I've packed strings of horses in Alaska's bush country and it's a piece of work. Never a dull moment! I devoted a whole chapter in my book to my horse packing days-read it sometime.
Alaska's tough country and it takes tough men to make a living in this country. Oh, I'm not talking about those city boys in Anchorage and its suburbs. I'm talking about men that carve their existence out of the back country and live in rural Alaska. It's all together a different life. Men in Alaska are sort of like rhinos, short-sighted and hasty; if we cannot find a way, we will make a way.
Guiding clients in previous years taught me just how soft many of those Lower 48 hunters were. Few, if any, were prepared for the expedition at hand, upon their arrival. They were always amazed at the distances that could be viewed. Pollution in the Lower 48 and lack of real mountains never made such sights possible.
It takes stamina to hunt or work in the back country. Few are ready for what it takes. Hunting in this country vs. the Lower 48 is like the difference between a lightning bug and the lightning. It's just no place for sissies.
A close look at the culture in which boys are raised in the Lower 48 today reveals not only that they are no longer encouraged to become vigorous and responsible men, but also that practically every factor affecting their development is profoundly hostile to the ideals and practices of traditional manhood and the painstaking steps necessary to attain it. It's understandable when you look at the Courts for over 30 years. Woman have traditionally been given primary custody of the kids. Boys and Girls. What chance in hell does any woman have in "making a man out of a boy"? I'll try not to be sexist, Broads hate that. BUT, THAT DOES explain the type of "Men" that flourish in the Lower 48 today. I like to call them "FEMEN". They buy hair coloring, always trimmed up, wear funny bike hats, and know "Smilin Bob"! Americans are getting stronger though. Twenty years ago, it took two people to carry ten dollars' worth of groceries. Today, a five-year-old can do it!
Recently read an article comparing modern man to Neanderthal. Even the faster Olympic runner could not out run those guys. Many men in America today are soft, unable to provide even the basic needs for their families, should a worldwide crisis occur. You ready to split wood, haul water, shoot supper AND do it in 10 degree weather? You better toughen up Lower 48!!
One thing I noticed right away when I got to Alaska was its simple truths. This place is a carnivore! The unprepared, weak, fragile, stupid and ignorant are it's primary prey. Alaska- It ain't no place for sissies!
