A TikToker has gone viral revealing what life is like in a rural part of Alaska.
Salina Alsworth, 25, hails from Port Alsworth, which has a population of about 200 residents, according to Census figures. She collects her mail from an air taxi and endures an hourlong flight to the nearest grocery store, more than 160 miles away.
For her 340,000 TikTok followers, she often posts videos showcasing the beauty of the state and the realities of doing mundane tasks in her remote slice of southwest Alaska.
For example, she explained in an essay for Insider that she takes on a big grocery shop every three or four months. Buying fresh produce is a major challenge, she wrote.
“If the weather is bad it might be up to a week before the fresh items I purchase can be flown home,” Alsworth divulged, noting that a small carton of raspberries can cost $4 to $5 if it’s shipped in from outside the state.
“Because of this, I often ask myself if I should buy ripe bananas or green ones that might be ripe by the time I get to use them, but I usually just get a little bit of each.”
Stocking up on canned goods is essential, Alsworth emphasized, so she typically purchases peaches, pears, corn and green beans while keeping expiration dates in mind. She also relies on food that can be frozen, like bacon, bagels, milk, shredded cheese and lunch meat.
While people in the lower 48 pack their groceries into their car and head home, Alsworth said she has to haul her haul on a flight home. She says it can cost between 90 cents and $2.50 per pound for freight to be sent to her village.
She’s careful to pack delicate items like eggs and bananas in bubble wrap. There’s not often room for her groceries on her return flight, she disclosed, so her goods land on another plane.
In October, Alsworth shared a video of her shopping trip to Costco in Anchorage, where she filled her cart with bagels, sweet potatoes, asparagus, cereal, ground sirloin beef patties, pepperoni, bacon, chopped salad, grapes, bananas and more — to the tune of $422.35.
“I’m glad to be set for the winter,” she confided in the three-minute clip, which picked up 30,000 views. “I’ll get a lot more orders this winter, just with the fresh stuff that I need because we go through that stuff fast, but now I’m set for a good while.”
Alsworth said she works at her family’s travel lodge, the Farm Lodge, during tourist season and at the air taxi service in the winter. She also sells Alaska gifts in her Etsy shop.
The Post reached out to Alsworth for comment.
