Kennicott to Anchorage, Alaska

Day 70

Leaving Kennicott is never easy, partially because of the saying-good-byes and partially because it’s an 8 hour process.  To meet the irrational needs of the two Russians on our departing journey, we loaded into the van at 7AM so they could maximize the available shopping time in Anchorage.  The ride along the McCarthy Road was taxing but uneventful and the 5 hours of pavement from Chitina to Anchorage was beautiful and typical.

 

In Anchorage, Rich dropped Liv, Terry, and I in downtown as the Russians disembarked at the 6^th Street Mall.  The three of us aimlessly walked around town without much excitement.  Although Anchorage has roughly 200,000 people, it has a very empty and open feel to it and seems slightly confused as to whether it’s a metropolitan area or another town in Alaska.  After a good lunch at the diner where I took breakfast at the start of my 2006 journey, we hailed a cab and returned to Kirkwood’s house in Southport.

 

The interim time before our flight was long and awkward while we statuesquely sat in the living room for hours on end.   Finally, 11PM rolled around and Rich drove us off to Anchorage International Airport. 

 

At the terminal, Rich gave the required (and seemingly sincere this time around) “thank you and your welcomed back to Kennicott anytime”, we shook hands and were off.

Kennicott, AK - Workday and Hospital Poach

Day 69

Yep, another KGL maintenance day and the weather was decent.  The only unfortunate aspect was today’s the last full day of our stay in Kennicott, and possibly the last time we’ll ever be in Kennicott.  Well, we’ll see about that.

 

After dinner, I did a solo poach of the hospital as the remainder of the crew was either working or unwilling to break into the building after dark.  Yes, the darkness factor made the hospital very creepy, but I still managed to check out everything that was still standing.  Since my visit in 2006, the third flood seems to have collapsed more, sealing off half the building.  Also, the flood in November of 2006 had undercut a substantial potion of the western side of the building and it’s only a matter of time (and flooding) before National Creek claims the entire structure.

 

The day was finished with relaxing in Bonnie and Paul’s cabin.  It’s unclear when the next time is we’ll see them so we stayed up pretty late going over random aspects of life.

Kennicott, AK - Workday and Museum

Day 68

Today was another typical maintenance day at the KGL, except now the bible pounding, under-aged married, condescending guy who was the fulltime maintenance man is gone and it’s just me doing the menial labor.  One would think the cut in staff by half would double my workload, but in actuality there’s no change and I just scoot around on the King Quad burning trash and sweeping porches that instantly become re-dirty themselves.  It’s an excellent job.

 

At 5:30, our contingency ran the wagon road to the museum in McCarthy while Paul followed on his bike. I took a handicapped start and got to cruise down the rocky path, catching the Cyrs about a mile before the museum without any bear problems.

 

The museum hasn’t changed since I visited in 2006 and it’s quite good for the free admission costs.  Tomorrow’s the last day of the museum’s season and it’s a good thing we were able to visit before it closed up.

 

Running behind schedule to make it back in time for dinner, I hammered back to the lodge to make sure food was saved for the rest of the crew.  After taking a hasty shower, I made it to the staff dining room as dinner was served and the Cyrs returned.  After finishing a meal that left something to be desired, Paul and I took off to poach the Machine Shop.  We successfully explored the amazing quantity of mechanical oddities left behind in1936 but unsuccessfully gained access to the building’s interior.  Two years ago the building’s decrepit condition left ample access points through holes in the walls, but now the Park Service has repaired the walls and locked doors that were once free to open.

 

Not to be defeated, we plan to return later in the week to find some entry point that was overlooked or under-repaired.

Kennicott, AK - Ice Climbing

Day 67

Mike Murphy at Kennicott Wilderness Guides arranged for us to ice climb without having to pay anything but the tip.  Pretty much that comes to about an $800.00 gift for four Cyrs and a Davis.  At 9:00 we met Todd at the KWG hut, geared up, and started down the Root Glacier Trail as the overcast morning slowly made its way to a cold rain.  The good aspect of the rain was it meant the ice would be relatively empty, free of the clutter, and there was still a solid chance of things clearing up by the end of the day.

We started out on a starter wall to learn the basics and for Todd to get comfortable with what we could handle.  The first line was quick and easy, only about 30’ in height, and slightly sloped.  Everyone easily completed the lap without any issues, except waiting our respective turns was a very cold and wet experience.

The second line dropped on the practice wall was on a slightly technical route that gave the option of straddling a waterfall if one wanted to.  Justine, Paul, and Bonnie all ascended the right side of the waterfall, making my trip up the right side a bit difficult as their crampons had beaten the ice pretty handsomely.  Halfway up the climb I crossed the waterfall with little hazard and cleanly made the top.  Liv smartly climbed entirely on the left of the waterfall, a more technical choice that had a slight invert towards the top but less worn, and thus easier to get a purchase with the ice axes and crampons. 

She was probably the quickest of the group and seems at home with crampons and axes.  Paul’s style was more unorthodox (probably because the muscle memory from years of Nordic skiing didn’t necessarily favor ice climbing) and as he crossed the waterfall in preparation to descend he somehow got tangled in the line and did a nice flip before Todd had him locked off and hanging against the wall.   It sounds more dramatic than it actually was.

