Having lived in Alaska for 55 years, my first visit was in 1966, returning in the spring of 1971 after completing a B.S. degree and two years working. At that time—before the 1975 Trans-Alaska oil pipeline—Alaska was a sparsely populated, self-reliant frontier, making it an awe-inspiring experience.

Nearly 30 years spent working in Alaska, culminating in retirement 25 years ago. My hamradio exams were in Anchorage, Alaska 47 years ago and been a resident of rural Soldotna, Alaska, for the past 42 years.

I have traveled the Alaska Highway many times, including two winter trips. In 1966, the Alcan Highway to Alaska consisted of nearly 1,000 miles of rough dirt road with fuel stops few and far between. The remoteness was incredible. Other HF mobile trips included the Yukon and Northwest Territories Dempster Highway, a 454-mile dirt road to Inuvik, NT (/VY1 and /VE8), deep in the Arctic. Another extended HF mobile trip was the 300+ mile dirt 'Dalton Highway' alongside the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

An HF rig was occasionally brought along when dropped off in remote wilderness by a bush pilot for big-game hunting or backcountry fishing trips. Below are a few examples of HF mobile and remote outings. When tenting in the wilderness, a 20/40 meter band dipole with alligator clamp jumpers was typically the antenna.