Return to Alaska

 I am returning soon to Alaska...both literally and figuratively speaking.

Literally, because I just booked our tickets to Anchorage with my fingers crossed that it won't get postponed (again) because of COVID. Really looking forward to a visit with family there and also family in Seattle. It will be wonderful to see these folks and also to enjoy the beauty of the Great North. Since we have family there, we have been several times, but I am always excited about the prospect of exploring something new. This trip we hope to see some new sights in Anchorage and an extra trip to Seward. 

Figurately speaking, I am returning to the topic of Alaska with respect to my blog and my book.  So many changes took place in the last year in my little corner of the blogging world. I eliminated my "travel" blog for many reasons that I won't extrapolate on here...so I am now down to just one blog: Outlooks and Inspirations. It occurred to me that many of my interesting travel features were not shared on this particular blog; so I thought I would like to share some of my favorites here. Also, my National Park book is in the process of revision and publication with a new publisher.  Frankly I am very excited about that, more on that later. 

The following article about Alaska is one of my favorites about this beautiful state.  It is from my book about the National Park Service and is focused on the National Parks: "The Alaska Parks".  I purposely omitted several photographs...you will just need to purchase my book for the additional photos! (...shameless plug...I am my only marketing manager, remember?)

I have another blog post about the city of Seward, which we plan on returning to also.  I will publish that as a separate post.

The Alaska Parks

Alaska beckons. The mountains are calling. The pines whisper and the frozen tundra holds curiosities beneath.  The unique lands showcased in the parks there demonstrate its reputation as The Last Frontier.  Alaska is a youthful state, gaining statehood in 1959, but the marvels of this land are timeless.  There are 8 National Parks and 16 National wildlife refuges in the state of Alaska making it the leading state in the volume of protected lands.

Horseshoe Lake at Denali National Park

Like much of the state, Alaska’s parks and lands live up to their reputation as being the “Last Frontier”.  The breathtaking beauty of the forested lands, the snowcapped peaks and the diversity of wildlife is showcased in the parks. Yet, because of the ruggedness of the land, some of the places are very hard to get to and are not frequently visited. That could be good or bad depending on your perspective.  Out of the eight National Parks in Alaska, I have visited three of them; as it turns out the three that are the most accessible.

Probably the easiest to access and one of Alaska’s most popular attractions is Denali National Park.

Denali is  Alaska’s most well-known national park and is actually more readily accessible than some of the other remote parks.  Denali averages over  400,000 visitors annually. The flag ship feature of the park is the 20,320 feet high mountain peak known for thousands of years by the Athabascans as Denali, or “The High One”.

So What’s in a Name?  The park we know today as Denali National Park was founded in 1917 by Woodrow Wilson as Mount McKinley National Park. The name of the Park has been a controversy since its inception.  There are certain ironies that one can’t help but ponder on. First, the name McKinley was taken from our 25th President William McKinley. McKinley himself had never traveled to Alaska.  Perhaps he would have gone to see the majestic mountain and park, but sadly he was assassinated in September of 1901. Charles Sheldon, a naturalist and conservationist, advocated from the start the name of Denali for both the park and the mountain. The locals called it Denali, and the debate continued for decades. Finally in 1980, many continued to favor the name Denali after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act changed the park’s name to Denali National Park and Preserve. But the official name of the mountain remained Mount McKinley.  Then just prior to the National Park Service centennial year in 2016, the mountain was reverted to the name Denali. While visiting Alaska in September of 2015, President Barack Obama announced the official name change of the mountain.

Keeping the “wild” in Alaskan wilderness.  The vastness and diverse ecosystems of the park are beautifully preserved and presented to visitors by virtue of how the park is operated and maintained.  Unlike other National Parks, access into the park is restricted and controlled by only one road, 90 miles long into the park.  Personal vehicles are not allowed beyond the 15 mile mark on the park road; only the shuttle buses taking visitors back and forth from several destinations. This may seem odd at first, but when you take a bus trip into the park it helps you to understand  how this system helps to minimize car travel and reduce the carbon footprint on this wilderness. Riders are free to get on and off the bus as they please.  Another distinct advantage is that you are much more likely to view an abundance of wildlife.  The animals have become accustomed to the big tan buses along the road and are more likely to view them as just a part of the landscape. When we went, we observed, from the safety of the bus, a mama Grizzly helping her two cubs to hunt a ground squirrel. That was an experience I will never forget.

