Charter planes convey birders to the island and once there, transportation is by either foot or mountain bikes, provided by Attours. The island was first birded by a few birding pioneers in 1975. In 1978 Attours began sponsoring birding trips with the birders first staying in tents, and then later Quonset huts, but without showers or heat. Over the years, little by little, Larry and his Chief Engineer, Al Driscoll, installed many creature comforts, eventually even providing hot and cold running water, stoves, heaters, and electric lights, all thanks to electric generators. The base building is a sight that would make your eyes sore and everyone was thankful that an OSHA representative never inspected the place.
Participants make their own lunch of sandwiches and snacks to carry into the field each day.
Since Attu lies at about the same latitude as Seattle, its weather is milder than more northerly Alaskan locations. The Aleutian winds can be quite stiff. At the end of a long day, especially when returning from distant Alexai, it's not unusual to experience gusts of 30 knots in your face, pushing you and your bike backwards. We endured about fourteen days of rain, mostly during the second half of the month. The Last Visit.