Single coolest thing I have ever done
This entry was posted on 7/2/2006 7:50 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
..is flying hundreds of feet over the ice ridges
and valleys of the Brooks range in a De Haviland 7 seater, clouds
situated perfectly to offer a sense of speed and depth, Mt. Mckinley
standing over the entire time. It was like in a dream, flying amazingly
close to rock outcroppings and peaks and hanging glaciers and ice
falls. The broken surface of the glaciers below tinged with the most
perfect blue. Completely, and utterly unbelievable.
Talkeetna is the jump off point for several flightseeing tours. For
$300 bucks, from Talkeetna Air Taxi, you get 2 hours in the mountians
including a 30 minute, get this, glacier landing. I arrived here late
yesterday afternoon and have been biding time until the weather and
seat became attractive.
Yesterday I headed north from Homer, pausing in Anchorage at the
Moose's Tooth brewery and pizzeria. After bottoming-up a couple
porters, a stout, and a 10.8% dark (and waiting in the car for an hour
or so) I exited the city. Anchorage had the potential, at least in my
mind, to be a "cool" city, something along the lines of Fort Collins,
CO or something. But it's not.. being closer to Hartford than anything
in Colorado. Except for losing the only FM stations I've had in a week,
I was glad to get moving.
My next and only interim stop was at the Iditarod Headquarters. Here,
the Reddington family (of whom the patriach founded the race) has a
small musuem with information about the race and the dogs. A few
minutes spent there, and the realy appeal was off yipping 50 yards
away. For 10 bucks you can get a 30 second wheeled sled ride. While a
sled ride didn't really do it for me, spending 45 minutes playing with
each and every dog on the team did. Maybe for a second career I'll move
up here and raise a team of dogs.
Tomorrow I'll move further up north and head out into the backcountry
of Denali. I've got a route planned that will take me along Kesugi
Ridge, and should be out 2-3 days. If the weather holds, I should have
excellent views of the mountain. Until the next time I can get wireless
access..
