The Atlas Obscura Podcast Alone on the Alaskan Frontier
Mar 26, 2026
Sue Aikens, longtime Alaskan Arctic resident and author of North of Ordinary, reflects on decades living at the remote Kavik oil-camp and the wild life that shaped her. She recalls survival stories, a raven named George, a grizzly attack she survived, and why solitude and the tundra fit her spirit. The conversation traces loss, resilience, and returning to the childhood cabin that saved her.
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Abandoned At 12 Found Solace With A Raven
- Sue Aikens was abandoned by her mother at 12 and survived alone near Fairbanks, finding refuge in an old cabin guided by a raven she named George.
- The raven brought food, led her to shelter, and gave the first genuine hug she recalled, shaping her trust in solitude and animals.
Teenage Years Taught Hard Survival Skills
- As a teenager in Alaska Sue lived in a tent, learned to hunt from a bus driver, and scavenged to survive through harsh winters.
- Those survival years taught self-reliance that later enabled her to manage Kavik, a remote oil camp turned homestead.
Wildness Offered Authentic Belonging
- At Kavik Sue felt true belonging because the tundra lacked human social hierarchies and accepted her as she was.
- Daily interactions with foxes, wolves, and migratory birds created a consistent inclusion she never found in cities.
