Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - Part II: Nugget Creek

With all this driving we've been doing, Brian and I were feeling a little stir crazy. We stopped at the Wrangell-St. Elias visitor center to get some more information about a hike that I read about in my National Geographic National Parks book. The trail was 14 miles long and brought you to a cabin on Nugget Creek that you could reserve and spend the night. Well, maybe we were feeling a little too ambitious because 14 miles is a long way to do in one day and then turn around and do it again the next. But really, it was more than worth it. 

We found the trailhead in between mile 14 and mile 15 on the McCarthy Road. Right off the bat we had to take off our hiking boots to cross a stream that surely would have soaked our toes. No one wants to walk 14 miles with soggy socks and boots. The trail was a 4-wheeler path and was well maintained. The bugs were outrageous but we had plenty of bug dope and headnets. We packed more than we needed even though we tried hard not to. Though, we do always make it a point to use everything we bring in. We spotted a couple of moose on the trail as well as several spruce grouse mamas with their chicks. We were warned about a group of hikers that were charged by an aggressive black bear but we never saw one, which was a good thing. No need to worry anyway, we were both equipped with bear spray. We discovered that our happy zone for miles hiked in a day is right around 10-12. Those last few miles were burdensome and painful. We had to cross Nugget Creek as well which was tricky but the cabin was just on the other side and it was a glorious sight.

The cabin was amazing! It was so much more than we expected it to be! The bunks had soft cushions, there was a table and chairs and a woodstove in the middle. A stack of freshly cut firewood was on the porch and everything else you could possibly need at remote log cabin in the woods. We got a fire going outside and had raviolis, avocado and grape tomatoes for supper. Oh, and red wine that we hauled in our klean kanteens. The only regret we have is not spending another night. 

The hike out was very much the same, it all went well until mile 10 or so and the aches and pains set it. But we survived and drove out the rest of McCarthy road back into Chitina. We had a beer at the famous Uncle Tom's bar and a delicious dinner at the Chitina Hotel. It was the solstice, which is a big thing in Alaska because the sun never really sets. It settles behind the mountains for a few hours before rising up again but the darkness is more like dusk or midnight sun as I like to call it. The weather was overcast so we didn't see the full moon either but we pitched the tent along my favorite place in this world, next to the Copper River, and all was right with me. 

Nice view from the outhouse!

 A mantra to live by

Nugget Creek Cabin

Pine Grosbeak

Moose on the trail!

Looks like a bear cave to me!

 The formidable and magnificent Copper River

Next Stop: Valdez, AK

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - Part I: McCarthy and Kennecott

My love affair with Alaska started back in the spring of 2009 when I landed my first job out of college as a fisheries technician for the Native Village of Eyak in Cordova. I lived and worked at a remote cabin along the Copper River tagging Chinook and sockeye salmon using fish wheels that we maintained. I fell in love with the tall fireweed, the fish, the icy water that dripped from glaciers and the lifestyle narrated by mother earth. The elements were sometimes brutal. Mosquitos swarmed by the thousands. The swift, frigid waters of the Copper could take you and swallow you up. The constant awareness that running into a bear was more likely to happen than not. But ever since, I've been enchanted by Alaska and always trying to find my way back. And I have been back, several times actually, but this is the first time I can share these wonders with the man who captured the other piece of my heart.

The first place we revisited was Glennallen. It's a small town but has all major amenities minus any kind of chain restaurant or shopping mall, another reason why Alaska is so great. 
You can buy coffee from a trailer and a gun from the grocery store or your fishing license at a sporting good place that also sells pizza, beer and firewood. We spent a night at Dry Creek campground after running some errands and a getting a few supplies. We packed for a tent trip and left the camper in town. 

From Glennallen we drove down to the tiny town of Chitina. The first thing I had to do was go down to the boat ramp, where all the dipnetters were doing their best to net a fish, and touch that beautiful, silty water of the Copper River. When working for Eyak, there were two camps set up, one at the lower end of the River called Baird, where I worked, and one on the upper part of the river named Canyon Creek. At the end of the summer, I was able to go up to Canyon Creek and help close up shop for the season. These guys were able to take the boat into town to get their own groceries and supplies but down at Baird, we had to have everything brought in to us by boat or plane. Anyway, Brian and I wandered around town for a bit and had lunch at the Chitina Hotel and then continued on our venture out the McCarthy road. It is a 60 mile dirt road that is only open in the summer and leads to the old mill town of McCarthy and the infamous Kennecott Mine. You can't quite drive all the way to McCarthy, though. There is a foot bridge to cross the river and from there you can take a shuttle into town and all the way to see the mine.

