. up next on a second look, north to alaska. from the brave men and women who connect the remote towns by air to the hardy souls, the men running the i dit rod race, and a man who shot a bear in his backyard. these stories and more, all straight ahead on a second look.

good evening. i'm julie haener. this is a second look. this year marks the 100th anniversary as alaska being organized as a territory of the united states, 35 years after the united states purchased alaska from russia for $7.2 million. the equivalent of about 120 million today. when alaska became a state in 1959, it was the largest in the union in terms of area. vast stretches of alaska are undeveloped and pristine. no roads. no towns. and to get to one place to another, most often means one thing. flying. in 1984, ktvu's george watson brought us this report on the pilots who braved the endless skies and unforgiving terrain of alaska every day. there are virtually no roads to anywhere around here. in fact, there aren't that many anywhere in alaska there. are no short hops. everything is a long haul. hence, the airplane is to the alaskan what the horse was to

the american cowboy. the bush pilot is as much a fixture in this part of the country as a bus driver is in any metropolitan area. his job is to take people where they want to go. invariably in alaska, it won't be an easy place to get to. i realize the bush pilot has a more flamboyant reputation, something along the lines of a indiana jones. but he says if you want to be a pilot, daredevils need not aplay. professionals are better suited to the hazards of the job. >> i suppose there are so many opportunities up here to take an airplane and to go out and get into trouble, even by good people, good professional people. there are so many ways to get into trouble, from the snow conditions, if you're operating in the winter, operating on the float plane, which we do. how do you know that the lake has deep enough water in it to land and what happens when the winds are adverse? is it going to blow you up into the trees and break your wing tip off, all this kind of stuff? no, it just requires attention

to detail and i think a professionalism, not -- if you're going to be a daredevil or try anything, this is the wrong profession to be in. >> reporter: he is going to fly us into the bush country. as you probably gathered, airplane is the only way to get there. alaska is breathtakingly beautiful. n]♪ n]♪

>> reporter: in terms of things to do up here, i shall not want. choreographed helicopter flight will take you to a glacier for a picnic lunch. alaskans are a strange breed. this is considered to be a great day for a picnic. i'm also here while the great alaskan fur and view is being held. it's the alaskan mardi gras, more or less, celebrating the end of winter, start of spring. to alaskans, 5 degrees above zero means spring is right around the corner. the celebration consists of races, the kind of which are consistent with the nature of

alaska. it's a foot stomping, hand clapping good old time. n]♪ >> reporter: but lest you get too comfortable, don't forget, alaska is mostly wilderness. out there, the animal is king, especially the most dangerous of them all. >> bear is some of the most dangerous, because they are actually moose is dangerous, too, but not as quick, fast. what i mean, a bear is as fast as a cat. i've seen grizzlies, i've guided for over 35 years and i've seen bears, mountain grizzlies sat and catching ground squirrels, sat and pounce 30 feet. you can't believe it! >> reporter: flying back across the frozen tundra brought home all the true aspects of what a wilderness this place really is. even spotting anchorage didn't give me a sense of civilization. i still felt very much in this

place they call america's blast of frontier. still ahead, george watson takes us to a school that teaches people how to drive a dog team and survive the adventure. >> and a bit later, the last known war in the pacific. the world war ii battle to keep the japanese from getting a foot hold in alaska. whoever said that "less is more" is more or less mathematically challenged. less isn't more, it's less. and the only thing more than more is a lot more. which is exactly what i get at embassy suites.

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. the iditarod dog sled race is one of the most famouses races in america. dog sledding has a long tradition in a land with few roads and thousands of miles of rugged terrain. in 1984, ktvu's george watson introduced us to those who take part in this unusual sport. >> reporter: we came to alaska during something called the fur rendezvous.

it's an alaskan party that lasts several days or sometimes weeks, depending upon the stamina of the participants. traditionally, alaskans held for a rendezvous to celebrate the end of winter. spring is still a ways away, but it's a good excuse to have a party and stage races. they are seemingly endless in number and hype. there's even an outhouse race, a mental image of which escapes me. the dog sled races are the big thing. this is a 12-mile race in the women's division. >> 3, 2, 1! go! >> reporter: but anchorage is also home to the grand daddy of all dog sled races. it's called the iditarod. the race is from anchorage to nome, most in wilderness country, 1200 miles long. the winners finish in a couple of weeks. others may take up to a month. but the real allure of the iditarod is to finish. it's a badge of honor that is typically alaskan.

