3 August 2017 Coldfoot

It's a stretch to call Coldfoot a town. Really, it is a truck stop for those driving the Dalton Highway.

A view of modern day Coldfoot. The Trucker Cafe (left of center), post office (left of cafe), and lots of truck parking.

Finished in 1974, the 361 mile Dalton Highway, or Haul Road, was a massive undertaking built in only five months through incredibly remote land. Spanning the distance between Fairbanks and Deadhorse, the road was built after "black gold" (oil) was discovered in Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. At the time, Coldfoot Camp housed construction workers.

Coldfoot's duration as a construction camp was its second incarnation. Initially established in 1899 during the gold rush, the original Coldfoot was short lived. In 1906, gold was discovered in nearby Wiseman, and Coldfoot was dismantled, with the wood being used for firewood or building Wiseman.

Wooden grave markers have long since decomposed, so the identities of the gold miners who rest here are uncertain.

The Coldfoot I have experienced is the third personality of the "town". The Trucker Cafe was established in an old school bus in 1980 by dogsledding champion Dick Mackey. The Trucker Cafe became immediately popular among the truckers who regularly drive the road to support oil operations in Prudhoe. In more recent years, tourists seeking the solitude of the Arctic have taken refuge here as well, seeking food, gas, and shelter in one of the only locations where they are available on the Haul Road.

If you're in Coldfoot, you may as well enjoy the amazing dinner buffet! Meeting the locals in Coldfoot, Alaska.

I've enjoyed getting to know this tiny hub in the Alaskan Interior, but it is time to keep moving. We are already a day behind in our fieldwork, so while this morning's weather still looks bad, we are prepared to fly at a moments notice.

Camping in "downtown".