Wednesday, July 7, 1999

It was a little more smoky today as we left Denali.  We had ridden to the end of the road as far into the park as you can go before a check-point last night looking for moose.  It was so clearing then and we had hoped to catch a view of McKinley as well.  No luck on either.  We had thought it might be clearer because the rain may have cleared up some of the smoke.  It was even smokier today.  We haven't gotten the same views we would have with this good weather.  The first shot below is from a pullout where you can see many of the peaks on a clear day.  We were shorted and could only see the close ones.

Talkeetna was about a three hour drive from Denali.  We passed much of the side of the park in the distance and we passed the Denali State Park.  It was a pretty drive with lots of lakes.  I saw some cabins tucked in the woods that would be a treasure to spend some time in - as long as you don't have a high need of socialization!  I didn't see roads so I'm not sure how they get there.

We got to Talkeetna about an hour and a half before our flight so we hung out around the airport and train station observing.  This is a BUSY little bush plane airport.  We rode with K2... not sure why they named it that.  We hadn't originally planned to do this but we talked to some folks who had and really recommended it.  They indicated we shouldn't go home unless we had -that the flight would be the only way we would really comprehend the size of Mt. McKinley.  They were so right.  This was our splurge and a real highlight of the trip.

We had some fantastic views of the river and valley coming and going.  We flew in one direction and came out another.  The longest part of the trip was going in and we circled around several different mountain peak.  We only got to catch the tip of McKinley at one point.  It was very cloudy up there and depth perception was difficult some times I'm sure for the pilot.  They had markers on the runway up there for just that reason.

The views of the glaciers and steep sides of the mountains were awesome.  The snow was unbelievable.  The deepest part of this glacier is about 4000 feet deep.  Where we were standing when we landed it was about 700 feet deep.  They won't be landing too much longer up there.  The surface is getting a little mushy and the crevices are beginning to show up and get too wide. You can't mountain climb this time of year up there.  The season is about done.  The best time for climbing is in the winter!!  I sure gained a new respect for that challenge and those who attempt it.

Our pilot was Trent.  He is an ex-air force pilot of at least six years but he looks like a kid.  Quite a change in size of aircraft for him!  The plane took four of us.  Rus in front with the pilot, Stacey and I in the middle and Gloria from Minnesota in the back.  Rus and Gloria swapped out for the way home.  We all had on earphones so we could hear the pilots talking etc.  We could talk if we needed to but where trying to keep it free for necessary communication.  The biggest challenge of the whole trip was for Stacey.  That's the longest I've seen her go without being able to ask a question or chatter!!!  She wasn't quite successful but more so on the way home.   She finally began to sit back and really LOOK at what we were seeing.  She may not ever witness such an awesome view of mountains again.

We were the first to land at the "roof top" strip but soon four others followed.  It was pretty gray up there.  There is a ridge between the two glaciers where Don Shelton built a cabin and an outhouse that looks like it totters on the peak.  This was here before the mountain was included in the national park so it is still "owned" privately.  When the widow dies it will be reverted to the park service.  The lady that owned the hostel in Denali had spent 3 or 4 days in that cabin in May.  She said it was an unbelievable experience and I can see why.  You have to have reservations for over a year to get a chance.  Wouldn't that be fun!!

Stacey had fun with the snow almost immediately.  We had to tune her down about throwing snowballs... especially at the pilot who was going to get us out!  We stayed up top about  twenty minutes.  It was considerably cooler up there.  Nice and fresh!!

 

 

       

 

We really flew right down the path of the glacier.  It becomes much more easy to understand how glaciers affect the landscape.  You can get a real feel for their size and weight and see how they pull the side of the mountains down with it.  The gravel and silt covers the ice along the edges because it come down the sides in little landslides.  There was a ridge of silt in the center where two glacier streams met and they had both pushed matter to the edge. 

We at one point flew through a canyon that took your breath away.  The sheer wall of the mountain was at the SIDE of the plane.  We only realized how narrow the canyon  was when we saw it from the plane on the return route.  

 

I was so fascinated and did fine on the trip till we got pretty low.  He was showing us how the underground water sometimes bubbles out of tubes under the glacier and then of course that becomes the river or stream at the bottom... He circled around where we could get a good view and from then on the trip was a little "bumpy".  Our trip in was over the valley and lakes again.  We spotted three moose and a beautiful beaver lodge.  I was praying we'd land pretty soon by then.  Off came the sweatshirt and I sat with my face in the vent!!  I was turning green!! 

We watched the weather the remainder of the afternoon and it just continued to get clearer and clearer.  The last flight we knew about was at 6:45 p.m.  They make it a long day.  Those folks told us they got a good ride but it was still cloudy up on the mountain.  I guess it just stays that way. The mountain creates it's own weather and most of the time it's sitting in it's own cloud with clear skies around. 

We were so surprised when we saw the four ladies that we stayed with in the Denali Hostel.  They added this on to their trip as well.  It was only the seven of us here last night and this was great.  The owner is a young gal and her background is advertising.  I'm not sure if she works in that field here.  She has thirteen sled dogs in the back yard.  (They would make the ladies unhappy during the middle of the night with their "talking".  For us it was not a problem  - Rus and Stacey can sleep through anything and I brought earplugs!)

After the flight I crashed on the lawn for a little while to get my land legs and stomach back.  Rus and Stacey walked down into town.  Shortly they were back for me.  It is a quaint little town and lots of fun.  It's all on the historical register. The buildings were built around the 20's or 30's and are now little shops etc.  This one particular cabin caught our attention.  It just looked so cozy and cute.  That would be a perfect cabin to park in the woods somewhere.  Maybe there's a pre-fab available. Ha!

The crowd here is much younger.  I guess it's the seasonal crowd and many are the climbers etc.  There is a huge festival here this weekend that we will miss.  It's called the "Moose Drop Festival".  Even the hostel offers a dollar off if you bring in a moose pellet.... gee..!

Rus caught the scent of food walking around town so we changed our plans about a "home cooked " meal here.   They had a huge white tent that served up steaks or bar-be-que chicken.  That was dinner!  After dinner we went to the Ranger Station for a talk on Moose and Squirrels.  I went in to be sure of time and location and did a double take when I saw the ranger... same guy we had last night in Denali!!!  This time we really did have a small intimate group of about eight.  They were beautiful slides all made in Denali.  I've decided my next trip needs to be in August with the fall colors!!