Savage TV, Welcome back!

Savage TV!  We are looking forward to joining some of our close friends in our industry such as Brenda Valentine, Bob Foulkrod, Michael Waddell and Mike Stroff, in taking our expertise to a new level. As most people interested in our industry know, Pioneer Outfitters has been one of the top hunting outfitters in North America since 1924. We started filming last spring for the reality show based on Professional Guides. A television series presenting the reality of life on a historic outfitting operation in the remote wilderness of Alaska to the general public due to the inherent value and appeal it will have.  This operation is a diamond in the rocks, in our society and among other operations of its nature due to its awe-inspiring location, hidden deep within the mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and accessible only by air; the history and tradition of adventure which pervades the air; and ultimately the passion of the people who have made outfitting  with Pioneer Outfitters their lifestyle and who have committed their lives to living their dreams and to sharing their passion with others. The opportunity to film a reality TV show depicting every aspect of our lives, as guides, and of the entire operation at Pioneer Outfitters is a chance to communicate our passion and what inspires us to live this more extreme lifestyle to a public which may not be able to experience it themselves.

Tim Fadul, from North Carolina had an incredible hunt with Pioneer Outfitters last fall (2010), at one of my personal favorite places in this perfect corner of our world. The area Tim was hunting with his guide is one of the most incredible areas I have explored. It is everything that comes to mind when one thinks of Alaska. The glacier topped mountains, rolling nobby hills. It is fantastic for rock hounds, such as myself, with rocks you can't just walk (or ride) by without stopping to pick up and examine closer, crystal formations are in so many places and in one spot in particular that the geodes are pouring down the side of one of the mountain tops, as far as you can see and choose to walk.

Breaking them in.

Since the temperature has done a steady rise from the low we had for Christmas Eve, -56*, the +10* to +20* is just too strange for January and has us all on edge.  We've had such gentle weather for us, I can tell the boss is waiting for the metaphorical "other shoe" to drop, so firewood is being cut, hauled and split, horses are being searched for, tracked and conditions are being evaluated. As the days are getting longer, we are gaining more than 4 minutes a day, another worry emerges. As the daylight gets stronger, especially on the mild temp days- the horses will start "sunning" themselves and stop eating. It could drop to  -40* overnight, and this would be bad.

All the while, training is going on. If the "boys" are awake- they are being trained. Every move is being watched and weighed. Ike has been out cutting wood with Glen.  This is Ike's first time "away" from home, so I'm keeping a close eye on any signs of home-sick, or just a sadness - if it shows up.

On this Girl-Guide's mind, is confidence. The settling-in takes different amounts of time for each individual and confidence comes from inside each of us. It is a personal quality. It is also a quality a professional guide must have.

Terry, Ruger and I ran sno-gos across the river to spot check some of the horses that moved off the mountain and a trio of those "horses" that keep trying to get to one of the islands. If the trio succeeds, they are in for all sorts of problems. Being stranded, slipping on the ice or just not having enough to eat are just the most obvious problems they may have. The biggest concern right now, is that they keep walking out onto the ice! This is a dilemma I have never encountered in all the years chasing horses around our part of the mountains! What - to - do -what - to - do?!

The horses we managed to track down were happy to see us with their bag of goodies. The sound of the sno-gos coming rings the "free food" bell for them and it is truly a fantastic sight to watch them running through the snow.

Responsibility & Re: Horses

Re:  Horses...

~Recently, I had a few responses to a comment I made about horses, “I teach them to be a horse”. I don’t get on a horse that might throw himself over backwards, been there, done that, had my back broke for the trouble. I am so completely not interested in doing take 2 on that one. I don’t break them; bucking, rearing, wheeling, side swiping, these I can, will and do handle. Teaching him to be a horse- well, I don’t know how many of you have horses and how many of you have alien-half-brained-mutant-chickens-disguised as horses, but I’ve met more than a couple. I need to be able to rely on these horses. Many of our guests and clients have little to no experience at all on a horse. We are not riding around pretty manicured state lands on nicely groomed trails. We are deep in the wilderness, only accessible by small aircraft with no cell phone reception to say, “hey I’ll be late” or “well, shoot, the horses ran off” with. Most places have spotty satelite reception. I’ve said much on professional guiding. Now, on horses. Their heart and strength. Carrying us over icy waters, unending bogs, through brush so thick it's terrifying. Carrying unbelievable weights for us, so that we can have all the comforts. Tents, stoves, real dishes, real food; no backpackers food, just boil water and eat it in a bag. Packing the heavy weight of comforts so that we don't have to do without.  Climbing higher and higher to save us the steps.  Fighting through and over endless bogs.  Bulldozing, pushing past, squeezing through, breaking thick walls of willows and brush taller than a man seated in the saddle. Bringing us safely, without fail or delay, home in the black of night without moon or stars, through the shadows, the wind, the rain and snow.



