(Part 3) Top products from r/alaska

I'm glad you asked! I love learning what things are, so I'm happy to share. This should be apparent by the time I'm done with my data dump. First off, when in Alaska and where? That will depend on how useful some of these things are.

I use PeakFinder for mountain names. The desktop version is free, but the app is $4.99 and worth every penny. It will only show peaks, and not lakes, glaciers, or other formations. I use the Delorme Atlas for those. That's too unwieldy to take on hikes, though.

For birds, I know the President of the Anchorage Audubon Society uses iBird for an app, so that must be decent. There's a free demo version, but the full app is $14.99. For the Anchorage coastal area, I mostly use this checklist. If you can tell a duck from a sparrow, you can narrow down your bird substantially and use websites to find the right one. Although the list is specific to Anchorage, and results are very different in places like Seward or Fairbanks. If you're into bird identification, you'll get farther learning how a few birds sound rather than how they look.

The Eagle River Nature Center has a few events throughout the summer that help novices with identifying plants, birds, trees, and other animals. There are also guided bird walks at Potter Marsh and Campbell Creek Science Center throughout the summer.

For flowers, I'm not aware of any great apps. I do know of some good books. This is the best pocket-sized book for berries. This is my favorite for flowers. For all types of plants, this book is amazing. It's thick and heavy, so you won't be taking it hiking, but it's a wealth of information. Outside of Discovering Wild Plants, I would buy the other books used at Title Wave in Anchorage.

Trees are easy. I'm not sure you need an app. Here's a pamphlet from the Forest Service. Basically, if it looks like a Christmas tree it's probably a spruce. If it has big glossy leaves, it's a balsam poplar/black cottonwood. If it has smaller serrated leaves, it's probably a paper birch. That covers 90% of what you'll see in Alaska for trees. There are others like willows, alders, hemlock, tamarack, but the pamphlet can help with those.

There are subreddits specifically tailored to identify things like plants, birds, insects, trees, etc., so if you're stumped, take some pictures and post it online.

https://www.amazon.com/Conflicting-Landscapes-American-Schooling-Natives/dp/1578333962

I taught in anchorage but my teacher education was rural focused. I can't remember if this was required or just recommended but I think you'd find it useful. I've had family, friends, and coworkers that spent years in Bethel and similar villages. They had their ups and downs. There's a lot of baggage in the villages and I think it's important to understand that so you don't cause more harm than good. Fr Oleksa teaches one or both of the classes needed to fulfill requirements for Alaska certification and his resources would be helpful too.

I have not done it, but know a lot about it, enough to think about a summit attempt next spring. And I've spent a fair amount of time on the Ruth Glacier (the glacier over from base camp).

akgreenman is wrong on a few accounts, the West Buttress route is the way to go for a beginner. There are established camps at 700 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier (base camp) then again an established camp with a medical tent at 14,000 feet, and then high camp at 17,200. (there are intermediate camps between those as well, but those are the main three)

The route is mostly a walk up with fixed ropes on the harder parts. It is not technical climbing, but you need to be very careful. The weather can be horrendous and the altitude is very trying. Because Denali (call it Denali not Mt. McKinley if you're a climber) is a higher latitude, it has less dense air and thus is equivalent to a much higher height at the equator. The most important thing are be careful and to acclimatize well and watch the weather.

You will want to read this book by Colby Coombs. Full disclosure, he is a family friend of mine, but it is very informative of someone who runs a guiding service.

If you are not very experienced at altitude and very cold weather, do a guided trip. They have experience and have been up the mountain many times. The cost of a trip like that would be something a bit over $6000 plus the $210 park entrance and mountaineering fee. Places to look at are Alaska Mountain School which is local out of Talkeetna (where you'll fly in from), Alpine Ascents, and RMI. The ratio on those trips will be 4-6 climbers to 2 guides. Colby Coombs (who I mentioned earlier) runs AMS (kind ironic acroynm eh?) and they are very experienced and reliable. I know a head guide for Alpine Ascents who I would follow up anything and I am friends with two younger guides for RMI and that group also seems very organized. Basically use one of those three.

As for training, just be in damn good shape. Know how to use all the gear that would be on the gear list. Go for hikes with packs, learn how to manage sleds full of gear. This is most likely going to be a slog where you spend the day shuttling lots of gear up to a higher camp then go down to a lower camp to sleep, and repeat several times. People say that you'll climb Denali three times for each summit.

If you are thinking that you want to do a more technical, exposed, or remote route - don't. Since you are here asking questions you probably aren't the most experienced and only a few people per year climb other routes than the West Buttress. Denali is not a mountain to be messed with, weather can turn at any moment. Be careful and have fun.

PM me (or just reply) if you have any more questions. I like talking climbing.

Alaskan moving to NC here -- this is the field guide I would recommend. This is the travel guide that I usually recommend, but that's because it has the most pages devoted to my local area -- but as it also covers Denali, could be of interest.

The risk assessment algorithms are deeply flawed. I am a programmer, I've studied genetic algorithms and learning programming and I can tell you beyond any doubt that they are super flawed, and with a data set like the historic and current state of our judicial and legal system's track record, there is virtually no way to make a fair algorithm with the data available.

EDIT: Here is an excellent book on the subject, which discusses where learning algorithms are appropriate and when they are not. Judicial sentencing is an example of not. Fair warning, it is written at the graduate level for computer science focused academics, so it will make no sense to anyone outside of the field.

Wager with the Wind was a book I selected in school for a report and it was seriously awesome.

It's basically an early history of bush flying in Alaska with a lot of anecdotes. My parents knew or were friends-of-friends with some of the characters in the book so it was even more cool having met some of them.

There is another cool book about Army paratroopers in Alaska. Up here they perform civilian rescues so the book was a recollection of SAR adventures. I can't remember the title but I bought it in a Borders about 10 years ago.

Then of course there are the Alaskan Bear Tales books. I've never read them, but everyone I know who has started carrying guns when they let their dog out in the backyard.

Oh and another book I remember reading was called Jumping Fire about a smokejumper in Alaska.

Let's agree to jettison Into the Wild from this list.

Michener's Alaska would be a better choice. Or Lindstrand's Alaskan Sketchbook, if we can include a pictorial journal.

I bought this book at the gift shop last time I was at Denali. Haven't read it yet, but it sounds like it might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

You might also look for books by Adolph Murie, who was an early scientific researcher/naturalist in the area before it was a Park.

/r/CCW Spend sometime getting to learn what firearm you are going to carry and read some literature like [Deadly Force - Understanding Your Right To Self Defense by Massad Ayoob] (https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Force-Understanding-Right-Defense/dp/1440240612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537489878&sr=8-1&keywords=deadly+force+massad+ayoob) Also read our laws. They are very specific. If you are not feeling comfortable yet start with just carrying the holster then step it up as you go. There are plenty of resources to help you learn.

Denali NP and Granite Tors are probably the most frequented. You also have the Denali Hwy and the Tangle Lakes area. Rainbow Ridge on the Richardson south of Delta. White Mountains north of Fairbanks. I'd suggest grabbing this book.

Find this book or someone who has it. I've seen it at Costco, I guarantee there's a recipe or four in there.

Try Nick Begich Jr.'s book (yes, the brother of the Senator).

Travels in Alaska by John Muir

Two in the Far North

Frigid Embrace is a great book about the resources in Alaska.

Fair Game I recommend this one if you're interested in Robert Hansen, Alaskan serial killer who just recently died in jail.

Tongass is all about the fight for the rain-forest in South East. Been awhile since I looked at that one, but I remember it being very insightful.