wanting to find more about dog sledding, i went to goose lake where dog sled tours are conducted. right off the bat, i wondered if it matters which dog goes where when you hitch up the team. >> we put usually the largest of the dogs in the rear of the sled, in the wheel position, in team positions. the reason that we do that is that if we're running out of freight sled and the weight of the sled goes off the trail, we need the horsepower to pull back to the trail. as you progress to the front, the team gets to be smaller and quicker. of course the lead dogs set the overall pace. >> reporter: dog sledding is a beautiful way to travel, but lot a lot of things in alaska, if you're not careful, it's possible to get hurt. realizing we are in fact dog sledding over a frozen lake, i was keeping my eyes open for thin ice. once under way, all i could think about was not freezing to death. not being exactlies well dressed for this activity, i became all too familiar with the term

"windchill factor." could you imagine racing in the iditarod for 1200 miles? i can't either, but there's no denying this is a wonderful way to get close to alaska's beauty. n]♪ why do people come to alaska and make it their home? it's a test, really, a chance to find out about yourself. to me, there is no other place like this. alaska is a world unto itself. when we come back on a second look, the world war ii battle for the allusion islands and how protected the west coast of the united states. and a bit later, ken the trapper tells us more tall tales of the frozen north.

. tonight, we're taking a second look at alaska, some of the world war ii's most critical

battles were fought in the south pacific, but one crucial confrontation took place in the north pacific and in the area around the aleutian islands. this historic film recounts the battle in the aleutian islands off alaska. >> on june 3rd, undercover of bad weather, the japanese headed straight for the target, without being smothered by the american search flames, the view of the japanese fleet in the area. they continued their run until they were only 165 miles from the target. the poor weather was quite the opposite for the attacking planes. the planes which left the japanese carriers in the harbor, many were subsequently forced to turn back. 17 planes made the most successful strike from the japanese point of view. over dutch harbor, the weather was good. the pilots had no trouble

finding likely targets. the tank farm, radio station, army barracks and navy planes. the harbor suffered appreciable damage to its facilities. on the west coast of the united states proper, the attack on dutch harbor brought the war even closer. preparations for the defense intensified. in the states bordering the pacific, an enemy attack was considered eminent. on june 6th, while a large japanese fleet was being defeated at midway, the emperor went afloor and quickly took possession of the island. with the enemy firmly situated on kitsa, the tip of the aleutian islands chain, the security was -- constituted a potential threat to the american mainland. japanese advanced along the island came and american force were only 250 miles from the

japanese on kitsa. the aleutian islands weather was, of course, a particular problem for the air force. on an average day, the weather ranged from poor to impossible. keeping a north pacific air base in operating condition was a job that required plenty of patience and determination. a warship served as cover for the main landing. after several delays, the northern force troops started ashore in midafternoon. they were to make it about 3 miles from the main japanese camp on the island. air support was extremely limited because of the heavy fog. on the southern side of the island, the main american force landed at masacre valley. u.s. weapons, carefully prepared japanese positioning. they were handicapped by

equipment and clothing, in the aleutian islands terrain. the enemy was well prepared for this type of warfare. the japanese fought for invasion of strategic high ground. they were driven back by the enemy's fire. for 19 days, the battle raged on. finally, after a last -- the japanese defense of the island was at an end. the frenzied enemy attack had carried the japanese into the american lands where they were virtually wiped out by army engineers. most of the remaining japanese

committed suicide rather than surrender. after the anye lags of the japanese force, the imperial japanese high command 1800 miles away in tokyo conceded defeat on may 30th. in the retaking by the u.s. army's 7th division and supporting units, 1100 soldiers were wounded. 400 soldiers gave their lives in the battle. one of those who took part in the battle was director john houston. in 1943, he made a color oscar-winning documentary about the fight against the japanese off alaska. houston was a member of the army's signal corps. he and a team of photographers flew in several bombing runs to capture the combat. here is an excerpt from the report. >> bombay doors open.

