August 18 – Weather Be Damned
Morning weather report… exactly the same…
One of Jenny’s requests for our trip to Alaska was to get remote – easily done in Alaska if you are happy to hop in a bush plane; not so easily done if you avoid them like the plague. So, since we all know I fall into the latter category I got us remote on our trip to McCarthy. On the two hour ride in we passed only a few other cars. So the best way to experience the remoteness was to get out and experience being here.
After coffee and cereal we hustled out to meet our guide for the day’s adventure. Today we would be doing a 1/2 day tandem kayak with St Elias Guides, on a glacial lake fed by the Kennicott Glacier. We drove the last three miles to the end of the road where we parked and walked across the footbridge, the only real way for tourists to get into town. Years ago you had to pull yourself across in a handcart but the bridge is certainly a bit better!
Our guide Clint got us outfitted in a neoprene layer, over which we could use our own expedition clothing. Billy had forgotten to bring his rain pants but Jenny and I had ours. He also gave us rubber boots and gloves to wear- none of which were remotely warm!
We did a small hike up to the lake where there were two inflatable tandem kayaks waiting. We warned Clint about Jenny’s canoeing history at 2 for 2 with flipping; he said there are four rules for kayaking, rules 1,2 and 4 are – don’t flip the canoe. Rule 3 is have fun. I told him we are rule followers and as such Jenny had every intention to not flip the kayak. I then volunteered to tandem with him!
The kayaks were a bit tricky to maneuver as they tend to want to go in circles. Jenny and Billy did a great job with theirs, considering it was a new experience. We crossed the lake, steering clear of where it empties to become the raging Kennicott River and kayaked along the terminal moraine of Kennicott Glacier. The glacier starts on top of Alaska’s 5th highest mountain peak, Mount Blackburn, some 16,390 feet up, and has its terminus just about at the town of McCarthy.
As we kayaked along, debris was falling down along the ice and into the lake. As we looked 60’ up the glacial wall, we hoped the monstrous glacial erratics didn’t come loose and tumble down – those would certainly create a small tsunami! We have seen glaciers before in Patagonia and watched the ice valve but we had never seen the process of glaciation at work. The crazy thing is we were really kayaking on the glacier as the melt waters filled in a low spot on the terminal moraine, creating a lake, so the glacier was under us. It was so cool;
The whole experience was otherworldly but it was quite cold and somehow, Billy was drenched in his boots and under his borrowed rain pants – a not too comfortable situation. So, we called it quits a bit early and headed for lunch at Potato, one of only a few places to get food in McCarthy.
The place was great, with a huge beer selection and amazing food. We really enjoyed this local filled joint as we tried to dry out. McCarthy has a year round population of 28 people (and I thought Greer was small); but it swells to a few hundred in the summer. We chatted with a girl who had just graduated from William & Mary and came to live in and work in McCarthy for summer – her first time in Alaska. It is a really neat place – lots of history, a totally chill vibe, majestic scenery, and a real sense of community. Both Jenny and I said we could easily do it for a summer; Billy said, “No way.”
After lunch, we walked around town, taking photos and loving all the character there is here. The rain stopped briefly and for a split second, we could see our shadows. We stopped into the historical museum and marveled at the hardy pioneers and how they managed to survive out here.
The running theme of our trip seems to be…”just imagine what it would look like with blue skies…” Today was certainly one of those days but thankfully the weather didn’t completely wreck it-the drizzly, foggy, chilly weather actually added to the mystique of it all!
Following a bit of exploring, hot showers and dry clothes sounded appealing. We drove back to the cabin and hung out for a bit. Jenny wanted to go back to town to the saloon and listen to the live music that was posted on flyers in town and was on the calendar for this evening. We obliged her and forwent our planned dinner in to check out something local.
On our drive back in, I spotted a creature running across the road. It took me a few seconds but I realized it was a lynx! Such a cool spy – they look like they have a cat’s head on a small bear’s body.
Seeing as it is a small town, the crowd was minimal but the guy was good. Dinner was acceptable but we were able to sit outside, the beer was cold and the company (for Billy especially) was good – so that made up for it
A few correction points: Wrangell St Elias National Park is also a Preserve and it is over 13,000,000 acres. There is one other road access point all the way in the north
Wandering Amerrickans 