. I'm old school and prefer headnets and long-sleeve/pant clothing, but whether headnets, smoking the He** out of a pipe, or bug dope, figure out a way to deal with the bugs.
- A pay-per-use Sat Phone is your friend for a longer backcountry trip. Good map reading/following skills are critical.
- It helps if all electronics on the trip use the same type of battery. My son & I try to standardize on AA's, but recent trending has indicated that we might have to switch to AAA's.