Okay, without writing a book, I think we’re looking at this from different perspectives. Im looking at this from a life and preparedness standpoint. Folks like myself who live out in the country, or in “camp”, don’t have the same life as folks in the villages. We share some of the same activities (hunting, fishing, berry picking) but aside from that village life is pretty much like town life only a little less convenient. During the summer and winter months I can utilize some of the resources of the nearest village, but it’s not as though it’s cheap for me to get there. Depending on fuel prices it cost between $50 and $100 to go get mail assuming weather conditions allow for safe travel. The other 3 to 3 1/2 months of the year during freeze up and breakup I’m completely isolated with the nearest villages on the same side of the river as me being 67 miles downriver and 105 miles upriver with no overland trail so they might as well be on the moon. Villages have stores, state maintained runways, regular air service, a post office, power plant, usually a washateria of some sort, a clinic, medivac, a fuel depot, and people. People to help if you’re having a medical issue, people to help if you can’t move that big heavy thing by yourself, heck, just someone to hold the wrench on the outside of the transom so you can tighten the bolts when mounting an outboard and can’t reach around the splashwell, ect.... Any of those things that I want immediate access to, I have to provide for and fund myself. So, you’ll have to forgive me when I disagree that village life and “bush or camp” life is the same in anyway. Personally, I see a big difference when I pull up to the PO or village store and park my overflow encrusted snogo and sled beside a bunch of pickup trucks with engines running and heaters blasting that get around on the nicely plowed roads. Just my .02.
Hey Sam, hope that you are doing well. Shoot me an email if you can.
