Alaska Man to Live Incommunicado on Island for a Year
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Courtesy Charles Baird(NEW YORK) — In three weeks, 40-year-old Alaska oil company employee Charles Baird leaves his home in Anchorage to spend a year on remote Latouche Island in southern Alaska, a dream he’s been eager to pursue for the past 17 years.
“I think it will change my perspective on things. What really matters and what doesn’t really matter at all,” Baird told ABC News.
A logistics specialist for BP and a filmmaker, Baird will live in a 12-by-12 cabin that he’ll build himself on the uninhabited island and document his life in the wilds on videotape.
“It’s going to be just me and my dog,” Baird told ABC News.
He won’t know how the November election will turn out, or even if his family gains a new member. One could compare Baird’s isolation to Tom Hank’s in the 2000 movie Cast Away, or at least a planned and organized version of that.
“It’s kind of funny because my name is Chuck (the name of Hank’s character) and my dog’s name will be Wilson (the name of the volleyball that Hanks’ character starts talking to),” Baird said laughing. “But you know, mentally, I’ve been preparing for years now. I feel ready to go.”
But getting ready for the trip has been no laughing matter. An Air Force veteran, Baird knows exactly what he’s getting himself into and has been preparing for his dream for years. Baird bought an acre and a half of land on the island for $8,500 two years ago.
“I like it because it’s a flat area to build a house and I should have a lot of wind for power,” said Baird.
He won’t be taking much with him, only what he needs to survive. That includes a five gallon basket of grains, 20 gallons of water, a windmill, lumber for his cabin, weapons for hunting, warm gear for the winter and communication devices in case of an emergency.
He plans to rely on the average of 70 inches of rain and 8 to 120 inches of snow a year for water. He’ll install two solar panels for power, and says his biggest challenges will be coping with the isolation and the unpredictable.
“It’s meant to be as isolated as possible, that’s really the biggest challenge,” Baird said. “My main concern would be to make good decisions. Some people can take on risks that are unnecessary or make bad decisions, but I’m pretty even fielded, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio