Some advice from one who has one) seen most of the lower 48 and two) lived in Alaska for about twenty years.

Come during the summer. Off-season, a lot of places are closed; it is dark most of the time; people tend to be grouchy or SAD-affected; it gets insanely cold. Even in March, we get temps in the minus sixties (F)sometimes. And moose can be aggressive, but the bears at least are denned up.

Hike or backpack through here only if you are extremely tough and self-sufficient and crazy. Do NOT expect any help from locals.

Ideally, bring tons of money and go the lazy tourist route--tour buses, cruise ships. Or fly in and rent an RV in Anchorage. If you drive up and are American, expect to be FUCKING hassled at the Canadian border--they can literally tear your vehicle apart with very little probable cause. And if you have a handgun or a 30-year old DUI record or a roach in your ashtray or something, expect MAJOR legal hassles. Like going to jail.

Specific local advice. Anchorage--you pretty much have to go through here. Check out the musem, and invest a day and $200 or so in the 26-glacier cruise.

Wasilla--my hometown, sorta. The library (on Main Street) is next to the historical musem and historicla park, where the farmer's market is held. During the summer, try to be here Wednesday for the farmers market, meet me, and get super-good and fresh (picked that morning) produce, and other good stuff. Get great Tex-Mex food at La Fiesta (I get the $5.98 senior citizens special--shredded beef burrito platter).

Talkeetna--forget it, unless you like to be in a mob of fat tourists eating ice cream. It was a sweet little village ten years ago--street peddlers, jugglers, street musicians. Now it is a bloated and over-hyped tourist trap, full of drunks and rich white folks who are inordinately pleased with themselves for no good reason.

Trapper Creek--stop there if possible. It is what Talkeetna used to be, and has one of the best pizza joints (with micro-brew beer available) in the world.

Thanks!

But I still have a couple of unanswered questions from the letter I send you... I'll just repost it here in case you forgot what was in it or something :)

Sybil from Totse here. I told you I was gonna send you a letter, might of taken a bit longer than I said it was going to, but I got around to it.

The reason I'm sending this letter is because I'm planning on coming to Alaska for a month to trek around. The month before I'm gonna go trekking in Nepal.

Now I have a couple of questions for you, seeing as you live there I thought it would be best to ask you because you will most likely be able to give the best advice about this.

When I come over, which will be in March 2010, what kind of weather is it in March in the area that you live in? Also, is there a large bear populations around there, and do you think it's possible to trek around for a month with a tent...or would that just be too cold (during March), even with a very good sleeping bag and clothes? How much money would one need to be able to survive in Alaska for a month, keeping it down to the very basics?
That's about it actually, if you have any more advice you'd like to add please do so.

Ofcourse when I come over, I'll make sure to pass by your place (if you don't mind atleast) so we can have a little talk about this and that :) or maybe go hunting...if you do that, cause I've never done it and I'd like to some day :D

Specifically the money question I guess, and of course also if we can go hunting :D (if you hunt ofcourse)

How much money is a hard question to answer. But in a word, tons.

Most everything--except alcohol--is insanely expensive. I only know of one motel in the area where you can get a room for under $100/night. You can't get a decent restuarant brekkie for under $10. There ARE fast food joints in the larger towns, but who wants it--stuff is mostly toxic.

I'd bring along a fresh, unused credit card--pretty much everyone besides local firewood sellers, dope dealers, and hookers take plastic, and probably some of the hookers do, too.

The following is the tool that I've been presented with for describing a tourist destination. A friend of mine is doing a simple 20 minute presentation on visiting Alaska and would be happy for any information you could provide that fits into this basic model. If possible, I'm sure that he'd love to use you as a primary source as well.

Transportation:

List the most common methods of transportation used to access the destination. Describe how guests “get around” once at the destination.

Accommodation:

Describe the various types of accommodation available in the area.

Food and Beverage:

Identify the varieties of Food and Beverage available to the guest at this destination.
 
Adventure & Outdoor Tourism:

List the various types of Adventure and Outdoor Tourism products available at the destination. Identify the impact of these activities on the natural environment; determine whether the activities conform to the definition of Ecotourism.

Attractions:

Describe the various Natural and Manmade attractions found at the destination. Explain their cultural significance.

Tourism Services:

Identify the various organizations and venues offering tourist information regarding the area.

Travel Trade:

Identify how the destination is being marketed to visitors: inclusion in Tour Operator programs, hotels featured in GDS systems, commissionable room rates or tourist activities.

Events & Conferences:

What kinds of events are presented at the destination to attract visitors (festivals, trade shows, concerts, sporting events…)? Describe the facilities which are suitable to meet the demands of the conventions market (conference centre, hotels with conference rooms, community hall…).

Planning and development:

Identify the stages of development that the destination has gone through. At what point is the destination currently positioned on the Product Life Cycle? (conception, creation, maturity, decline)

Visitor profile:

Present an overview of the demographic and a profile of the typical visitors.

Impact of tourism on the community:

Assess the economic and cultural impacts, both positive and negative that tourism has had on the community or communities of the destination.

^Just thinking about that makes my head swim--and even providing the small fraction of that info that I jknow would use up a day's woerth of comp time.

People would do better by just googling "Alaska tourism" or somesuch. Don't forget, this is an awfully big place--I have seen only a small percentage of it, never having been north of Denali or much west of Anchorage.