I received a call asking me if I would like to cover the Talkeetna Bachelor Auction and the Wilderness Woman competition. Say what? My single ears perked up. Did you say Bachelor Auction? Sign.Me.Up. Seriously, how could I say no?

I headed up from Anchorage to Talkeetna last weekend, which is about 2.5 hours north. It is a very beautiful drive and all the trees were covered with snow and the rivers were frozen over. The drive helped to clear my head, as some of you know, I haven’t had a day off in a few weeks. Bring on Talkeetna!

I pulled into the Talkeetna Cabins and since the sun sets before 4:00pm, they left the lights on for me! Look at how beautiful this handcrafted log cabin is. Inside was very roomy, had a small kitchenette, and was just what I was looking for in a weekend getaway.

First order of business was heading over to the Fairview Inn and having a Denali Brewing Company Chuli Stout as I waited for the parade. While I was there I learned that the Talkeetna Bachelor Auction and Ball started in 1980 at the Fairview Inn. There were a lot of men in the area, but very few women. The guys started thinking of ways to entice women to come up to their cute town and The Bachelor Auction was born. And it worked! I met women who had flown in from Chicago, San Diego, and quite a few from all over Alaska.

On Friday night Talkeetna puts on a parade and then they had the Mating Game, much like the Dating Game. Parades in a small town in Alaska make me smile. Boats covered in lights, dogs pulling sleds, and snow plows. Yep, snow plows.

Loved all the puppies out at the parade 😉

I was the second girl up in the Mating Game – so much fun. I had three bachelors to ask a couple questions to. I asked if they could only drink one craft beer for the rest of their lives, what would they drink? Started with Bachelor #3 and he said Busch. The entire room cracked up. This was much more silly than serious, and I loved it.

The infamous Bachelor #3 – I somehow never learned his name. Whoops!

Before the Mating Game I had met Matthew Failor, an Iditarod dog sled racer with 17-Dog Iditarod Racing Team. He told me he brought his three puppies from his first litter and they were in the truck. Did I want to hold a puppy? Um, YES!!!

My heart was been won… he brought a puppy. Im SO bidding on this guy… bc… he comes with a puppy!!! ~Instagram

On Saturday was the Wilderness Woman Competition, pretty much to see who the most badass woman in Alaska was! There are three rounds that start with a 100 women and end with one Wilderness Woman. They had to run 400 yards with empty buckets to a creek and return with full buckets in the first round. In the second round were asked to prepare a sandwich and open a beer for a lounging bachelor on a couch. The five finalists then must snag a salmon, shoot a ptarmigan, evade a lonely moose and run jumping into the arms of a mountain man giving him a kiss.

What I loved was one of the women ate the sandwich and poured the beer over the guy’s head. Oh what I would give to have caught that on video! This little video was at the very end of the competition. The winner was Danielle Bailey, second place was Elizabeth Powers and third went to Stacey Smith.

After a much needed nap and hanging out with some girls I met, it was time for the Bachelor Auction! The guys were nervous, the girls were excited, and it was one helluva night. Here is the video that Tara Young with the Anchorage Daily News made – you know you want to be there next year!

Here are a few of the photos I took that night. I have about 300 and debating whether to make them available. Guys – let me know if you want me to send you all the ones I have of you.

The Wilderness Women being crowned at the Bachelor Ball with all the awesome bachelors.

The first bachelor of the night was Patrick McGunagie who celebrated his 23rd  birthday with 200 women that night. Lucky guy!

Love a sharp dressed man!

Quite a few of the guys took it all off. There’s a g-string under those pants, ladies. 

Even Phillip Manning aka Bad Santa had all the ladies!

Shawn Standley of Denali Brewing Company strutting his sexy stuff!

Kyle Longerbeam was easily one of the best dressed men at the auction. Really cool guy too that lives out in the bush living the dream of fishing and hunting for a living.

Denver Gravley is looking for a woman who can speak her mind and be real. Is that you?

Michael Baker is a sweetheart and knows a lot about craft beer. Oh, and he’s single 😉

Matthew Failor had hands down the best catwalk out of the guys, the ladies agreed. He didn’t even need to bring his puppies on stage to make the bidding go out of control. 

These 40 bachelors raised $20,420 for charity. Way to go guys! Huge thanks to all the women who came from near and far to bid on the hunky men of Alaska. The money raised go to the Jessica Stevens Community Foundation and a grant program that helps the Talkeetna community.

This was one of the best weekends I have had in Alaska yet. Talkeetna is one of those towns that just makes you smile every time you think about it. These bachelors are onto something by hosting this auction – they are looking for love in all the right places.

Read my other Talkeetna posts:

Talkeetna Brewfest 2014

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge: Simply Amazing