ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS

Equipped only with sleeping bags and tools, two teenagers face 18 months alone in the wilds of Alaska.

They'll have sleeping bags, and tools for cutting firewood and gathering food. But they'll have no way to contact the outside world during more than a year of exile in the wilderness. 17-year-old Adrian Thompson and Peter Guthrie belong to the Tlingit Indian tribe of Alaska. Earlier this year, they pleaded guilty to robbing a pizza delivery man. As this was their first offence, the State judge decided not to send the youths to prison. Instead, in the first case of its kind, he invited the tribal elders to punish them in accordance with Indian tribal custom. The elders decided to banish the boys for 18 months to separate islands off the Alaskan coast.

A year on one of these uninhabited islands will be no holiday for the youths. Most of the islands are very mountainous, and are covered with thick forests. They are part of the Tongass National Forest, and are inhabited only by wildlife, including black bears and wolfs. The seas around the island are rich in fish, and whales and seals are a common sight. The climate is slightly warmer than the rest of Alaska, but the boys will be facing a winter of snowstorms and heavy rainfall, with average temperatures as low as minus six degrees Centigrade.

The boys will be given some basic equipment, but tribal officials would not say if they would be given guns for hunting and protection against wild animals. They said each boy would have forks for digging up shellfish, axes and saws for cutting firewood, and some food to get them through the first few days. They will have sleeping bags and each will build a small shelter, which will be equipped with a wood stove for cooking and heat. Apart from there things, the boys will have to survive on their own, using whatever they can find.

Can these youngsters live through their ordeal? Guthrie and Thompson seem much like teenagers anywhere else in the United States, wearing reversed baseball caps, and clothes inspired by MTV. Although they don't look ideally suited to life the wild, the tribal elders said that the two would survive. The boys have been taught how to live off the land since they began to walk. They will be checked on periodically, but there will be no way for them to contact the outside world even in case of emergency.

The day they were told the news about their sentence, the teenagers were lounging in the sun. One was listening to music on his Walkman, and the other was playing the video game. The two boys will have to forget about things like these when they start their life in the island. When asked what they would do for entertainment, Peter said: "It's going to be hard without TV and computer games. I haven't really thought about what I'll do." Adrian seemed less concerned. "Sure, I'll miss music when I'm alone, but there'll be a lot to do and a lot to think about."

Although exile may seem like a tough punishment, the elders believe that it will be good for the boys. It will teach them that criminal behavior is wrong, and it will also build character. "Prison is a bad environment. The boys would learn bad attitudes from other criminals," said one elder. "With this punishment, they will learn to be independent and to face difficulties alone. It will make them more responsible members of our society. They will also have time to think about what they have done. We are confident that it will convince them never to commit another crime when they are set free."