Alan Rader

I don't know if any of the others present have seen this site but I know they have to remember the occasion. In the summer of 72 I had a part time job showing movies at top camp. Sometimes this required running the films backward and forward if a female body part was exposed. On the particular evening someone came in to the movie and said there were bears in the dump because the half breed (half wolf) dogs were barking like crazy. I put the film in hold mode and we all went out for a break to see the black bears. It was a regular occurence to see the black bears . As was usual for top camp we had all had some liquid refreshments. We walked over to the edge of the "scuz"dump but there were no black bears. Instead beneath us was this huge grizzley or brown. All I remember was seeing his front paws digging like a fast back hoe and climbing up toward us. We took off running and all I could think of was him swiping and tearing our guts out. We ran for what seemed like and hundred yards, but was probably fifty, stopped and turned to look back. The bear ran up out of the dump but stopped on the road that led beside it. He stood straight up on his hind legs (he looked 20 ft tall) looked at us for awhile and dropped back down and headed back down into the dump. I think he had just told us he was king of the mountain.

I just checked my email and saw some new pictures you had added to the site. I was at the arm pit of Alaska the same time you were. You allowed me to experience some reprieve from the top camp by calling for me on a regular basis. I was a teletype repairman and came down on a regular basis to try and keep the machines working. I had little experience with the equipment because after tech school I was sent to an electronic installation sq. at Elemendorf for a year. I was really put in a bad situation. I was an A1C and made E4 when I got there and had no experience or help. I maintained the com center and your weather equipment. I had already seen several remote sites in the installation job at Anchorage.During my year at Elemendorf I never saw but one teletype and it didn't have to be worked on. I believe I arrived at top camp in late aug or sept. I know that they had just shipped out the body of the guy who had died just before I arrived. Some of your entries bring back some fond and not so fond memories. I remember the strippers. I was on the phone to Elemendorf hospital to get an antidote for the guy who tried to kill himself by drinking powdered chlorine. I remember full urinals and toilets and after break up being able to shower. I remember the night the heater core around our water tank shorted and caught fire. We thought we might have to abandon top camp. I also remember how nice bottom camp was compared to top camp. I wasn't allowed to spend the night down there but once because the com center had priority for maintenace. I've got to get to an appointment. One last question. I heard that soon after we left that a ssgt and a1c died in a white out that winter. Got to run. Like to hear more stories. I have a few more also.

This is a picture of the back of my head doing a dj turn at KWAC radio at top camp. It was only supposed to transmit inside the building, but I heard that the atmoshperics were right one time and someone in the lower 48 picked it up. I don't know about that rumor though. I have a picture of the weeny bird on the day I left. It is in slide form so I will have it formated to picture and email it to you.