"The Last Alaskans" - Animal Planet

Michigan_Mike

For anyone out there who enjoys raw TV footage and documentaries, this series (The Last Alaskans) is an outstanding watch.  There are seven remaining cabins and families allowed to live up in the Arctic wildlife refuge of Alaska and since the US passed 1980 legislation that will no longer allow human habitation of this vast tract of land, humans living on this expanse of land will cease to exist in less than 100 years.....  This is an exceptional series and will be shown on Animal Planet at 7 PM on Sundays.  Well worth the time and was done by a small film crew who were embedded with the individuals living in this area.  

ChanW

Wish we could get cable!

I've read the book about one of the subjects of the series. It's a great read, called "The Final Frontiersman", about Heimo Korth, who decided to 'head for Alaska' in his youth, and then stuck there. 

Amazon says about the book:

"... reads like a rustic version of the American Dream and reveals for the first time a life undreamed by most of us: amid encroaching environmental pressures, apart from the herd, and alone in a stunning wilderness that for now, at least, remains the final frontier."

(It was a dream for me too, in my early 20s, but I was somehow turned back from that path)

I highly recommend the book, for those quiet evenings by the Tab.

Michigan_Mike

This is a great series and with "from the heart" accounts.   I know that there are a ton of these Alaskan reality series on TV right now, but the simplistic narrative and human touch accounting in this one is outstanding and educational.   

The Alaskan railroad is another good series...  In one  portrayal two guys had to hike back into a cabin by foot so that the one man could see the cabin which was for sale.  They were dropped off along the tracks by train, hiked back in and had to hike back out to catch the train a few days later.

Rad

Michigan_Mike said:

This is a great series and with "from the heart" accounts.   I know that there are a ton of these Alaskan reality series on TV right now, but the simplistic narrative and human touch accounting in this one is outstanding and educational.   

The Alaskan railroad is another good series...  In one  portrayal two guys had to hike back into a cabin by foot so that the one man could see the cabin which was for sale.  They were dropped off along the tracks by train, hiked back in and had to hike back out to catch the train a few days later.

The silly one is Alaska the Last Frontier.  Jewel's dad and the rest of the clan live within driving distance of a MacDonalds and sell the show as wilderness survival. Heck, the heavy equipment and boats they use are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Now the grandpa who emigrated over from Europe and carved out that successful homestead and became an Alaskan legislator  would be a worthy story.

Kats

A LOT of the so-called "Alaskan reality series" are about as fictional and staged for TV as you can get. 
I'm a PROUD graduate of the University of Alaska (1989). Believe me, the real thing is much more interesting and compelling than these shows that the Discovery channel makes up.

leenscottfl

Rush Limbaygh was on a reality golf show episode.  He says they filmed segments repeatedly until they got the "reality" they wanted.

wizard1880

I was excited to see Survivorman return to the air. The guy is nuts--just himself and his camera. He stopped production years back because he said the survival trips were taking a toll on his body. Guess he's looking for more now The competition to this show was Man vs. Wild. Lots of good info and survival tips, but the guy sleeps in a hotel most nights!