Just north of Coldfoot on Alaska’s Dalton Hwy is the small community of Wiseman. We had a bit of spare time because of road construction so we decided to detour in and take a look.
Wiseman is a very small community that historically was a mining area and according to Wikipedia had about 100 residents during the mining boom. Today, the community is much smaller and mainly consists of people living a subsistence lifestyle and/or providing ameneties to travellers on the Dalton (Bed & Breakfasts, etc.).
We drove the 3 miles in from the Dalton and slowly made our way through the tiny community. Part way through we noticed a sign for a shop. Darrin, always being happy to meet new people, wound the wee Rover in towards a small homestead.
We were greated by Jack Reakoff and his cat, Willow. Jack and Darrin talked about life in Alaska, hunting, different furs and their uses and such while I took on the much more serious task of playing with Willow. Jack even invited us into his home and shared some amazing lettuce out of his garden. We were very taken with his hospitality and thoroughly enjoyed our impromptu visit.
Jack has lived in the north most of his life and is a guide. People drive or fly into Coldfoot to spend time learning about the north from him and other locals. We highly recommend joining one of the tours!
