Click on any image for a larger view
 |
| Kennecott |
Valdez
Our six hour ferry ride to Valdez is the first of four in Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway parking lot is full of people and vehicles waiting to board the ship. There are 9 different lanes of different size vehicles.
The workers look at each
vehicle estimating its length, selecting, then sending each ‘puzzle piece’ into
the ship filling in the vehicle ‘jigsaw puzzle’. We watch as selections are made; we are one
of the later ones to board. We are looking
forward to see what the puzzle looks like as we drive into the ship. Fold in the mirrors; they take up space. We have to remember where we park; there are
4 – 5 lanes full of vehicles parked nose to tail with just enough room to walk
between. How the vehicles are emptied at
our destination we are not sure; they know what they are doing, we hope.
Our six hour ferry ride to Valdez is the first of four in Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway parking lot is full of people and vehicles waiting to board the ship. There are 9 different lanes of different size vehicles.
The workers look at each
vehicle estimating its length, selecting, then sending each ‘puzzle piece’ into
the ship filling in the vehicle ‘jigsaw puzzle’. We watch as selections are made; we are one
of the later ones to board. We are looking
forward to see what the puzzle looks like as we drive into the ship. Fold in the mirrors; they take up space. We have to remember where we park; there are
4 – 5 lanes full of vehicles parked nose to tail with just enough room to walk
between. How the vehicles are emptied at
our destination we are not sure; they know what they are doing, we hope.
Because this is our first trip we don’t know the proper
order of doing things. First order of
business is to find a comfortable chair, with a view, then claim it. We strike out on all three… We sit in the cafeteria a while visiting
fellow travelers. Finally our patience
pays off when people vacate their chairs for spots on the open deck. We are surrounded by the mountains forming
the channel leading out of Whittier.
They are shrouded in smoke, only outlines of the distant mountains are
seen, the same we had seen clearly a few days before.
Entering Prince William Sound we start seeing dozens of
commercial fishing boats. We had read
about the different fishing techniques at one of the previous museums; we
recognize them but we are not able to come up with the names.
Approaching Valdez we pass the channel leading to the Columbia
Glacier. We are not able to see it, but
see many Growlers and Bergy Bits floating out into the main channel
leading to Valdez. Icebergs are
classified by size: Growlers are up to 3’ above the water line and are less
than 16’ in length, Bergy Bits are from 3’ to 16’ high by 16 – 50’ long, Small
Bergs are 16 – 50’ high by 50’ – 200’ long.
They do have classifications for larger ones but we didn’t see anything
that large. The wildfire haze remains
our entire ride to Valdez. We are not able
to outrun it as we have the past few places we have visited. |
| Valdez storage tanks |
Once docked, disembarking went very smooth. We find our hotel then on to Anadyer
Adventures to register for tomorrow’s kayaking trip.
Aiden is our Anadyer Adventures kayaking guide to Sawmill
Cove. We get a 20 minute training on
paddling, equipment and getting in/out of the kayak, much like our previous
trip but covered slightly different. It
is amazing how different instructors relay the same information, both ways work
this one a bit better.
 |
| Sawmill Cove |
Aiden directs us towards a few of the streams feeding
Sawmill Cove, sockeye salmon are running.
The water is smooth, we see a tangle of salmon slowly making their way
upstream when all of a sudden the water comes alive with salmon rushing
somewhere. Sometimes upstream, sometimes
downstream, you can’t help but notice the activity. Continuing in our kayaks we see more and more
of them flailing along the surface of the water. We even feel them hitting the sides of the kayak
in their mad dash.
We take a break enjoying some tea, a snack and finding out
about each of our group. There are only
three of us plus Aiden. Max is from
Germany with some of his family. He is
the adventurous one, he likes the hiking, kayaking and any other type of
outdoor activity. Aiden has been guiding
for five years and enjoys it. You can
tell; he knows a lot about what’s going on in Alaska, how it affects fishing,
and tourism in general. He loves to teach using hands on; getting
people out to do, not just listen, in a classroom. Nicida and I round out our group of four.