Pioneer Outfitters has been my home from the first moment I woke here in Chisana. I knew, even so young, that I had found my place. I am often asked certain, key questions. I will answer them for you here:  “What is involved with or does it take to be a guide? A female guide? The Manager of Pioneer Outfitters, a girl, and one of the guides?” Hmm, I most often respond with humor or sarcasm, or a little of both, because it is rarely possible that an outsider can truly understand.  A guide, whether a hunting or horse pack trip guide, has more to do with the client than anyone else. Being a professional guide has little to nothing to do with hunting. This means, as I have realized through learning, watching and training others myself; that a guide has to be a leader.  Guides, as a rule, are as different of individuals as you and I, of course, but they (we) all do share many of the same characteristics. Some of these character traits include: highly competitive, agressive, multi-tasking “stress-junkies”.... and these are the most positive points!





New pictures coming soon ...
The crew decided, after much laughter and teasing, Newbie #1 is now forever to be known as "Ruger". Ruger pointed out that this means he now shares a name with his brother's dog. We are getting to know each other and letting the new family dynamic settle into it's path. Ruger has slid pretty easily into his place, although I don't see how he'll stay there. The "potential" doesn't radiate off him, as it did with my most recent trainee, it is more of a gentle flow with this one. He is a very polite, well spoken, hard working young man. I'll have to see what I can do about taking him outta the compound, check some traps, get a little more of the lay of the land, showing him a little of his new world.



Newbie #2 is in Tok, waiting to be flown in and we are ready for him! A California boy, 21 years old and about to freeze his butt off! He tod me he thinks that he was born in the wrong century, and is excited. We are all looking forward to meeting this joker- he reminds me of Skrizzle, our pet squirrel!
~All wound up and ready to break loose!

What a person needs to realize is that a guide is responsible, not only for being a companion and advisor on the trail, not only to find and judge the game he (or she) encounters--if this is the type of excursion the client is on--but the well being and safety of the client and the horses. This must come first, and it isn’t generally an up-front and in-your-face issue, shit does happen, and the guide has to be able to react quickily, desisively, calmly and autocratically. If you throw in being a female, and a small one at that, the hurdles grow! A female trainee must also posses thick skin and either a really good sense of humor or a really strong sense of self worth. “Why stay here, out in the mountains, isolated and away from any chance of a life, husband, anything..?” Is another favorite question of some folks who have come and stayed for a few short days up to a couple weeks. A professional guide must also be an athlete. Strong and fit, of mind and body a guide can endure nature, accidents, climb after climb, the heartache of failure (an unsuccessfull hunt) and start over with 110% every 10 days. I stay and always have stayed because of the beauty of the land, the isolation (as I do and feel better around those I know), the true goodness, generosity and wisdom and knowledge given so freely by Terry Overly, the family I have made here and the wonder of the fact that I can sit back and say this is what I do.

"STAND!"

We use the airplanes and the snow-machines to track and find the horses. It only takes once, each winter, to find them on snow-machines and give them a bite to eat and drive away. After that, when they hear the snow-machines coming, they come running. We never go anywhere without a bag of grain tied on, just in case we happen to cross paths.

Drama, Drama

Keeping up with the boys is a full-time endeavor, not unlike being a parent, most specifically, a mother. 

No matter how many times you say it, it’ll have to be said again. “What we do, every single day, is hard.”  No matter how hard it looks on the surface, it is going to be harder. No matter if boys look at me and roll their eyes, it will come. The day, they don’t want to, get up, go out, and do the same things every single day, no matter if it is 60 below, raining cats and dogs, blowing that wind straight off one of the largest pieces of ice in the world sitting 5 miles away or sweltering hot with the mosquitos fighting over the last drops of blood left in your body... the same thing has to be done. Whether it’s cutting firewood, hauling water, feeding dogs, tracking horses, it all has to be done, you have to do it. What’s more, is that strength, the strength it takes to do the job, needs to be more when you do it everyday.

 Accidents happen, slivers, cuts, bonks (that’s a technical term) or bruises. You are going to go flying off snow machines, get hit by branches, smacked in the face when it is freezing (and we ALL know that hurts), kicked by horses, bonked with falling trees (THAT should only happen once! -Pay Attention!), bludgeoned by falling rocks that clients and newbie-trainees let loose decending off a mountain, saddle sore, muscle strains and experience long, never ending periods of exhaustion. The strength comes in right there. Making sure you stay strong, eat well, sleep well, are all part of staying strong. The reason is, you get to do it all again tomorrow. The reason is people are depending on you, to keep them safe and taken care of. The animals are depending on you, to keep them safe and take care of them. Another point to understand is that it is also your inner strength. The strength of your mind. If your mind grows weak, your body will follow. 

