Community Corner

Former Brandon Resident Heading Off to Wilderness

Chuck Baird is planning to spend a year in isolation on a remote island in Alaska.

 

A former Brandon resident is heading off to the wilderness.

Chuck Baird is planning to spend a year alone on a remote island in Alaska, TBO.com reports. It's just the latest adventure for Baird, a member of Bloomingdale High's Class of 1990 who has lived in Anchorage for five years.

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"In high school, I used to run cross country and ultra-marathons, and that was really the part of pushing myself to the limit," Baird, 40, told TBO. "I ran a 50K and tried to run 50 miles but never made that. That was really the genesis of my thrill-seeking."

Or, as his mother, Jeanne Baird, who still lives in Brandon, simply told TBO: "He likes adventure."

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CNN and other national media outlets are covering Baird's journey into isolation. He also plans to document the adventure in a blog and on his Facebook fan page, although he'll only be able to send outgoing electronic messages via a satellite link and will be otherwise cut off from the rest of the world.

"I won't know if people are born or die," Baird told CNN. "I won't know who the president is even until many months after (when) I return."

Baird originally planned to leave for his trip at the end of May but said on his Facebook page June 6 his departure has been pushed back by about 10 to 14 days.

Read more about Baird's plans and the harsh conditions he faces in TBO's feature story.


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