The sunshine sure comes and goes here in Talkeetna. However, the sun was shining on Mount McKinley/Denali this morning so that Glen, Jim, and Dee could take an air taxi plane up to see it and land on a glacier. We had done that in 2010 so chose not to go this trip. While they were gone, we went to eat breakfast at the Roadhouse. It was featured in a magazine a few years ago. The breakfasts are huge. It is where the climbers eat before and after their climb to the summit of Denali to build up their strength and replenish.
We went to the visitors center and watched a film about the climbers. Only 1500 are allowed to make the assent and then must register and do some training at this facility. Less than half of them make it to the summit which is 20,310 ft. They are flown to a base camp which is 7200 ft where they begin their climb. The cost is over $7000 each. Watching the film makes you wonder how even half of them make it. The combination of altitude, cold, steep climb, and having to carry so much gear makes it seem so very difficult.
This evening, six of us took a jet boat tour. There are 3 rivers that converge in this area: the Talkeetna meaning "river of plenty" named by the Tanaina Indians, the Susitna meaning "sandy river" named by the Dena'ina Indians, and the Yentna meaning "river of little sticks". The only wildlife we saw was an Eagle. We stopped,
Click on the picture to read this better. It shows how many climbers there were this year and how many made it.
Climbers need well insulated boots yet many get frost bite
Beaver dwelling along the river tour
Holes in the bank where Cliff Swallows nest
Evelyn the moose
Evelyn the caribou
Gary showing a grizzly's claws
a river otter pelt
disembarked and did a 1/4 mi. hike to a replica of a trapper's camp. It was another of those things we had done on the last trip but enjoyed it enough to go again.
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