Control, thought process, observational skills, initiative and personality is what I am watching and taking note of while the settling-in period is going on. Watching the interactions of the Boys amongst themselves and with the family, and as the different groups of guests and clients arrive, throwing them into the mix. My thoughts behind it are, “What are you made of? Are you strong enough? Are you capable of making the choices (once you learn them, can you make them?)? Will you be able to handle, enjoy and be enjoyed by clients and guests? Hmmm.” 

Keeping up with the boys...

Welcome to Alaska, to Chisana, to
Pioneer Outfitters and Home.
Keep it simple, stupid. Alrighty... I heard someone mention the other day that I should use smaller words, and fewer of them at that when someone arrives for the first time. It can be a little overwhelming. Not only the new environment, but dang close to an alien planet depending on where one is coming from. So here are the words to get you started, “GET. UP. DOGS. FEED. WOOD. CUT. WATER. HAUL.” Give yourself a while. Limit your input. Give us time to show you why.

We are getting ready to welcome the first Trainee of 2011. "Newbie #1" from Idaho, 21 years old, has dreams of being one of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". Is he ready? Not likely. Can he do it? We'll see what he's made of, test him, train him, damn near kill him (if my own experiences are anything to go by!) and if he feels the same way when it is all said and done (again and again and again), he'll get a pat on the back, a license, aches and pains, and the dubious honor of being part of the slightly infamous, professional crew of rebels and rascals.
I guess, one of the biggest obstacles living where and as we do, is understanding yourself. Dealing with yourself. When I came to Chisana, I remember Terry telling me that the hardest thing for people that lived in a place as remote with as few people as Chisana has, is that you run out of excuses. You run out of other people to blame for mistakes or shortcomings and you do one of two things. #1- You deal with it. You deal with the problem and work it out- you. #2- You leave. You will decide to leave and 99% of the time, it is someone else’s fault. It’s not easy. It can be brutal, looking closely and honestly, at yourself.

The life I chose, we choose, at first glance, seems very simple. Truthfully, every single day is more training in survival. Two thirds of the year, at the very least, we are pit against what nature throws at us. The remaining third is trying to work with nature. Physical strength is an absolute must. Man or woman, the life and work that is part of every single day of our lives requires physical strength and conditioning, not only to prevent injury, but to get the job done. As a woman, and a short one at that, I know I will never be as strong as a man. I’m very strong and I have an understanding with my pal, Leverage, but there are disadvantages!

Gearing up... 2011, here we come!

Pioneer Outfitters

Chisana, Alaska

Happy New Year!! We are getting ready for the camera crews to start showing up again, the Spring Hunts and Photo Excursions, the Summer Pack Trips and the NEW Alaska-Yukon rafting trips (hold on!!), and of course, 2011’s Fall Hunting Season. The horses are doing great, we have all the snow and ice we need to do what we do, the snow-gos are tuned up and most of the time we are on the phone or the computer getting contracts ready to sign for a very busy year.

The economy is a worry for us all, and as such the prices are not going to go up. The climate of our country and world is also a worry to a lot of people, and we have been getting a lot of calls about our Survival course. We want to remind you that we are going to keep doing what we do, the way it has always been done. In the untouched, beautiful land of our largest National Park, The Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and preserve.

There are Spring Trapping & Winter Wolf Hunts, Spring Excursions, Spring Bird Hunting, Spring Grizzly Bear Hunts, Summer Horse Pack Trips, Alaska- Yukon Raft Trips, Fall Photo Safaris and Fall Hunting for Dall Sheep, Interior Mountain Grizzly, Alaska-Yukon Moose all for you to choose from. All of our trips, with the exception of the Winter Excursions, Spring Trapping and Spring Bird Hunting, are conducted on horseback with pack horses. The exceptions use snow-gos.

Something you may remember, or were not told until now, is that Raw Woods Alaska is the newest reality show being filmed full time in Chisana with Pioneer Outfitters, and on our trips. Real work, real guides, real people, real feelings, real weather, real heart break and real triumphs. We’d like for you to share that with us and take part in the future of the Extreme Pro Team.

If you would like to ask any questions, chat with Master Guide Terry Overly about booking a time frame or just book your trip, please feel free to call 907-734-0007 or email us at info@pioneeroutfitters.com with your contact information including the best time to reach you, and I’ll be sure to have the Boss give you a call. 

Take care and let us know if we’ll be part of your 2011 plans!

~Amber-Lee, 

Pioneer Outfitters Manager &

Extreme Pro-Team Guide