In addition to the park road, the trails allow foot traffic within the park for both the casual hiker and the seasoned veteran. Some of the more seasoned hikers are encouraged to “make their own trail”, but for the casual hikers there are several trails starting closer to the Visitors Center.  An easy hike, 1.5 miles, to the beautiful plateau above Horseshoe Lake provides ample opportunities for stunning photographs. 

Wildlife thrives in the vastness of the park and the “Big Five” have been designated as:  grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou and Dall sheep.  It may be a personal goal to view all five, but don’t be too disappointed if you don’t view them all. You can always pick up a coffee mug or t-shirt with all of them on it; sounds a bit touristy but a great way to remember your visit.

My family and I saw a grizzly and her cubs from quite a distance and also a mother moose and her cubs, but sometimes it’s very cool to also capture them on a souvenir. Not quite the same as seeing them in real life, but it’s so neat to bring back the memories of your trip and be able to say you’ve been to Denali. Wolves and grizzlies are not as easily seen, but the abundance of Moose in the park makes it almost a sure bet you will see them at some point. Depending on the year, the moose population within the park fluctuates of course, but the National Park Service estimates about 1,800 Moose at Denali.  That’s alot of Moose!  Just FYI, the plural of Moose is Moose…good to know.

 “Mush, Doggies! Mush!” You can’t get up close and personal with a grizzly, but at Denali you can get close and cuddly with the sled dogs.  In the winter months, the best way to get around from here to there within the park is still by sled dog team.  One of the must see attractions at Denali is the sled dog demos and a visit to the kennels.   Even if you are visiting in the summer, they have to keep the dog’s training going year round, so they add small wheels to the sleds to run them on all terrains.  During the summer tourist season, they have 3 daily dog sled demonstrations.  The Park Service runs several shuttles to the kennels.  When I was there I was amazed to find out the importance of the use of dog sleds within the park and also within the state of Alaska.  The most famous, well -known sled dog race, the Iditarod, has a colorful and intriguing history.  Portions of the Iditarod trail were used as early as the 1880’s, However the most famous event in the history of Alaskan mushing  is the 1925 serum run to Nome; also known as the “Great Race of Mercy.” A large diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome. The only way to get the antitoxin to Nome was by sled dog, due to unusable planes and ships in the worst of winter.  So on January 27, the port at Seward had received the serum where it was passed to the first of twenty mushers and more than 100 dogs who relayed the package 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. The dogs ran in relays, with no dog running over 100 miles. Wow, I hear that story and am amazed of the courage and tenacity of those mushers and their dogs. No wonder it has become an inspiring tale; both for those that participate in the Iditarod and those that watch on the sidelines.  All an amazing part of the Alaska experience.

Another very accessible Alaska  park , via Seward, is Kenai Fjords National Park . It covers about 950 square miles and showcases some of the iconic features of Alaska including glaciers, marine life and coastal scenery. 

A large majority of the Park is either in the waterways or frozen icefields, so one of the best ways to get an overview of the park is via a tour boat from Seward into Resurrection Bay and parts of the Gulf of Alaska.  There are several tours available from the starting point of Seward for both wildlife viewing and fishing excursions. We went on an afternoon cruise with Major Marine Tours.  Getting out on the water gives you a great overview of one of the crowning features of the Park: the Harding Icefield.  It is 70 miles long and 30 miles wide and creates all the glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park.  It is incredible to see-and hear- the glaciers “calve” icebergs into the bay by releasing massive chunks of ice into the water.

Additionally, on the boat tour, we were able to see numerous examples of Alaska marine life.  We saw Stellar Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and an abundance of Puffins and Kittiwakes.  Puffins were always my favorite. They look so cute and pudgy and seemingly awkward, but they are fast flyers and divers with excellent fishing skills.

 Another aspect of our tour at Kenaj Fjords was my first introduction to the concept of the “Land of the Midnight Sun”.   Since we were there in August, the long days and short, short nights were very evident. At the end of the tour we came back to the harbor, pulling up to the dock and the sun was still  high on the horizon.  It felt like about 6 or 7 pm, but it was 10 pm. So odd. Now I know why residents of Alaska purchase “black out” curtains to get a good night sleep.  Yet, as a tourist it’s great because you  can fill so many things in one day and you don’t run out of daylight.

