Welcome to
Semi-Wild Alaska
Hi we’re Caitlin and Dan, an adventurous duo who decided to leave our comfort zone behind and embark on an epic journey to the wild and untamed beauty of Alaska. In 2021, we made a daring move – bidding farewell to our family and friends, we hit the road, covering over 4000 miles in search of the Last Frontier!
But here’s the twist – we had no clue what was waiting for us in this enigmatic land. Alaska greeted us with its majestic landscapes, mystical wilderness, and an extraordinary way of life we never could have imagined. We quickly realized we were in for a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime. A life far different from the ordinary, one that we knew would challenge and transform us forever.
Now, fasten your seatbelts, because the real adventure begins! We couldn’t contain our excitement and decided to capture every breathtaking moment on camera. Hence, the birth of our YouTube channel – Semi-Wild Alaska! But what is “Semi-Wild,” you may ask? It’s not your usual daredevil, heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing extreme adventure. Instead, it’s an authentic, approachable exploration of Alaska’s hidden treasures and culture.
Whether we’re casting our lines in cold glacial waters, mastering the art of hunting, or daring winter escapades, we embrace it all with open hearts and eager spirits. Every new experience brings fresh learning, growth, and unforgettable memories.
As we journey through the uncharted territories, we invite you, the fellow adventurers at heart, to be part of our incredible expedition. If fishing, hunting, travel, and winter wonders excite you, then it’s time to join us! Becoming a member of our ever-growing community, you’re not just supporting us; you’re becoming part of a collective of enthusiasts who share the same love for the wild.
So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and immerse yourself in the captivating world of Semi-Wild Alaska! Discover the beauty, the thrill, and the remarkable bond between Caitlin, Dan, and the Great Alaskan Wilderness. Brace yourself, as each episode promises to take you on an adventure that will leave you craving more.
Get ready for the awe-inspiring landscapes, heartwarming encounters, and hilarious misadventures that only Alaska can provide. Welcome to Semi-Wild Alaska, where untamed dreams become reality, and the journey of a lifetime awaits!
We’re not extreme – we are Semi-Wild!
Daniel
Caitlin
Meet Daniel, a designer and marketer born in Washington D.C. who grew up in central Pennsylvania and attended a design school in Detroit. He enjoys outdoor activities such as biking and skiing, and has explored the Pacific Northwest and North Carolina. He also values his family and shares a passion for national parks and road trips with his wife. Together, they travel across the country to discover unique and off-the-beaten-path places.
Meet Caitlin, an Occupational Therapist from Southern California who grew up exploring the Pacific coast and camping in Big Sur before attending USC for undergrad and Pacific University for her graduate degree. A long time lover of National Parks and travel, she has come into her own after moving to Alaska. Eagerly taking up fishing, hunting, gardening and more. With their 3 dogs, Hunter, Nova and Delilah she and Dan take every opportunity to explore beautiful places across the country.
Hunter
Nova
Delilah
Hunter is an 8 year old black lab mix who Caitlin found on the side of the highway in North Carolina. After adopting him he quickly won our hearts and is a very sweet boy. He loves lounging outside in the grass and eating raspberries straight off the vine. He loves getting out on adventures but is totally satisfied with a good walk. He is often found snoozing on the sofa.
Nova is a 4 year old Alaskan Husky who Caitlin and Dan adopted from a local agency. She is the very definition of high energy and loves to sing the song of her people, telling us all about her day as she greets us after work. She loves to run and found her calling when she tried Skijoring for the first time. She is often found sleeping outside in the snow – and refusing to come back inside.
Delilah is the youngest of the group and is a foster fail. After trying our hand at fostering, Hunter let Dan and Caitlin know immediately that Delilah was part of the pack – so we adopted once again. Energetic, eager and curious Delilah brings her puppy energy to the group and has already proven herself as she help flush a grouse for Caitlin’s first successful hunt!
This is our 2007 Chevy Express 1500 AWD. For our move to Alaska we packed this thing to the gills, intending on continuing to take travel contracts and exploring more of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Alas, we fell in love with Alaska (and Cait found a job she really loved) and we decided to stay. Nowadays we are slowly building out the van to acts as our travel camper.
