This month, I have turned over the keyboard to Adrian, KO8SCA, with assists from Yuri, N3QQ, and Hal, W8HC, to tell the story of their recent DXpedition to Kiska Island, K7K. Their adventure was a special one, visiting a place that is extremely remote in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. I hope that you will enjoy their story! – Bob, N2OO
“Trust your heart if the seas catch fire, live by love though the stars walk backward.” – e.e. cummings
At the far western edge of the State of Alaska lies a group of islands, spread like a string of pearls spanning a distance greater than 1,000 miles. These are the Aleutian Islands.
For a few days during July 2022, a team of six operators sailed out into the Aleutians in what was a third DXpedition attempt to activate the rare IOTA group (IOTA NA-070, POTA K-0143) called Kiska Island, a desolate and inhospitable place within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
The Aleutians
Alaska is such a large state and it is hard to comprehend some distances unless one uses geographic comparisons. So here is one: The distance from Alaska’s eastern to western border is greater than the distance between New York and San Francisco. In fact, Kiska Island is closer to Tokyo than it is to San Francisco.
The Aleutian Islands consist of 72 islands born out of the volcanic eruptions 55 million years ago. They are located at the juncture of the northern edge of the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the southern reaches of the extremely cold and hostile waters of the Bering Sea, creating some of the most violent weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the far western Aleutian Islands, including Kiska, are uninhabited.
Kiska Island
The island is only 5 miles wide and 22 miles long. It is desolate and uninhabited, covered by volcanic sand and tall grass. There are no trees or animals except some rats that are said to have roamed the island since the first explorers brought them there on their sailing boats. At the far end of the island, there is a 4,000-foot-tall active volcano. The weather is harsh, with only eight clear days a year amidst an average of 250 days of rain, powerful winds, and 100 days of bitter cold darkness. That pretty much describes a place that probably should be avoided by humans.
Kiska’s Role in WWII
Visiting Kiska Island requires close coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). If you plan an IOTA expedition to
