Wrangell-St.Elias

This National Park is as big as the country of Switzerland ( and with bigger peaks—a glacier the size of Rhode Island. It includes two mountain ranges, one the size of the state of Connecticut. We got a hot tip from the Visitor Center Ranger about where to walk on a Glacier.  It was down the 21 mile gravel road. We were inspired by the white tipped mountains in every direction—all600-8000 ft. We were pleased that, compared to where we were in Canada, there were only tiny hoards of tiny mosquitoes here and they were too feeble to weather the wind. So we had a nice camp at Park wayside (one site with a picnic bench and pit toilet.FREE. And then in the morning when it was even clearer, we spotted the 12,000 foot peaks of Mt Drum snd Mt Wrangell — they just continued for our 4 hour drive down the 60 mile dirt road the next day. This was an optional side trip. I told Judd I was about done with gravel and the potential for more flats out on roads less travelled and with even less cell service. But this road terminated where we could walk on a Glacier so I say “fine” on that wifely way that means I’m not very excited about it. Judd admits it was the worst washboard of a road he’s ever seen. The posted limit is 35 mph but we barely got to 10 mph on some good spots. Most of it was 5 mph and expletives. I even suspended our audio book because it was too hard to hear.

Again, with only one campsite at the terminus, I start to worry whether there will be availability. I get a dit hangry when we’re still driving at 6pm and still have to make camp and cook dinner.  We arrived at “Base Camp” and were dumbstruck again by the view—Alps-like in the still bright sunset sunlight. An outhouse with a view! Plenty of availability. The
Nabesna Road off the McCarthy Road deadends at the Copper River. In the morning we journeyed on over the foot bridge where a shuttle ( pricey! Must be a short tourist season) will take you 2miles south to the town of McCarthy or 5miles north to the National Historic site of Kennicott—a behemoth ghosted copper mine camp. We’re both celebrating a bit of retirement arthritis in various body parts and, despite each of our Physical Therapy exercise-band regimes, it required some vitamin I (ibuprofen) and 4 walking sticks to get us through the self guided tour and onto the 2mile trek to Root Glacier.

Engineer Judd was in old-machine-heaven again. The fact that someone designed, planned, carried out the calculations ( no calculator or computer)to get a railroad up this remotely to haul all manner of machines and amenities to house 60 workers through the Alaskan winter just to mine some shiny rocks called copper. In 1911. And then it was all abandoned by 1938. We saw the wooden trestle and vestiges of the old railway. We just kept shaking our heads.

But my favorite day of the trip to date was getting to the Glacier. We passed bizarre hills of black and brown all along the valley and wondered if they were some man made debris as a result of the mining. Nearer the obvious white of the confluence of the Kennicott and Root Glacier we finally figured out that the black and brown was the moraine on top of the Glacier.(..rocks and dirt scraped off the mountains by the ice sliding down the valley.)  We’d heard noises out on the piles and wondered what kind of animal would be out there. It turned out not to be animals but when the melting ice caused crevices to open and the dirt and rock would fall in little mini avalanches. I was glad it was below us. I haven’t scheduled time to worry about getting crashed by an avalanche yet.

A few groups and couples had hiked passed us and were putting on their crampons when we hit the end of the trail. We did not bring our yak-Trax. Judd braves his way right up the hill in his hiking boots. He assured me it was like walking on my sanded icy driveway in Maine. I assured him that I never liked walking on my sanded icy driveway. I got a tiny bit up on the dirty ice. I got my picture on s Glacier. Judd hiked a bit further. He wanted to stand barefoot on a Glacier. He did. I don’t know what I see in this man.

We decided to drive 2/3s of the horrible washboard road that evening. We boondocked at a Park rest stop—a brand new pit latrine, a picnic bench and a hot shower. Yep—Judd turned on the hot water heater and hooked up the outdoor hose. We did worry a little that ANYone using the road could stop to use the latrine but at 8pm we weren’t that worried.
It was a very good day.

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