After paddling around the cove a bit more we disembark for a hike up to a small lake. The going
is more challenging than normal given the fact we are hiking in large, heavy,
calf high, rubber boots. The climb
involves dodging devils club; the plant armored with a multitude of thorns on
its stalk. In spots there is water
pooling on surface of the mud. It is
waiting for the unsuspecting person to step into it keeping your boot leaving
you perched on foot with the other, stocking foot dangling in the air. It didn’t get any of us but I did hear the
sucking sound of the mud trying to pull off one of my boots. Aiden starts shouting ‘Hey bear” clearing our
path to the lake. The lake and small
streams feeding it are all down about 6” from their normal levels. Aiden says they have not seen rain for weeks;
a record for them.
On our return to Valdez we stop to see a group of Stellar
Sea Lions sunning themselves on a small rock outcropping. I recommend taking a kayaking trip with
Anadyer. |
| Salmon |
 |
| Valdez Glacier |
The Valdez museum displays large events involving Valdez itself; the start of the Klondike gold rush. Many of the Klondikers started at Valdez making their way into Canada or the interior of Alaska depending on the latest rumor of gold. Valdez was also close to the epicenter of the disastrous 1964 Good Friday earthquake. It is also related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurring on Good Friday 1989.
The small boat port buzzes with happy people back from a successful day of fishing. One group of six guys set up an assembly line to fillet, clean, cut to size, vacuum pack and load into a cooler their day’s catch. I think of Henry Ford’s assembly line where everyone has a single job to do efficiently completing their task.
It has been hazy our entire time in Valdez. We follow the Richardson highway out of town
through the Thompson pass overlooking the valley we just drove. It is a gorgeous, the first clear view we
have seen.
 |
| Thompson Pass |
We get stopped at one of the several road construction areas on our way to Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Striking up a conversation with the woman controlling the road using her ‘Stop’ sign we find out the life of a flag person on a road construction crew. She’s 21, works at least 16 hours a day, works as long as this project is active then has to find another job or if it’s the end of the season – takes off for her chosen destination returning next year. There are no benefits, she gets paid $59/hour. She may decide to make this her career; taking less pay but will get benefits and some type of job security. 21 year old’s don’t usually think that far ahead. Working conditions were nice today, warm, sunny, no wind. I don’t think I would want to be out here a month from now.
Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve
 |
| Ice hockey rink on summer vacation |
 |
| Kuskulana River |
The gravel road itself is quite good. There is minimal wash boarding. The paved portion is worse with potholes showing
up at random intervals so one has to be ready for them at all times. The road is dusty; regular rains have not
fallen on this part of Alaska either. We
drive through a brief storm wetting down the road just enough to eliminate the
dust, but 10 miles later it reappears.
 |
| Kuskulana bridge |
 |
| Kuskulana River |
We walk the one mile to McCarthy seeing offices for guides,
hotels and restaurants. There are a fair
number of abandoned homes, with an equal number showing ‘for sale’ signs.
Today we are hiking the Root Glacier with the St Elias
Alpine Guides. We wake to cloudy and 35°. Two layers on top and bottom; from experience
we know cold air flows around glaciers so we expect even colder air there. Shuttling to the office we register for the
hike, sign the official waiver and get fitted for crampons. Eight of us excitedly walk the two plus mile
hike through the town of Kennecott to the entrance of Root Glacier. All along the hike we see the 300’ thick
glacier moraine field. We spy bits of
ice peeking through gravel but mostly the ice is covered/insulated with a few
inches to tens of feet of gravel brought up from an earlier time of the
glacier. |
| Root Glacier |
Progressing up the glacier the ice becomes more of my mental
image of glaciers. The surface is hard
ice with veins of denser ice running across the surface. It makes me think of tree rings where they
are wide or narrow depending on weather conditions. There are still spots of accumulated dirt and
spots of gravel. The dark spots of
materials become hot spots causing the immediate area below and around it to melt
quicker making small pools the size of the gravel a few inches deeper than the
surrounding ice.
The rest of the ice appears white or bluish. As the glacier weighs down on the ice it
literally crushes the air out of the ice causing is to reflect blue light.