Copper was discovered at the Kennicott Glacier (I know the spelling is different, but not sure why) in 1900. By 1911 the mine was in full swing including the operation of a railroad that was built in 4 years and moved copper from the mine all the way to the town of Cordova, 196 miles. The mine was in operation for 27 years. In it's peak, around 300 people worked in the mine and another 200 or so in McCarthy. The mine closed in 1938 due to the diminishing source and the high costs of operation and railroad repairs. The NPS took over many of the historic yet dilapidated buildings in 1998 and have put in some great efforts to restore this amazing landmark. 

Brian and I marveled at the mine. The craftsmanship of the buildings and the engineering of the boilers is brilliant. How people were able to bring in such equipment and lumber is baffling. Things were built so well and so specifically for the job needed and absolutely made to last. I strongly recommend a visit to this area or to at least do some more reading about the history of the Kennecott Mine and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. It is truly fascinating. 

We had a cold beer at the local saloon in McCarthy and then camped at Glacier View campground on the other side of the footbridge. We went to sleep in our yellow tent, still in awe of the gorgeous day we had and magnificence of the mine. 

Kennicott Glacier and Swift Creek

"Rigor Mortis"

Kennecott Mine

The power plant

McCarthy

Throwbacks:

 Tom, Julius, Penny, Me, Miranda at McCarthy - 2010

We never made it to the mine, the shuttles had stopped running for the day. 

 Julius, Me, Josh, Tom and Andrew - Baird 2009

 Before "selfies" were called selfies. My very first self-portrait.

Me and Josh and a "trough-er" King salmon

Next Stop: Nugget Creek

The Drive North

Day 1: Said goodbye to Irrigon and moved the trailer all the way up to the northwest corner of Washington state. We camped at Birch Bay State Park near the Canada border crossing. We took a day to get organized, clean, get rid of things we didn't need and, of course, stock up at REI. We are so ready for this trip.

Day 2: No problems crossing the Canada border into British Columbia. Planned to drive almost straight through to Alaska with a ~500 mile goal each day. We hit some traffic around Vancouver but we did drive through the ski town of Whistler, which was cool to see. We'd love to ski there someday. To stretch the legs, we did a short hike in the area to see Nairn Falls and the pretty Green River. All of route 99 was long and windy and slow going but absolutely gorgeous scenery. The road stretched around some deep valleys and high above them. Got on 97 N and covered some good miles but called it a night when we saw a Walmart in Quesnel, BC. Most of the parking lot was filled with other weary travelers in campers. 

Day 3: Started early and picked up Route 16 W in Prince George. 97 and 16 were much smoother and faster highways than 99. We were able to cover a lot more ground today. Made it all the way to the last leg of highway, route 37, before we reach the Alaska highway. 37 was beautiful and remote and like a welcome parade, 12 black bears along the roadside came out to greet us. We also saw a moose jaunt down the road alongside us. We slept in a pull off/rest stop for the night. Though there are many Provincial Parks we'd love to visit, we are saving our time to visit BC for the fall. Right now we are trying to get the most time in Alaska.

Day 4: Woke up tired but trucked on into the Yukon border where we found the Alaska Highway. We stopped for fuel and an early lunch at a cafe called "Wolf it Down" and enjoyed their homemade soup and a bison burger. The days are noticeably longer now, which helped with our long days of driving. Brian and I both drive and mostly in shifts. I had our small cooler packed with snacks and kept our water and coffee cups filled. We also kept a blanket and pillow so the passenger/co-pilot could catch a little shut eye. I also had crosswords, coloring books and magazines to browse through and our laptop and hard drive full of movies to watch. You'd never know we didn't have kids! We rode the Alaska highway all the way to Haines Junction and stopped for a minute to check it out and get some bread from the Village Bakery we'd heard about. We cooked dinner at a pull off and then pushed on a little further until we found a place that allowed overnight camping. Fortunately it was alongside Kluane Lake, which as apart of Canada's Kluane National Park. Stunning and peaceful. We went for a short walk and did some evening yoga by the lakeside and then hit the pillow hard.

Day 5: Today is the day! The Alaska highway is riddled with frost heaves, big ones. But we made it and crossed back into the good ole U.S. of A. and the Last Frontier with no issues at the border. It was still a ways to our destination for the day but we arrived in Tok in the afternoon. Once we secured the campsite for the night we went over to Fast Eddy's for a late lunch and a cold Alaskan beer (Pilot Series - Blackberry Wheat, so yummy!). We also bought our fishing licenses and bear spray, groceries and a frisbee for fun. We're only staying the night. No rest for the wicked, we're pushing on tomorrow. 

 Vancouver, BC

Mmm..pancakes with Pam's homemade strawberry sauce and maple syrup

 Nairn Falls - Whistler, BC

 Black bear

 Moose!

 Kluane Lake

 Coyotes

 Welcome to ALASKA, the 49th state!

 Mt. Sanford - Wrangell St. Elias

Great Horned Owl

Next Stop: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park