Day 25: Wrangell-St. Elias NP

Our day started with a 30 minute drive to the Chitina airport for our 9 am flight to McCarthy and Kennicott in Wrangell St Elias National Park. The 30 minute flight allowed us to tour Kennicott as a day trip. That was a lucky choice. Last night there was quite a thunderstorm, which washed out the only road to McCarthy/Kennicott. The road was closed for most of the day.

Jay LOVED the flight. While he was clicking away taking photos, I was trying to remain calm. I sat in the co-pilot’s seat. Sensing I was nervous about the flight, Mathew, our pilot, referred to me as “1st

Officer Karen”. Once I relaxed a bit, I was able to enjoy the scenery. The views of the Wrangell Mountains, the tundra, the braided Copper River, and the Kennicott and Root Glaciers down below, were nothing less than spectacular. It was a smooth flight for such a tiny plane. (Jay and I were the only passengers, but it held up to 5).

A shuttle from the airport took us to the one-street town of McCarthy. Half way thru the drive, we spotted a black bear in the brush near the road. From there, another shuttle took us four miles to the Kennecott Mill Town and Mines National Historic Landmark.

Kennecott is considered the best remaining example of early 20th century copper mining. From 1910 to 1938 nearly $200 million worth of copper was processed. At its peak, about 300 people lived in the mill town.

Rather than sign up for a guided tour or hike, we decided to explore the town and surroundings on our own. We walked through the mill town to the trailhead for Root Glacier. It was a pleasant hike through the forest at the edge of the valley where the glacier had receded.

Along the way were two beautiful mountain streams that we crossed over on wooden planks. One plank was only about 18 inches wide. We turned around after about a mile and a half just short of the glacier. On the way back, a jumbie got Jay. He tripped over a tree root and fell flat on the ground, just missing a big mud puddle. He heard a crack when he fell. At first he thought he had broken a rib, but the crack was just the sound of the branches snapping as they broke his fall. He did suffer from some bruised ribs.

We had a late lunch outside on the veranda of the Kennecott Glacier Lodge. Then it was back to the airport and return flight. The flight wasn’t quite as smooth as earlier. The views, however, were even better since the sun was out in full force.