so there isnt an introduction page i could spy so hey everyon im zach

[zdaucfk]

like i said im Zach, 27 i live in mass, army vet., married, love animals, and the great outdoors. i hope i can bring something to the table without seeming like the gratuitous know it all army guy. but if there are any questions about arctic environment get at me i spent approximately 6 years in Alaska wondering the wilds of the interior as a light infantry soldier. mostly spent time in or around the alaska range. otherwise i don't have too much to bring to the table that you folks don't already know. im here for the outdoor discussion and joking with you guys so don't take anything i say personally or too seriously my personality does not translate well in text. but im glad i found the forum everyone seems to be nice and helpful.

[whiteOak]

hey Zach welcome to the old campsite. come on in, take off your boots, and have a cuppah coffee

[John13np]

Welcome Zach, I have been part of this site for about a month now. I had no introduction and people are still nice to me, what a place!

That’s great that you have spent time in AK. I have always wanted to go but no luck yet. If I were to go up there as a tourist who wanted to stay away from the tourististy areas and still wanted to do some great hiking, where would you recommend going?

P.S. Is tourististy even a word???

[zdaucfk]

thanks for the welcome everyone, john you wanna go to ak. here are my words of warning... arctic mosquito swarms.. worse thing ever!! you will be covered in skeets in about 30 seconds upon entering the woods. like you are wearing a fur suit, summer travel bring a serious repellent and mosquito nets. best bet is to go in september the skeets arent as bad it rareley gets below 0 not too many animal babies etc. check out ft greeley john its a military facility but when i was there they allowed civilians to enter and hike, hunt whatever. you just need to find out if they still allow it before planning. but its at the foothills of the ak range, more wildlife than ive ever seen, buffalo heards, bear, moose, caribou, eagles, so on and so on. huge rivers muskeg swampland plains and you can see mckinnly from everywhere. its got everything including impact zones so be sure to have an updated map! ill post some pictures tomorrow.

[John13np]

Sounds great Zach! I'm not a hunter so no worries for me on that, but some great tips! I didn't even know that sosquitos were up there! I am from FL so I am used to them though :)

[Jchwoodsy]

a spy? In our civil midst? OH NOES!

[zdaucfk]

haha just like anna chapman! kidding, but john and anyone else interested in Alaskan mosquito's check out this video someone made on the north slope. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syb0pTnMK_s

now ive been a part of some freaky sh@! in the woods but these things give me nightmares.