Jerry "The Real Deal" Stansel

We knew that getting dropped off in the Brooks Range for a few days of backpacking would be an adventure, but we never guessed how much entertainment our bush pilot, Jerry, would provide. Of all the unique folks we met in Alaska, Jerry was the obvious standout. Here are our top 10 favorite tidbits about a real Alaskan man...

(10) Jerry served with the 101st Airborne Special Forces in Vietnam
(9) He raised six kids... on his own
(8) He's the guitarist for the folk band, Arctic Winds
(7) Jerry landed us in his Cessna 185 float plane on the Koyukuk River in Bettles, since the float plane marina is 3 miles from town
(6) Despite his excellent flying skills, Jerry needed me to read the letters on the phone in the Bettles FAA office, where we stopped to check on weather conditions in Fairbanks
(5) Jerry built a cabin on Wild Lake (shown below), which contains provisions for at least two years
(4) He divides his time between Alaska and Hawaii - when not guiding in the Alaskan wilderness, Jerry plays his guitar and cycles in Maui
(3) He's selling his Alaska Fish & Trails Unlimited guiding business for $750,000 - anyone interested?
(2) Jerry is good friends with Gordon Lightfoot - they often rendevous in Hawaii and Gordon gets out to Wild Lake every couple of years
(1) Jerry inspired the 2000 TV movie, Personally Yours, about a single dad whose kids list him in Alaska Men magazine