Washington to Alaska, Alaska to Russia

[Charlie]

I'm beginning to plan for a trip that is WAY beyond anything I have ever done. One year from now, I would like to embark on this trip. Everything between now and then will be preparation. I've been studying in school so I can come up with some career options on the road. I've been studying music and want to incorporate that to help me find a place in communities and make a small living to feed myself and keep myself supplied.

Now, getting down to details: Google maps shows the distance from Vancouver to Anchorage being 2193.6 miles. That's more than I've ever hitched in one trip. I was thinking of leaving Vancouver, on highway 99. Head north to Prince George via hwy 97. Then hwy 16 to hwy 37, then hwy 1 and hwy 2 to Anchorage. This looks like a really tough trip. Has anybody here travelled this before? I'm used to camping and living out in the woods a little bit, but what am I getting myself into exactly? Will there be towns with food banks? how many days might it take to get from one town to the next. If I stop between towns and I have to camp, is there anything I should be aware of? Do I need to keep my dishes clean and food sealed to keep critters away? Are the people on this route friendly? Can I hitch it easy? Or is this a difficult area to hitch? Will I need to pack much food with me at all times to avoid going hungry? Is it possible that I can find meditation centers to volunteer at when I get sick and injured? Should I learn to hunt and cook little critters for dinner? Is there many WWOOF farms along the way?

The main purpose of this trip is so I can get to Russia and then travel around Asia and work my way to Europe and maybe even Africa (depends how the trip goes). If I could find an easy way to get to Asia or Europe, I would do it just so I could travel around those continents and participate in their cultures and lifestyles. Does anybody have any recommended routes to get to Asia or Europe that doesn't cost much? The go north to Alaska and fly to Russia route seems the most appealing as I can do the majority of that hitchhiking during the summer and then I can fly to Russia. From there, I want to travel around Asia. I'll come up with more details on that later. For now I'm studying to make sure that the beginning of this trip will be a good foundation.

I'm also trying to figure out what gear I would pack. If I'm going to bring a lot of gear, I may just make enough money to fly straight over.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[Kim Chee]

The bears will eat your ass.

I've never even been to Alaska and it sounds like fun, but better fly unless you have guns and friends.

 

[Charlie]

Another thought occurred to me. Some friends of mine work on fishing boats in Alaska. What if I worked for a while doing that, didn't return and headed out from there? Is there any resources to prepare for bear encounters? I live in Washington and haven't had any problems with bears as long as I keep my food sealed up tight. I hear a lot of people say bad things about the bears in Canada and Alaska, just like they say bad things about Cartel in Mexico. Nobody warns me of the Capitalist in USA though... There must be ways to prepare for facing these challenges. I don't want to be afraid of hitching through Canada up to Alaska because of bears. If fear controlled me, I wouldn't hitchhike period, but I do and I prep for any dangers I'm aware of. Experience allows me to be even more familiar with these challenges, but I'm still lacking for tis venture. Maybe I should study bears for while.

 

[Kim Chee]

Bear mace may help in many situations (industrial size pepper spray). I'd really try to avoid the temptation of camping between towns though. If you did get eaten by a bear, you'd be going out like a champ. There is a book which tells true stories of bear attacks, what went wrong and how to deal with them if you are unfortunate. Apparently, black and brown bears are to be dealt with differently in many cases.

It sounds like the makings of an epic adventure, I hope you don't have any critter troubles.

Hopefully, somebody with some experience of the region has something to add.

 

[Odin]

The bears will eat your ass.

Shitt... I didn't know bears like to toss salad? ::woot::

I don't know what the statistics are on wildlife/predator encounters. But I would say a mace/repellant option is good and just choose good camp spots and be aware. Learn to sleep light too... and I dunno... does a campfire keep critters away or attract them? With a campfire you could keep a firebrand lit for a deterrent.

 

[janktoaster]

Be prepared for thousands of miles of nothing once you get to Russia.. and I mean nothing.

 

[Kim Chee]

Here's a little video tutorial on how to deal with a variety of bear encounter scenarios:

 

[Johnny Lightspeed]

bears cartels and capitalists haha that's awesome

 

[briancray]

You need a gun if you're in Alaska...there is a ton of wilderness. Everyone there is packing. Jobs on boats aren't hard to come by from what I've heard, but you start out at the bottom and it's hard work. It's not the shit you see on National Geographic...people do die doing that kinda work, but it's high risk high reward. A friend of mine grew up there. Meth is a big problem, and the seasons are quite different than what most are used to dealing. I want to head there at some point, but I need to learn more before doing so. Good luck to you on your journey. Hitching should not be an issue I'd think, but just be careful as most towns are small so make sure ppl aren't just leaving you on the side of a road somewhere. You can walk the docks for work and find something. I'd wait until summer though. Winter is cold as shit. Sounds like an awesome trip though. You going solo?