Check out the build>>
Our Favorite Activities
We love the outdoors. It’s the reason we moved to Alaska. We named our channel Semi-Wild because we don’t believe we’re that extreme. We take on approachable activities (that often are new to us) and we want to take you along with us so you can see that anyone can enjoy these activities too. Alaska is a land of extremes but there is still plenty to do for those of us who are weekend warriors. We’re very fortunate to live in this amazing place and have the beautiful wilderness backdrop to our activities that we do. Below is a list of what we’re often up to and the gear that we use to do it.
Hiking
For outdoor folk hiking is the obvious go-to and Alaska has plenty to offer.
We try to get a hike in at every town we visit and the views are often rewarding, which is great considering all the hiking here seems to be straight up mountains!
Biking
Biking has been a major aspect of our lives since we started dating a decade ago. In North Carolina we joined a Bike MS team and forged friendships that have bridged the distance and time to Alaska.
While we don’t get out a bike as much as we used to, we’re trying new avenues to enjoy our favorite activity.
Hunting
Cait has been the one to forge ahead into the great unknown of hunting.
Luckily many of our friends have become mentors and everyone has been generous with their knowledge. A good thing as a lot of the big game here can hunt you too.
We’re excited for Cait that first bear!
Fishing
Before moving to Alaska fishing hadn’t been a part of our lives. Salmon fishing is a different game all together and is a way of life and a sustainable food source for many.
We have found that we love the fishing and have to good fortune to live along a traditionally fantastic river to fish on.
Camping
Back in North Carolina we had dreams of camping. Between the heat and humidity not to mention the crowds we ended up not camping as often as we wanted.
Since moving to Alaska with it’s cool, dry weather our camping lives have taken off. Now about those bears….
Travel
Travel has been a central part of our relationship from the beginning.
With multiple cross country road trips under our belts we get excited at the prospect of piling in the car and hitting the road. Whether for a weekend trip or a long vacation we’re always up for visiting new places.
Canoeing
We just got a canoe this summer and while we haven’t had a chance to get out on the water yet, we’re excited by the new locations and adventures this could open up for us. Stay tuned!
Skiing
Dan has enjoyed downhill skiing since he was a kid in Pennsylvania and he is thrilled to have access to good skiing again.
XC Skiing was new for both of us but we have discovered it to be one of our favorite winter time activities.
We can’t wait to get back out there!
Gardening
This is our first year with access to our own garden here in Alaska and it’s been a rough year. Cold temps and cloudy, rainy weather has pushed our growing season back, but we’re determined to find success in our garden.
We’re fortunate to have a small greenhouse on our property, so fingers crossed.
Our Channel
First of all we want to thank all the people who have supported us from the beginning. Certainly our friends and family deserve special recognition, but we can’t believe the support we’ve gotten from strangers. Thanks for following along and spreading the word. We are so very grateful to those who subscribe to the channel and leave comments. Thanks to our good friends over at Trail Vagabonds for showing us that YouTube was not only doable, but that people might actually watch.
We started our YouTube Channel a little over a year ago as a passion project. Initially it served a duel purpose, for Dan to learn about video recording and editing and for us to have a better way of sharing our life in Alaska with family and friends back home. Posting a weekly video has become pretty integrated into our lives, but there are still times when we struggle to find content or just want a break. We’re not paid YouTubers so we just keep this up for fun to share the more approachable side to Alaskan life.
The theme of our channel learning new things and pushing ourselves to achieve new goals, mostly revolving around our new Alaskan lifestyle. In that vein we’ve resolved to double our efforts toward our channel. Dan is learning new videography and editing skills and we’re striving to bring you more compelling stories. We want to bring you all the best content we can, so stick with us and check out some of our videos below.
We'd love to hear from you!
Thanks so much for sharing in our adventures. We make these videos for you, so let us know if there are any questions we can answer or ideas for videos you have.
Meanwhile we’ll keep creating content for you to enjoy!