The only road in the Park, ends at the Exit Glacier parking lot. From there you can take an easy hike to view the glacier face. It is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska and terrific to view, but sadly is also a very visible indicator of glacial recession due to climate change.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 

Another impressive Park that holds such beauty but is somewhat more challenging to journey to is Wrangell- St. Elias  National Park and Preserve. It is  on the eastern side of the state about 250 miles from Anchorage.

Wrangell- St. Elias is a vast national park that holds the title of the largest of our national parks at 13.2 million acres.  To provide some perspective, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! The combined mountain ranges in the park: Wrangell and St. Elias contain 9 of the 16 highest mountain peaks in the U.S.

Also within the Park reside the remnants of the historic Kennecott Mine and a very interesting visitor’s center explaining what life was like in the glory days of copper mining.  It’s a fascinating place to visit because it is a demonstration of the tenacity and ingenuity of the human spirit. When traveling the McCarthy Road to get to the mine, you feel as if you are already on an adventure, and you sometimes have to reach into your own resolve when seeking this destination.

The McCarthy Road is 60 miles long and is a long gravel road. Here is a photo showing where the nice smooth pavement ends and the gravel road & imposing cliffs begin. It is intimidating when all the travel literature warns NOT to take rental cars on this road and other warnings for the faint of heart. It was a rough ride with several portions of the road demonstrating the “wash-board” effect, a series of tight ridges.  I give my sister-in-law, Christy, so much credit: she drove both in and out on this challenging stretch of road.  We took her mini-van, which worked well and we took it slowly.  That is the key to surviving on this road without a flat tire or worse damage to your vehicle.  It is only 60 miles, but plan for about 3 hours. It is well worth the trip if you take your time. You can see so much more when you are traveling at 30 mph as opposed to 65.

Be sure to catch all the scenery and wildlife along the way and the views are spectacular. This is the Kuskalana Bridge, built in 1910, it spans 525 feet and sits at a height 238 feet above the river. An incredible building accomplishment and yes we drove across it. Having a little bit of a fear of heights (don’t we all to some extent) I had to hold my breath and somehow muster up the courage to take in the view.  Be courageous and take in the view, it’s worth it. 

So travelling along the rustic McCarthy Road, you eventually meet your destination: the McCarthy/Kennecott settlement and the Kennecott Mine.  Nestled in the snow capped mountains of the Wrangell-St. Elias range, the Copper Mine was closed in 1938. It stands silent watch above the valley and the steep drop offs that are common to the area.

When visiting the abandoned mine, the sheer majesty of its size gives you a whole new appreciation for the people who lived and worked here. The structure of the main mill has such an ominous presence that even if it is not haunted it still has an alarming presence that truly is awe-inspiring. The building of the mine itself, and the surrounding buildings supporting the workers, initially seemed to be insurmountable tasks. To bring buildings materials in through the rugged mountain passes, the first priority was to build a railroad. In addition to helping construct the new city and mine, the copper ore was transported via railroad south to Cordova. When visiting Kennecott, I walked along the original rails that line up with the chutes, where the rock crusher spit out processed rock and ore that was further refined.

Remnants of the tools that were used in the labor intensive process of mining are found strewn about the area. Here my son Dan surveys the rugged Wrangell Mountains while standing by an ancient rock crusher, circa early 1930’s. Also remnants of the life that was left behind after the mine closed are still visible and one gets a strange sensation that memories and spirits of the past still are present here.  It seems to have had more recent activity in the mine than the footsteps of tourists and it is hard to believe it closed more than 75 years ago.  Nevertheless, as one of those tourists, I found it a fascinating historical place to visit and taking in the natural beauty of the park was an inherent bonus.

The National Park Service acquired the mine in 1998 and the lands of the historic mining town of Kennecott.  The mine has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  On the Wrangell-St. Elias website: www.nps.gov/wrst life working in the mine is described: “Kennecott was a place of long hours and hard, dangerous work.  At the height of operation about six hundred men worked in the mines and mill town. Paying salaries higher than those found in the lower-48, Kennecott was able to attract men willing to live and work in this remote Alaskan mining camp…..Despite the dangers and grueling work, the Kennecott workers mined and concentrated at least $200 million worth of ore.”
The mine successfully ran for over 30 years, but was closed due to declining copper deposits and the high cost of railway maintenance.

 It would be quite a challenge to see all eight of Alaska’s parks, yet even taking the opportunity to visit a few definitely gives you an appreciation for this most beautiful land. Alaska is full of breathtaking vistas, welcoming people and places that create memorable trips of a lifetime.