Hidden Alaska's Fire Recovery Fund

Our friend and relative, Mike (Buck) Bowden, suffered a huge loss last night when his barn/gear shed/shop caught fire, destroying five four wheelers, four snow machines, countless tools and a lot of gear including tents, stoves, sleeping bags, etc. These items are necessary for his guiding business and he's in the middle of the season now. For those of you who've visited Mike, you know that the lodge is easily a hundred miles from the closest road, so all of these things must not only be replaced but must be flown in by air charter, in itself an extremely costly expense. Obviously, since he lives that far from the nearest fire station, insurance is not available and Mike is not a rich man, so we are asking you to dig deep to help replace and restore the damage caused by the fire.

The building itself will cost around $50,000 to rebuild and refurnish. Each four wheeler costs around $8000 so five would be $40,000. Each flight to the lodge from Anchorage on a plane big enough to carry a wheeler is around $1300 so the total flight costs for the wheelers alone is $6500. Total for four work horse snow machines is around $32,000. Consider that one tent costs around $600 and so a total for camping gear replacement will be around $6000 or maybe more. We can't even calculate the cost of all his tools stored there, but you can imagine that it's a lot.

If you've ever visited the lodge, you know that this is Mike's life. He views this place that he homesteaded nearly 45 years ago with reverence. It's his greatest solace, a reflection of his life's work, and a monumental achievement. Mike is a genuine mountain man, an artist, and a dreamer. Please help him keep the dream alive by donating to this fund so Mike and his Hidden Alaska can survive this massive, painful loss.