This past August, I made another trip (what has become something of a pilgrimage for me, in a way) back to the island of Adak, Alaska.
There are very few places that have intrigued me and captivated me as deeply as Adak. Situated on one of the furthest inhabited islands in the Aleutian Chain, the ~80 permanent residents of the near-ghost town are about as close to the end of the Earth as they can possibly get.
I only found out about Adak because it's my father's birthplace. Between World War 2 and the Cold War, the island saw a significant military presence as both a FOB and a SOSUS listening post. When the USSR fell at the end of 1991, this place was all but left behind...and all of the military facilities were abandoned to rot.
With the history here being so quickly reclaimed or destroyed by nature, I couldn't pass up another opportunity to try and capture Adak's dwindling existence. As with every adventure, I wish I'd had more time there than I did...but this place in particular holds a higher significance for me, my passion for photography, and my family lineage than anywhere else I've been lucky enough to visit.
I need to go again. And I would love to show more people this island before it's gone.
1. The most expensive car I've rented to date. At nearly $130 per day, this 1990's Toyota pickup had over 181,000 miles on it and made more frightening noises than any vehicle I've ridden in. But it powered through everything Adak had to throw at it, and I'm certainly thankful to have had the 4x4 capabilities out in the tundra.
2. One of many derelict vehicles on the south side of town. Anything left in the open is systematically destroyed by the constant wind, rain, and cold.
3. The "White Shed", where all of the larger machinery on the island is kept. Everything in here is actually still functional, although you'd never guess it from the looks of the exterior.
4. A recent storm in December capsized this fishing boat on the east of the harbor. Part of me was very tempted to climb the rope out to the hull...perhaps next time.
5. This place is straight out of post-apocolyptic science fiction. Every one of these homes is abandoned, all the furniture stacked haphazardly in the garages, left to rot in the elements.
6. Part of the kitchen at the POQ, just south of the airport. Looks like this building had just as much damage from fire as it did from water.
7. Another section of the POQ. The tundra has begun reclaiming the floor. There's even some grass growing on the tables in here.
8. Paying a visit to the Adak National Forest...which consists of 8 trees all clustered together.
9. It was an oddly common occurrence for people to have embedded chairs into the walls or, in this case, windows.
10. The mess hall on Bering Hill. Slowly being overtaken by the tundra, which you can see growing thinly on the floor.
11. The library in Bering Hall, torn apart and empty...but still containing a healthy number of books that haven't yet been touched by the elements. Quite a rarity, especially considering how many other less fragile places have been torn to bits so rapidly.
12. The exterior of the police headquarters, overlooking the town to the east and this field of yellow flowers to the west.
13. Light filters into the sub-levels of the air control tower through a hole in the ceiling.
14. The air control tower...totally open and accessible, with old papers and charts still collecting dust (and mold...and asbestos or whatever) up in the top level. Two bald eagles sat staring down from above.
15. Hundreds of feet of rope lead down the slippery tundra-covered side of a cliff to the beach...
16....which of course needed to be explored.
17. The highway to the northwest side of the island...if you look carefully in the middle of the photo, you can just make out the red pickup that got me most of the way there.
18. The decaying structure of the old LORAN station (long range navigation), a technology that was developed in World War 2 and finally taken out of service by the US in the late 80's.
19. Many of the rooms were surprisingly intact for how old they are...
20. ...and of course, many are NOT intact.
21. The "LORAN Shack" next to the main building. All of the old equipment is still there in its racks...not quite as functional as in previous years.
22. Antiquated technology being overtaken by the constant wash of mist and rain.
23. Part of the garrison on the north side of the island, next to Clam Lagoon. These buildings bear the insignia of one of the Navy Construction Battalions ("Seabees") that built them...which my grandfather was a part of in the early 60's, and the reason my father was born on this island.
24. "OFF LIMITS BY ORDER OF CO"...except only half way, I guess.
25. It was eerie standing in these halls as the wind whipped through cracked and broken windows, filling the space with strange whispering sounds...and the holes in the floor plus the random thumps from other rooms didn't really help.
26. This site holds a special place in my family's history. The water hookup on the bottom right side of the photo is the only remnant of the neighborhood that my dad was born in. Bering Hill and the abandoned military complex sit in the background under the sun and clouds.
27. A third of the way down to the beach at Horseshoe Bay. The tundra is incredible, the plants are up to my shoulders...and I think I slipped and fell about thirty times to get to this point.
28. My partner in crime, Christine, standing in front of one of the many hunting lodges that dot the island. This circular one is at the top of a hill overlooking Finger Bay to the south of the main town.
29. Exploring the old high school, which was converted into an elementary school before it was shut down permanently decades ago. Visitors to the island have written their names on the chalkboard (as did we, the second in from the bottom left corner if anyone ever goes to this place).
30. The inside of an abandoned fallout shelter. This island was built out to withstand a lot of punishment, including being prepared for nuclear accidents or explosion...since they were storing nuclear weapons only a mile or so away.
Oops! Good catch. Glad you like the photos and my bits of commentary, I really want to share this place with everyone before it disappears! 