 

[CouchPunx]

I don't know what part of russia you'd be flying into but I think that will be the dangerous part of your trip. Kamchatka and all those eastern parts of russia are mostly controlled by the mafia. Their bears are a lot meaner and so are the people. I'd prefer mongolia any day.

 

[Rob Nothing]

Things to bring. Common sense, a good attitude, and a compass.

Oh, and a license to carry.

Bonus travel tip: don't give yourself away to anyone. Keep important info to yourself and stay true to your goals.

Best of luck, give em hell.

 

[Greg]

Be prepared for thousands of miles of nothing once you get to Russia.. and I mean nothing.

Yup thats siberia Dude youll die you try walking that . its called the frozen forest there for a reason. Bear and Tigers Yup i said tigers last of siberian tigers live there.
Ive heard of ppl getting work on ships to get to asia not sure how though
Safe journeys Peace

 

[WanderLost Radical]

''Are the people on this route friendly? Can I hitch it easy? Or is this a difficult area to hitch? Will I need to pack much food with me at all times to avoid going hungry? Is it possible that I can find meditation centers to volunteer at when I get sick and injured? Is there many WWOOF farms along the way?

The main purpose of this trip is so I can get to Russia and then travel around Asia and work my way to Europe and maybe even Africa (depends how the trip goes). If I could find an easy way to get to Asia or Europe, I would do it just so I could travel around those continents and participate in their cultures and lifestyles. Does anybody have any recommended routes to get to Asia or Europe that doesn't cost much? The go north to Alaska and fly to Russia route seems the most appealing as I can do the majority of that hitchhiking during the summer and then I can fly to Russia.''

I've never been to BC or Alaska, but I don't think there's that many big cities in Northern BC and Alaska. Which means less people, which means less potential cars. But from what I've experienced so far, it's easier to hitch out of small cities than big ones, and people are usually nicer.

That being said, since you might get stuck waiting for a ride for hours, I would pack food for inbetween rides. Keeping your hitchhiking smile is harder on an empty stomach

Also, volunteering could be nice if you end up being injured, but I wouldn't bother doing it otherwise. Because that's what it is... Volunteering. You won't get paid, and I don't see it helping you reach Europe in anyway. Of course, if you come across something that you're really into, jump in! But otherwise, it'll only slow you down.


''I don't know what part of russia you'd be flying into but I think that will be the dangerous part of your trip. Kamchatka and all those eastern parts of russia are mostly controlled by the mafia. Their bears are a lot meaner and so are the people. I'd prefer mongolia any day.''


Like he said... I'd go through Mongolia instead of Russia. I've heard SO MUCH good about Mongolia, especially the north and the west! The hospitality of the nomads is unique in this world. But please don't abuse it... these people may be very nice, but it's always recommended to leave a compensation before you leave... these people already don't have much

Also, Make sure to gather a few grands before embarquing on this journey. Asia might be cheap, but if you wanna spend time in every country to appreciate their culture, you'll endup digging your pockets. There's not that many jobs opportunity out there, mostly volunteering, as local workforce is much cheaper than a foreigner anyway

 

[WanderLost Radical]

(sorry for the weird format, my multi-quote didnt seem to work properly)

 

[wonder]

wonder did he try the trip ? siberia is not that bad but i know russia well and got friends

 

[Deleted member 16034]

The trip he was describing is pretty close to impossible to actually accomplish. The Bering Strait is a very dangerous channel and there are no ferries to get you from Alaska to Russia. Not to mention the second you touch down in Russia you will be arrested and deported. The last 800 or so miles of Russia that are not immediate coasts are all ghost towns with no roads going in or out of them, so he'd have risked either pure wilderness for a thousand miles trying to get to Asia or risking getting arrested at every coastal habour town on the way down.

 

[Matt Derrick]

i believe someone has biked that route before, so i'm sure it's possible to hitchhike with proper planning. not something i would attempt my first time out though, that's like lvl 80 shit right there.

 

[6coexist9]

any report back on your trip?

 

[Cornelius Vango]

Yeah, people hitch from Washington to Alaska, but there is some serious wildlife and once you get further north in BC and Yukon, towns are tiny villages and very far apart. You walk out of town and the next anything can be over 100 miles away. There is no such thing as WiFi or cellphone service once you're about halfway up through BC.

Bears, wolves, wolverines, moose, elk, caribou, mountain goats and other creatures outnumber humans. If you are not already familiar with survival in the north woods or even just basic wilderness experience, its like starting in expert mode on a game you've never played.

Once in Alaska, hitching is easier than most places, but they say that Alaska begins where the highway ends, which means that the real Alaska can only be reached by bushplane or boat or snow machine when the state is still frozen.