Doing it alone?

[2hams2alaska]

I am considering a fourth trip to Alaska and return for this summer. I wouldn't be leaving until late June due to a family wedding. But unlike the earlier three trips, I would be making the trip alone as I lost my DW last April. I wonder how many posters out there have done the trip alone? And if you had any unexpected complications due to not having a companion along? I would love to do the trip one more time while I am able, one never knows how much more time you have to do such things. I am 73 and in good health and do not take any meds other than for cholesterol control. But it would be just me and my two Shih Tzu, Jack and Diane.

Any suggestions or comments from those who have made the trip alone would be much appreciated.

Mike

[mycopsycho]

I have made the trip to SE Alaska (Haines) numerous times since 2004 and always solo since my wife doesn't like the idea of the long drive from Colorado. I'm 77. In 2014 I started out and made it to MT before turning back due to illness. Turns out I had stage 4 colon cancer. It's in remission now and I'm heading off again in early June. It just takes a little planning and a certain mindset for being along a lot. Satellite radio really helps too! My only mechanical problems occurred in MT. Otherwise, it's just a matter of plodding along enjoying the scenery and wildlife. You're lucky to have the companionship of a dog. Our old cat wouldn't enjoy it and wouldn't talk to me if I took him. 🙂

[tonymull]

When I don't take my wife along...I dwaddle more, I fish too much, way too much, and I generally lose a few pounds. You'll have a great trip. I wouldn't hesitate.

[SideHillSoup]

A friend of ours lost his wife a few years back, and they also did a lot of camping. He also thought about doing it alone and thought it would be to hard thinking of all the good times he and his wife had over the years.
Well, that didn't last long, he bought a cell phone which he never had before her death learned how it worked and started camping and traveling. Now he send messages just about every day to his kids to let them know where he is and what's going on, as they were ore worried about him than he was about him....
I think it is coming up on years 5 now that he has been alone and he is camping more now than ever.
He hasn't going to Alaska alone that I know of but he has been up north to Whitehorse, Dawson City, a couple years ago and to Newfound Land last yearl. He just got back from spending the winter in AZ last week.
He also has a rig simaler to yours, where he used to have a 5th wheel when he traveled with his wife. The Class C that he has is fairly new, and he did add a few things like a backup camera a cell phone booster, and he got a 1000 watt Honda Gen set, and added 120 watt solar panels to the roof, with 6 volt batteries to run the " camper" end of things in the rig, he is pretty well self contained.
As well I have seen singles camping sites on the internet but can't recall their names, someone else may have that info for you.
I would think it over pros and cons talk with your family is possible as see what they think.
All thou I'm not in your situation so I can't say what to do, however from what my buddy has been doing I think you will be fine.
Soup.

[mabynack]

I'm in the same boat. I was married for 35 years and then divorced three years ago. I've only made one long trip since the divorce, but plan on driving to Alaska when I retire in 2018.

Our last trip to Yellowstone was great. The ex took a lot of photos from the passenger seat that I couldn't have taken when driving. She was also an extra set of eyes and a navigator and kept me from taking some wrong turns. Several times she had me turn around and go back because she had seen something that I missed. Once it was a herd of Elk a half mile off the road. We hiked in and took some great photos.

She was also the inspiration to take a lot of our side trips. Some of our better adventures were her idea.

[joe_b_]

I have made the trip a time or two solo and it worked OK for me. Sometimes my wife didn't wish to make the vehicle trip, a round trip and so she might fly one direction or the other and meet me somewhere, usually in Anchorage. The last solo trip I did was about in 2005 as she had a family reunion in Colorado, so flew back there for that and then back home to Florida. I stayed in Alaska for another month or so as she headed south.

I found I needed to plan my next day's travel the night before, more than when she is along and can do some of the map navigation as we move down the road. Another thing I found is I had to make more effort to stop and see "stuff" as I was driving along. I tend to be an early riser, so when solo I was/am often on the road by 6 or 6:30 AM and will have made 300 miles by noon.

I think I had made 4 or 5 round trips to/from Alaska prior to my wife and I getting married, In Anchorage in 1973, so doing the trip solo didn't strike me as being too different now in later life. While I tend to prefer, having someone along on the trips, etc. it is still a great trip by myself. I have made most of my small aircraft trips to Alaska, from the lower 48, following the Alaska or Cassiar Hwys by myself. But most of those were just to see how quickly I could get plane delivered and head back outside to pick up the next one to take north.

More evening planning, taking more notes of the next day's locations where I wanted to stop, and having most of it accessible to the driver's seat. Especially if going through any large towns was involved. I like to write down any highway changes on post it notes and put them in my shirt pocket or stick on the dash for easy viewing.