Bush Shipping Part 2A Summer Transportation.

  I posted Bush Shipping Part 1 a couple of years ago and I think it is time to expand on it a little. In Part 1 we talked about shipping to villages in Rural Alaska. In this Blog we will talk about hauling to remote sites where there are no villages.
There are many different modes of transportation to remote sites depending on the season. In the summer months we can utilize boats, barges, track vehicles, ATV's and aircraft on wheels or floats.
  Most sites are accessible by trail, river or lake or a combination of both. For example, if you are building on the Yentna River, you might be able to ship an entire cabin package on a river barge to a point close to where you want to build. From the drop off-location you may need to haul overland with ATV or other equipment or possibly shuttle the material in a smaller boat or raft. Some projects will require loading and unloading materials several times which adds significantly to the cost since even a small cabin can weigh 10,000 to 20,000 pounds and larger cabins can weigh over 100,000 pounds. Suffice it to say it will always be a lot more material than you anticipate.
  Many sites are on lakes accessible by float plane which makes transport fairly simple albeit expensive. There are many things to consider when figuring the cost of transporting material by float plane. You need to be certain there is a suitable place to tie up the plane and unload it as well as easy access to the building site. Since most lakes have a 75' setback for building, the cost of hauling the material from the lake or river to the building site needs to be considered as well. Many times people want to build on a bluff above a river or lake which makes transporting even a short distance more challenging.
  In over 25 years of remote building we have encountered almost every situation imaginable. Notice I said 'Almost' because there are always more adventures to cover in" Bush Shipping Part 2B Summer Transportation".

"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great."Orison Swett Marden