Aleutian Island Housesitting Adventure

David and Shelley: Retired, no pets, kids fledged, house paid for - they have time for a little adventure. A few months in the desert southwest in the dead of winter would be perfect. Small problem: no income. Solution: find a free adventure through the pages of The Caretaker Gazette. After two years of lead chasing, an ad appeared for an eight-month winter caretaker position at an isolated homestead in the Aleutian Islands wilds of Alaska, which seemed just right for them. They received a prompt email reply to their application and then a telephone interview. They asked if they could hike, cross-country ski, catch fish, shop in town, use the "fully-equipped" woodworking shop, what were their responsibilities, and were there any nearby grizzly bears.

Then a week later, they had the opportunity to call the current caretakers. Their first question, "So, what's it really like there?" The caretaker’s answer, "This place is wonderful!" David and Shelley had one conference phone call later and the deal was sealed with a verbal handshake and followed up with a “letter of intent.” Suddenly they had to face leaving their own isolated Wisconsin country house unattended for this eight-month absence. They placed a housesitter-wanted ad in The Caretaker Gazette and had many responses but no takers. About two weeks before their departure a man responded to their ad, then followed up overnight with an email resume and references which they checked immediately. A day and half before David and Shelley’s departure, with nothing to go by except a few nice telephone conversations, Kevin from Utah came rolling up the driveway. They liked him as much in person as on the phone, gave him their house and grounds tour, introduced a couple of neighbors, and left for the Aleutians.

They flew to Anchorage using frequent flyer tickets.  Reaching False Pass required two more expensive flights (paid for by the home owners). The pilot in their final four-seat, single engine plane made a wide turn and dipped a wing over their new home to show them how isolated they'd be: just David and Shelley in 415,000 road-less wildlife preserve acres on the tip of the Alaska peninsula with volcanoes, some semi-active, jutting above the clouds. David and Shelley recall, “The owners met us at the False Pass airport and transferred our luggage to their boat. We had four days of orientation before they left for good. Learning was made easier by a detailed notebook explaining their hydroelectric system which powers almost all modern electrical conveniences. David's mechanical engineering background helped us get through a few breakdowns and repairs.”

Shelley explains, “For us, part of the reason to do something like this is to punctuate our lives. We are thrilled to experience the stormy, extreme, dynamic weather. Winds often approach 50 mph, sometimes more. When the weather outside is frightful, we curl up with books in this comfortable house, listen to music (no television or radio), brew sourdough starter for tomorrow's bread, write a book, and read email. Remarkably, our laptop computer has a fast line-of-sight connection with the False Pass satellite station.” In the skiff, they’re able to explore the 15 mile length of Isanotski Strait north toward the Bering Sea or south toward the Pacific Ocean. According to Shelley, “It’s never far from our minds that we are in the wilderness here, dependent on a small skiff, a single outboard, a VHF radio. We've seen foxes, sea otters, sea lions, seals, ermine, eagles, flocks of pelagic cormorants, emperor geese, old-squaw, puffins, and eiders.”

They check in with the owners by email and phone periodically (a wireless phone system exists). A few ongoing projects make them feel productive: find a driftwood log and split it for firewood; build a door for the new sauna; re-plumb the hot water tank; replace a burner in the stove; fix things that break. The owners have provided so marvelously that David and Shelley are eager to repay with contributions of our own. Shelley says, “When we leave we will have lived literally in someone else’s shoes. What a fine respite and useful, helpful project for a couple of retirees! What a great way for two families to help each other.”