Nome resident Keane Richards is more than just a middle school science teacher, he’s also a YouTuber on a mission to share survival skills and promote remote living.
In doing so, Richards is passing down the same skills that once sustained him in the hopes of empowering others to live with more self-reliance.
Richards’ YouTube page doesn’t feature viral challenges or drone shots of mountain peaks. It features skills; the kind that are useful when your car breaks down 30 miles outside of Nome.
“I’ve got videos on winter shelters, animal tracks, camp stoves… stuff I’ve actually used,” Richards said.
His skills didn’t come from textbooks. Richards grew up in a small log cabin on the Kandik River in eastern Alaska. The nearest town of Eagle has a population of just under a hundred people. He said he spent his childhood hauling firewood and checking traplines. He also used canister stoves and thawed his boots when they froze while camping.
“So I kind of joke that, like, the outdoor skill element was not like a hobby. It was kind of like we did that every day,” Richards said.
These days, he teaches middle school science — and with his YouTube channel, Alaska Bush School, he’s blending his love for the outdoors with his passion for teaching.
“I wanted to start with these informational videos, because they're easy to shoot, and often I was outside doing stuff,” Richard’s said. “I find a lot of people are interested. They want to know more.”
One example is a video of Richards being charged by baby musk oxen. Richards said his lifestyle helps him see the world differently, and that he hopes to reconnect others with a simpler way of living.
“To be just sitting out and even listening to the birds. Sometimes, I think that's a fundamental part of who we are,” Richards said.
Richards said that while some learn these skills to prepare for the worst, his motivations are more light-hearted.
“I'm not somebody who really is preparing for something like armageddon, I guess. I just do it because it's fun,” he said.
Richards said the skills are valuable, especially for young people in the region.
“I noticed that when we take kids out too, like, if we can teach them these primitive skills, they build up a lot of grit,” Richards said
He said he hopes that by passing down these skills, he’s helping people feel more capable and connected and just a little more at home in the wild.
