Man changes his mind about living in hand-dug cave for winter after talking to law enforcement

ALASKA (Gray News) – Alaska officials say they helped change the mind of a man who plans to spend the winter in a hand-dug cave.

According to the Alaska Department of Public Safetyon October 18, public safety officers attempted to locate a person who was planning to spend the winter in a cave.

The individual, a 35-year-old man from Texas, was found with his vehicle in a gravel pit at mile marker 96 on the Taylor Highway.

The man told officers he had dug a small cave by hand and planned to spend the winter inside.

After several hours of discussions with law enforcement, the man was convinced that it was “in his best interest” to rethink his plan and find a more suitable location to spend the winter.

The next day, public safety officers responded back to the location and gave the man 15 gallons of gas and made minor repairs to his vehicle so the man could drive back to Tok. The man was safely escorted off the Taylor Highway.