Kelly's Picks: Alone on the Alaskan Frontier

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

This episode of the Atlas Obscura Podcast features Sue Aikens, who lives in extreme isolation at the Kavik oil camp in the Alaskan Arctic. T

Key takeaways

Sue Aikens resides at Kavik, an old oil camp located hundreds of miles north of the tree line near the Arctic Ocean.
Her memoir, 'North of Ordinary,' details a childhood marked by her mother leaving her at a campsite near Fairbanks when she was twelve.

Main topics

Arctic survival
Childhood abandonment

Notable quotes

I would feel for many years that I was not enough until I came to realize that enough is all I am.

Conclusion

A moving testament to human resilience and the profound sense of belon

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:03) So for the majority of the people who listen to this podcast, they won't have the opportunity to see the world that you live in. So I'm curious if you could describe what it's like. Speaker 2 (0:18) Ooh, that would be a mouthful. The name of the camp that I have, it's called Kavik. It's an old oil camp. I'm only a few miles from the Arctic Ocean. I'm hundreds of miles north of the tree line. Speaker 2 (0:52) My closest town is 500 miles south. There are no roads to get there. I obviously can't walk that far through three or four mountain ranges. You have to fly. There's no electricity unless I create it. There is no running water unless I collect it. If I'm hungry, I can hunt for it. Speaker 1 (1:21) Sue Akins has lived this life nearly 200 miles above the Alaskan Arctic Circle for over 20 years. It's not the only place that she's lived, but it's the place that makes her feel most like herself. Speaker 2 (1:35) I choose a life of isolation. From late August, September of any year until the following May or June, I usually don't see more than one or two people. Why in the world do I put myself in that situation? Because I'm alive. Speaker 1 (1:57) I'm Jerome Campbell, and this is Atlas Obscura, a celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places. In this episode, Sue Akins tells us about her secluded slice of the world through her book, North of Ordinary. She explains the web of experiences that led her there, her encounters with animals, and how, despite her continuous battle to stay on the food chain, the most complex creature in her life remains. other humans. Speaker 1 (2:49) For a woman who enjoys her life in isolation, there's a reasonable chance that you've already heard of Sue Akins. Camera crews documented the last 12 years of her life on the TV docuseries Life Below. She was portrayed as the gritty realist hardened by the elements, but the version I got to know through her book was much more tender, heartfelt. In her book, Sue goes on a journey to connect the two sides, going back through her life before the cameras. and starting at the moment she first chose the Wilds. It started when Sue was 12 years old. One day, her mother woke her up and told her to pack a paper bag. They were leaving their Chicago home, without any further explanation. They drove for many weeks until they arrived at a campsite near Fairbanks, Alaska, where Sue's mother planned her next move. What happened next set Sue's life in motion. Sue's mother asked if she wanted anything from the store. Then she didn't come back. Here's Sue reading an excerpt from her book about that moment. Speaker 2 (4:02) It wasn't easy. My mother went to town and didn't come back. I was alone. It's a feeling that would remain with me in some form for years to come. The fear of being completely and totally forgettable. Speaker 1 (4:20) And yet I hate that I ever Speaker 2 (4:22) gave someone that power over me. I would feel for many years that I was not enough until I came to realize that enough is all I am. Speaker 1 (4:35) Sue's mother had been a source of chaos long before she left her daughter. She never told Sue who her father was, and she had a habit of unceremoniously leaving people behind, like the men she dated. And again, Sue was 12 years old, so she clung to the one consistent person in her life no matter how volatile she could be. But eventually, Sue developed a worldview where she could only count on herself. It just came much earlier than she expected, standing alone at that campsite. Speaker 2 (5:09) And then I went, I'm alone. I'm alone. Speaker 1 (5:16) Thank God I'm alone. Speaker 2 (5:18) I don't have to wake up being afraid that I'm going to be abused, that I'm going to be in pain. I don't have to worry about that. Speaker 1 (5:36) She wasn't completely alone. There was another creature there, a raven. And, well, she'll have to tell you what happened next. Speaker 2 (5:45) Here's this bird that stops and he's looking at me and he's, you know, and he's one-eyeing me and doing this. And I'm like, go ahead, peck my eyes out. Do your worst. He flares his wings, his feathers all come out. And I'm like, oh, s***. Speaker 2 (6:04) And he puts his wings around me and his head on my chest. The first genuine hug I had had maybe ever that was so well Speaker 1 (6:17) -timed and genuine. I remember this part in the book. I don't know what would lead a raven to give such a human response. It sounded like something out of a Disney film. But there was also a part of me that believed it. When I watched the Life Below docuseries, the people on the show interacted with animals in ways that didn't fit the expectations of viewers in the lower 48, as they call us. Sometimes humans and animals lived in conflict. And sometimes... They helped each other survive. Whether Sue's experience fell within this realm of understanding, who could say? But that was still her experience. And it helped her make sense of where she was going next. Speaker 2 (7:02) My whole life felt chaotic, chaotic, chaotic. Mom leaves, bird comes in, and it's sort of like putting together a Rubik's Cube. Everything is starting to fit. Speaker 1 (7:14) She named the bird George, and he became something of a caretaker. Speaker 2 (7:19) He would bring me all kinds of things to eat. Really rapidly discovered that birds