June 9

Headed out of Anchorage at 7 AM, for the two hour drive to Talkeetna. This is a jumping off place for many people to experience Denali National Park via air, including landing on glaciers. Very few people go to Denali National Preserve. There are two Preserve sections of the park. Since I have to experience all 424 NPS units, we were headed to the southern Preserve section. This would be the West Fork Yentna River. Chris, a pilot for Sheldon Air Services, loaded us on a de Havilland Beaver, and off we went. This specific plane was much newer than the Branch River Beaver, which was 1940’s vintage. De Haviland built the Beaver from 1947 to 1967. It is one of the three work horses for Alaska bush flying (along with the Cessna 205/206 and the de Haviland Otters). If you ever want to get into the Preserve portion, go up the Yentna River. What a sight! Hemingway I am not, so it is hard for me to write in words. Countless waterfalls coming off the high peaks along the Yentna River.  On the return, Chris took us higher in elevation into the Park portion, and that was even more magnificent. Snow was all over the mountain tops, and the glaciers looked long and foreboding. All the experts we have talked to in the last week say this past winter dumped more snow than the land can handle, at least for early June. Only a few days ago four feet of new snow fell in the upper reaches of the Park and Preserve. And next week’s flight to Gates of the Arctic is in jeopardy because sand bars in the rivers which should be clear still have snow. Anyway, that is next week.

Chris tried to land us on Ruth Glacier in the Park, but communications from other pilots in the region said the snow was too sticky. As with any adventure in Alaska, the number one priority is safety, so we headed back to the Talkeetna airfield.

While in Talkeetna we had viewed Denali Mountain from afar, and I mean AFAR. But, it was easy to see the mountain was covered in snow, and the peak was hidden by clouds. The flight up to Ruth Glacier confirmed the Cloud Gods were not going to let the summit show its glory today.

Talkeetna is reached via the Parks Highway, AK 3. This small, quaint village is wonderful. Small shops and restaurants dot the few streets. There were plenty of visitors during lunch time because the Alaska Railroad had made its daily stop on the edge of town, to disgorge its contents of tourists. The airfield is the hub of business.

The night’s lodging was at Denali Park Hotel. This property was owned by the National Park Service around 50 years ago. You can see signage in the park buildings and at the hotel about its history. Yes, the insides of the rooms were from the 1950s and 1960s, but they were pleasant. Three Alaska Railroad cars which were used to ferry WW2 troops in Alaska are on the property. In addition to the owners, the other primary resident is a large moose cow. Humberto and Gerard had woken up at midnight to get an “Alaska photo at midnight” and walked into the moose and her two new calves. I was aware of this treat when I was researching options around the park, but I have to admit the main reason I selected this establishment is the rate is about half that of the big properties right at the entrance to the park (aka Princess Lodge of Princess Cruise Line… and others). It is in Healy, just a ten-minute drive back to the park entrance (be sure to get any food you need at the stores near the park entrance before going to this hotel).

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June 6, 7, and 8