Alaska Man Embarks on 50-Mile Nighttime Walk Between Remote Villages -- at 30 Below

A man was found unharmed after walking nearly 50 miles from the interior Alaska community of Birch Creek to Fort Yukon overnight Monday in subzero temperatures.

Lawrence James, 52, was located Tuesday morning just four miles from Fort Yukon. James had been walking for 16 hours. He had made it roughly 46 miles in temperatures lingering around -30 degrees.

The reason?

"I've been wanting to do this for a while, so I just made up my mind and did it," James said from Fort Yukon Wednesday. One of his cousins had made the trek a few years back, and since then, James had wanted to try it.

"It was a good walk," James said. "It was good exercise."

James, who grew up in Birch Creek, said he knew what he was doing when he set out on the trek. He brought a .22 rifle and a sled, which he stocked with water, tea, sandwiches, a bag of Jolly Ranchers and extra outerwear.

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