>> bombay doors open. >> the best way to forget what's happening outside, make the run by instrument. >> enemy aircraft. [ gunfire ] >> second flight, low altitude. [ gunfire ]

[ gunfire ] >> third flight, a 4500 feet. [ gunfire ] [ indescernible ] >> -- but i'm okay. okay. okay. >> -- destroyed, burning, bombs found the target. nine bombers came out and nine

are going home. when we come back, on a second look, a man who lived most of his life in alaska tells us what it takes to survive there.

. earlier tonight in his 1984 story about bush pilots, george watson introduced us to alaska trapper ken clark. here now, more of george's conversation with the man who witnessed 50 years of alaska history. >> reporter: ken clark built his home in the wilderness sometime ago. over the years, he's added other buildings. now that he's older and does less hunting, he spends more time running the place, which has become a lodge for other hunters and fishermen. meeting ken clark was a warm experience. i mean that in every sense. it's 12 degrees below zero outside, but warm and toasty inside the house, long-ago built with alaskan timber. breakfast today is eggs, potato and moose sausage. but it's not food that we came

for. we came for conversation. ken clark is a walking encyclopedia of the way life used to be in the place that's still called america's last frontier. what is the spirit of a man that would make him want to be a trapper in the wild of alaska? >> you know what you can do, what other people believe you can do doesn't mean anything, you know. a bear could care less of how you are dressed or how your car was shined or anything like that. that's just the way it is. >> reporter: we spotted moose on the way out to ken's place and they seemed docile enough from up here, but meeting one is a proposition. it happened to ken clark and it almost cost him his life. he was on his dog sled, going home. >> i left my gun, heavy that morning and i thought i would use the gun on the sled. wouldn't have any trouble. got down below the second bend on the creek by the cabin, i see where seven wolfs had hit the

tracks. it slowed until about an hour before, so i knew it had to be within the hour that they came. and i still didn't think, you know, anything about it. and i kept going in this hair pin turn, so just below there, real sharp turning in the creek. come around the curve and here was a moose far as from you right on me, bellerring, bucking, roaring, making noise and knocked me over. i just barely turned and down i went. about that time, here come fur, my dogs right on her. and she jumped back. well, i knew what was happening. i knew she killed some dogs, so i just lunged for the sled, which was, oh, maybe 10, 12 feet, just a little ways because the dogs were halfway through onto her and she jumped back. and meantime, she killed, she killed, kicked two dogs and killed them, but i got the craig and killed her, shot her.

she was only about 20 feet from me. and so i looked over, maybe 50, 100 feet and here was the calf, her calf. it kept laying out and it was still kicking wolves. >> she just went better serk. >> went absolutely be serk, patches of hair torn out, killed her, too. >> reporter: after 47 years in alaska's backcountry, expect your share of adventures. ken clark, it seems, has had more than his share. take for example the time ken and his wife were having breakfast. a giant bear attacked their house. >> so i see we had guests over in the cabin. i knew it immediately, see it. i said hold it open. so she held it open, carefully, of course, and so i had a .375 winchester, about two years ago. but anyway, i hit, hit it and i

hit the ground just like that and come up. blood just -- it was hit hard, but didn't break its back bone. you can shoot right through them, as long as you don't break their spinal column, they will go. it rared up, coming through that window. there was a screen where this long window is right here. just rared up and i just levered two more into it. it was 220-grain bullets, heavy bullets. of course it just knocked it backwards. so i went out and shot it twice more, finally hit with the last shot, broke its neck and killed it, instantly. i can tell you that was a fiercest, that was a killer. >> reporter: i could have listened to these tall tale all day, but we had to leave early in case of bad weather, which can happen in a hurry here in alaska. n]♪ >> reporter: you you you get that frontier feeling in a variety of ways out here in alaska. you can't escape a certain sense of history that is uniquely american when you hear bluegrass. dock south runs the alaskan psychiatric clinic by day and

plays a mean fiddle by night. he has no doubts about where fiddlers stand in the scheme of things. >> right at the top. no, i mean, the fiddle was the first instrument to be brought around. i think that's because it's the easiest to travel with. tie it on your horse or sling it over your back. n]♪ n]♪ [ cheers & applause ] and that's it for this week's second look. i'm julie haener. thank you for watching.