At the Fairbanks International Airport’s main terminal, we went to the ticket counter to pay for our plane trip. The young lady working asked us if we were going to Lake Minchumina for trophy fishing. She continued to tell us that a lot of people go there for the big fish. I made the mistake of telling her that we were going on a hike to the federal land settlement area to find land to stake a claim. Her mouth said nothing, but her eyes screamed “crazy person.” I resisted the urge to try and explain further because it was obvious her mind was made up. I said no more and walked away with my dignity (somewhat) intact.
Duane Arthur Ose was born and raised in Minnesota. He enlisted in the army in 1964 at the age of twenty-one and spent one of his three years of service in Korea as a US army engineer. Duane met Rena, his second wife, through the mail-order bride system, and she moved to the Alaskan homestead to live in a hole in the ground (called a dugout) for nine years while she and Duane built their three-story log home. They live off the land for the most part, gardening, using solar power, and trapping. (Rena does the skinning.) Duane is a survival expert, skilled at living and thriving under extreme conditions. A sought-after public speaker, Duane gives presentations on rural living, homesteading, survival, Alaskan living, and the art of dowsing. He is the author of Alaskan Wilderness Adventure: Join Duane and His Son Daniel on a Journey Deep in the Alaskan Wilderness in Search of Finding a New Home.
