So much for the comment on our Canada post about working diligently to catch up with our blog posting...But to alleviate the pain of making you read a really LONG post that would catch you up on all that we have done since that day way back when, we'll post something for each Alaskan park we visited.
To start off… We are back in the USA! Yay Alaska! I did get yelled at at the border for having my camera out. Apparently, that is a No-No (Oops). But, we made it and were making our way to our first Alaska destination: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and enroute were greeted by a bubble blowing moose that was hanging out in a marshy lake by the side of the road.
Wrangell-St. Elias is America's largest National Park. It's the same size as Yellowstone, Yosemite, AND Switzerland… COMBINED! Yet, even with its size, there are only 2 short (in comparison to it's size) roads in which to access its interior: Nabesna Road (42-mile gravel/dirt road) and McCarthy Road (60-mile dusty and very washboardy gravel like road that follows an old railway route) and we were determined to explore them both.
We began with Nabesna Road, and stopped at the Ranger Station to get some information about conditions, what to do, and expect. After the usual questions from the ranger about if we had the right kind of vehicle that could tackle the terrain of the "roads", if we were prepared with the right kind of gear (bear canisters, etc), and what type of tourists we were, we got some nice suggestions of day hikes and were even given a complimentary CD that would take us on an audio tour as we drove the Nabesna Road.
In all seriousness, the CD was kinda cool and very informative about the area (this might be the audiobook side of me talking, but I like listening to these things now!)… but you did you have to pause A LOT between tracks because the going along the road was not speedy (more of the obstacles the road had to offer later).
The Nabesna Road was originally built in order to access the Nabesna Mine and simplify ore transportation to the coast, and the claim to that mine is still privately owned and active. We drove the length of the public accessible road and parked at the end to hike out an abandoned mine: Rambler Mine. It was creepy and cool at the same time, while offering wonderful views of the valley below.
Wrangell-St. Elias does not charge an entrance fee, nor do they have many designated campsites, so that night we just pulled off Nabesna Road and camped at one of the rest stops along a river with a German family. In the morning, we got up to hike the Skookum Volcano Trail, a 2.5 mile one way hike (with 2.000 ft of elevation gain) that follows an alluvial fan of black spruce and cottonwood before emerging into an exposed creek bed that leads up to a beautiful high mountain pass.
But, of course with Karl, once we got to the pass we couldn't just stop there… We climbed even higher, following a ridge and got some pristine alone time on top of a mountain overlooking some gorgeous valleys. It was spectacular. Then, instead of following the same route down (and the advantage of being in Alaska where bushwhacking in National Parks is common practice) we meandered our way back down the ridge through some wonderful alpine meadows, identifying berries and checking out flowers and mushrooms along the way. Karl at one point, in his giddiness, was twirling around on a meadow knoll, just like a scene from the sound of music.
Driving south and another night of camping out of the car on the side of an Alaska road, we find ourselves along the second and longer road, McCarthy. Taking a direct quote from the National Park's newsletter: "The 60-mile McCarthy Road winds deep into the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias, once the gateway to tremendous fortunes, it is now your gateway to spectacular scenery, vast wilderness, and adventure." The road was certainly an adventure in itself as it follows the original path the railroads took and in some places, remnants of the old railroad ties surface along the gravel path (with the occasional railroad pile and all). The ruts and washboarded surfaces made for a very bumpy and interesting ride to say the least. After the nearly 60 miles of teeth chattering driving, you reach the end of the road at the Kennecott River. Even the views from the parking at the end of the road made the ride worth it as the Root Glacier was just in sight.
But, a 2 hour + drive can't end with just a pretty view... There is a footbridge that crosses the churning river and you walk a 1/2 mile to the small community of McCarthy. We walked around this tiny place, visited the museum, and then caught a shuttle that would take us the next 5 miles up to the historic Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark and village.
Once you step off the shuttle and onto the dirty road that leads into this hidden place, it is as if you stepped back in time. The Visitor Center showed a movie on the history of the mining village, the richness of the copper found here, and put into perspective how living up here would require hardiness. One can pay for a guided tour through the old mines and factories, or you could explore the publicly accessible buildings they have managed to restore on your own. We went with the self-guided option and hiked around the buildings and up the hills around the mine. Karl described it perfectly as looking like a level from Tomb Raider.
Sunshine fought its way through the cloudy overcast skies, making the lighting awesome for cool shots of ruined buildings. As we were wandering along, we met some local maintenance workers who live in the area year round. One of the gentleman, Mark, decked out in his tie-dyed shirt, curly hair and beard, and welcoming smile was super friendly. He told us all about living in Alaska, and what they are working in the area, what adventures he wants to go on next, and I guess he liked us well enough because he got us into one of the old locked buildings and let me look around and take pictures (He told me which window was his favorite to try to take pictures of and even gave us each something to take home with us). Sadly, since he was "working" we never exchanged contact info, but if it ever got back to him somehow, I would like to let him know that our half hour spent with him, might have been the highlight of the day.
The village was wonderful to explore, but the road was calling again and we were due for our train ride. So after discovering 45mph is better than 25mph on washboards, we said goodbye to the wonderful town and good riddance to the horrible road. The night was completed with a quart of ice cream for dinner and an episode of Planet Earth (don't judge).
<3 S
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