Huck Hobbit's Homestead

One of the many decisions when traveling is whether to bring a guidebook, and if so, which one to select. After several weeks on the road in Alaska, we had decided that our guidebook was totally useless – it had precious little information about most places we ended up visiting (listing only 1 restaurant or expensive hotel in some larger towns) and the amount of incorrect information was disappointing.

However, our guidebook did lead us to Huck Hobbit’s Homestead, hostel, and campground - one of the favorite places we visited. Steve and Joy Hobbes moved to just outside of Slana, Alaska (near Wrangell St-Elias National Park) from Nebraska in 1985 to fulfill Steve’s dream of living-off-the-land during one of the last waves of homesteading in Alaska. Over time they acquired 87 acres of gorgeous property on which they have built a beautiful home as well as cozy cabins for weary travelers, complete with wood stoves and bunk beds. They support themselves by hosting guests, running canoe float trips on the nearby Slana River, and selling the pelts of animals and hats made of pelts that Steve traps on their property.

We had an amazing time here – sleeping like logs in the wood-stove heated rustic log cabin, taking a lazy canoe float down the river, and enjoying the beautiful mountain views, eating Joy’s delicious cooking, and learning from Steve and Joy about their experiences as homesteaders. They were just such genuinely nice, friendly, and fascinating people to spend time with.

 As an extra bonus, a group of 6 law enforcement rangers from different corners of Wrangell St-Elias National Park were on an end-of-season business retreat at Huck Hobbit’s, so we got to enjoy a lively dinner and breakfast with these folks. They had us laughing until it hurt with stories of ‘crazy Alaskans’ they had encountered working and living in remote communities. Our personal favorite was about a German man who lives across the street from the park ranger station. He wears short jean shorts from April 1st – October 1st regardless of the weather (it was 22 one morning when we were there in mid September so we can only imagine how cold April 1st is!). Apparently this man likes to use his chainsaw, and also likes to drink gin, and sometimes does both. So this older woman ranger, Thelma, who is simultaneously hard-core and perfectly put together, tells us that one day she’s in the office and they hear a chainsaw cutting something – 2 normal cuts, and a third that stops suddenly with a thud. Thelma says they were all thinking “what did he do now?” and sure enough within a few seconds, Thelma’s phone was ringing – it was the German man asking if she had any duct tape. Instead, he ended up with 48 stitches in his thigh (just a few inches from his femoral artery). Apparently this is the price you pay for wearing Daisy Dukes in Alaska.