I am reminded of the dunes in White Sands National Monument;
the flowing gypsum dunes are calm versions of the high, vertical walls formed
in a glacier.
 |
| Root Glacier |
Individual rivulets flow across parts of the glacier;
converge with others, eventually streaming into moulins, cascading to unknown places
inside the glacier, eventually flowing into the Kennicott River. Moulins are the holes where water flows into
glaciers.
The Root Glacier starts on Blackburn Mountain, over 6 miles
‘upstream’ from where we are hiking.
We are hiking along a small stream flowing on top of 300’
thick floor of ice. In my mind water
shouldn’t be flowing on top of ice, but it is. As we follow the stream it becomes 6” deep in some
spots. We stop for some glacier fed hot
chocolate and lunch before continuing our hike of discovery.
Kennecott
You may have noticed I have been spelling Kennecott with an
‘e’ or an ‘i’. As the saying goes if ice
is involved it is spelled with an ‘i’, the town is spelled with an ‘e’. Nobody is really certain why the difference
in spelling. We took a few tours of the
Kennecott area. The National Parks
Service gives tours of the town. St
Elias Alpine Guides has tours of the Kennecott stamping facility. Both are recommended. Hiking trails lead to the mines although they
are not open for tours.
 |
| Kennecott, Mt Blackburn in the distance |
 |
| Kennecott |
 |
| Kennecott |
 |
| Inside the Kennecott mill |
Considering this is the 1910’s planning was well advanced. The dammed up the stream going through town generated hydroelectric power for the plant, offices and residences. The stream also provided water for crushing, sorting and sifting the pebble size to grain sized copper/limestone conglomerate. The company hospital had the first X-ray machine in Alaska. Steam heat from the power plant heated all the buildings; bunkhouses, private residences, school, office space and work areas. The work areas were heated to primarily keep the machines from freezing; management believed in keeping the area just above freezing so the men would work harder and faster to stay warm.
Miners signed 6 month contracts, were also paid very
well. Many were immigrants barely knowing
English. When the school day was
finished for the professional people’s children English was taught to the
immigrant miners.
The three main mines supplying the ore are 5 – 7 miles from
the mill. Buckets hung from cables, much
like a ski lift, delivered the ore to the mill for processing. The trip took approximately 45 minutes from
the mine to the mill. Miners wanting to
go into town could ride a bucket but several met their death doing so.
 |
| Power generating station |
The copper and silver mined from the area was measured in in
tons, netting KCC over $200 M in profit ($2 B in today’s dollars). The mine started in 1911 closed in 1938 due
to low ore output, lower copper prices and the depression. The place was left pretty much as it was in
1938.
Visiting the general store from that era I couldn’t help but
notice products manufactured by the same companies that exist today: McCormick
– spices; Folgers and Hills Brothers – coffee to name a few. Videos and displays go into more detail on
the workers, working conditions and day to day life during this time. |
| Aurora from Wrangell St Elias |
By circumstance the haze from wildfires catches up with us
again. It is sad to see, we enjoyed our time here but today we are on to Tok,
AK. We came through here on our way to
Alaska. It is on one of the few roads
one can take between Alaska and Canada.
We are the only ones on the McCarthy Road. This is good, no dust to deal with. After several photo ops of the mountains,
still lakes and fall colors we stop by the one remaining train trestle to shoot
it. As we get our gear together we hear
a car speeding down the road, a loud thump, a short blaring of the car horn, a
few seconds of silence then the motor revving up, tires throwing gravel
followed by us seeing a small vehicle speeding down the road. Walking up the road we see tracks from all
four tires off the road, then back on again.
The guy was lucky to survive that accident. Two and a half hours later we emerge from the
McCarthy Road, happy we did the trip.
 |
| Aurora from Tok, AK |
Shortly after nine we find our spot and scan for any aurora
activity. This night is better with
definite light in the sky. We are
ecstatic with the images we shoot. After
several dozen, all slightly different we call it a night, we are on our way to
the Yukon tomorrow. The park where we
are staying has electricity so our small electric heater keeps the camper warm
for when we jump back into bed.
Next, more SE Alaska.
Thank you for stopping by,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment