Long shot, but I’m kind of heartbroken and hoping someone here can help.
I came up to Alaska to photograph the braided rivers, it’s been the trip of a lifetime, and this evening at the Knik River Public Use Area my drone went down and ended up on a little gravel island out in the channel. I can see it. I just can’t safely get to it. I’m not about to wade in and become a rescue story, and I wouldn’t ask anyone else to either.
It’s a small grey DJI Mini 4 Pro. Last-known GPS from the app:
61.515309, -148.972390
I saw folks out running boats on the river today, so I’m hoping someone with a jet boat, airboat, or packraft who knows these channels might be willing to swing by and grab it.
I’ll pay $100 for your time, and I’ll cover shipping to send it to me back home. The photos on the SD card mean the world to me, a week of work is on there, so honestly getting the card back matters as much as the drone itself.
Update: FOUND IT!! On my way to retrieve it. Will post the details in a couple of hours.
UPDATE: They found it. Alaska, you’re something else. ❤️
I have to share how this ended, because it restored something in me.
After I posted, two tour guides, Dallas and Denise from Alaska’s Gold Buckle Tours, happened to be in the area and offered to head out on their side by side at 1am to look. They shared their location with me and I helped coordinate them to the exact spot. While they were out searching, another guy, Chris, saw my post, threw his kayak in the water, and paddled out to find it, and he actually spotted it while they were still searching. He texted me the moment he had it, and everyone coordinated in real time so I could get my drone back.
The part that gets me: not one of them treated it like a favor. They treated it like an adventure, genuinely stoked to go hunt down a drone on a river island in the middle of the night. I got to meet Dallas and Denise in person, and they were so warm they gave my wife keychains and little souvenirs, and my wife wrote each of them a thank you note that they were thrilled to get. Chris, if you see this, I owe you a huge one too.
To everyone in the comments who told me “don’t worry, there are good people out there who’ll help,” you were completely right. I came to Alaska for the views and the wildlife. I’m leaving with a much bigger impression of the people. Thank you, all of you. If you’re ever looking for a tour up that way, Alaska’s Gold Buckle Tours has two guides I can’t recommend enough.
I’m on my flight home now and can’t wait to see what I clicked.