After exhausting the practice wall, our group hiked a few minutes to a large Moulin to descend into the glacier.  Luckily, Monty, another KWG guide, arrived and set up a second line to double our ice climbing shenanigans and the rain had cleared to bring about a beautiful Alaskan afternoon.

I was the first to go over the edge into the ice abyss, a rather unnerving experience, and descended as far as Todd would allow.  Stopping at the boundary of blue and white ice, I locked in the crampons and sat halfway down the Moulin as a waterfall flowed past with a stream about fifty feet below.  The ascent back to the surface was mostly easy, but the small section of blue ice was definitely harder to get a purchase and made for a very short moment of concern. 

The remainder of the Cry crew made their way into the Moulin, all descending about where I had made it, except Liv and Justine tired to push deeper but Todd’s rope would not permit.  Bonnie had a quality and typical verbal response as she progressed into the ice but it was very nice seeing her push aside her preconceived fear of the Moulin and truck into the ice.

Monty’s line was more vertical in nature and the ice was considerably dirtier since it faced the sun and saw more melting.  Each kick of the crampons and swing of the axe saw saucer-sized chunks of ice fly out from the face as their tips penetrated the wall.  Making it as far as I could handle, Monty locked me off and I hung for a while taking in the unusual environment within a 35 mile long glacier.  Looking over my should I could see Liv making her way down Todd’s route, but the water falling between our ropes made far too much noise for conversation.

Back at the surface, I watched various Cyr people take various plunges into the ice, each lap pushing the limits of the guides’ comfort with how deep to descend before locking off.  I think Paul talked his way the deepest of us all, but Justine and Liv put up valiant efforts to best their father.  While we rested at the top, Monty and Todd both headed over the edge, using all but the final few feet of their lines and climbing to the bottom of the Moulin.  Both of them returned completely soaked from the waterfall but obviously exhilarated by the experience.

By the end of the day the five of us were bushed, soaked to the bone, and chilled to the core but nearly unbeatable by the experience of the ice climb.  I say nearly unbeatable because my ice-climbing boots were slightly the wrong size (causing some odd pressure points) and Liv’s left boot was all fouled up as we hiked off the glacier and gave her a quality blister.  But that aside today was amazing.

Kennicott, AK - Bear Run

Day 66

Kirkwood put me to work today doing the typical maintenance routine.  Considering today was supposed to be our return to the Outside, it’s good to be burning trash in Kennicott. 

After eight hours of mindlessly being a sanitation specialist, I returned to the Wagon Road for a planned 30 minute run.   Well, the colder temperatures this summer resulted in low berry growth in the upper elevations, consequently causing the bears to stay closer town.  That turned out to be amazingly true on today’s run.  The first bear was sitting in the soapberries casually looking on as I passed and was only noticed when I was directly next to him.  The second bear was further down the road and he scared the Christ out of me as my running treed him with a startling “harrumph!”.  And, the third and final bear was on the return to Kennicott on the McCarthy road.  Nothing threatening about him, but after the first two I wasn’t in the mood for any other bears.

Before dinner, the Cyr women and I poached the Ammonia Plant, breaking in through a smashed out window on the glacier side of the lowest floor.  Bonnie was reserved about the poach, but quickly came on board as we made our way throughout the old building.    Conveniently, we started this poach earlier than last night and the approaching darkness wasn’t much of an issue.

Kennicott, AK - Rockslides and Poaching

Day 65

Somehow today started out beautiful and managed to stay that way.  I took advantage of an early start and headed down the wagon road for a quick run before meeting Liv and Justine for a trip onto the moraine after Justine finished work.

With perfectly clear skies, we set out straight onto the moraine from the bunkhouse, causing mayhem as we pushed a Volkswagen sized boulder down a gravel cliff into an ice pool.  It rocked hard.  We, however, failed to find any of the ice caves I had visited in 2006 and only ended the trip with Justine and Liv taking some pretty good hits by various rockslides.

After dinner, Justine and I convinced the remainder of the Cyr mob to poach the Powerhouse.  Unfortunately it got dark way too fast with the ever shortening Alaskan days for us to do a proper visit, but Justine and I did manage a quality ladder climb to the upper catwalks.  Bonnie protested Justine following me up the 80 year-old ladder that clung to the building’s walls, but she ascended it anyways with her typical laughter.  

Kennicott, AK – Jumbo Mine Hike

Day 64

This morning started out with beautiful weather, again.  I got up early and scored a flightseeing trip for 11:00 which I passed off to Olivia who was still asleep.  After making a few phone calls, I sent Liv down the McCarthy Road to the airstrip wi

th a few other tourists who were to accompany her on the flight.

Martin was her pilot from Wrangell Mountain Air and he situated her in the copilot’s seat to counterbalance the heavy setters in the back of the Cessna.  The 70 minute trip took her southeast towards the Bagley Ice Field, then north over the Mile High Canyons and herds of doll sheep, and finally past Stairway Icefall, hugging close over the slopes of Mount Blackburn.  Originally, she didn’t seem all that excited about the flight, but afterwards the awesomeness of Alaska was beaming from her face.  With any luck I’ll be able to head out on a flight tomorrow.

After lunch, we packed up my bag and headed up to Jumbo Mine to explore the bunkhouse.  The hike was ste

adily upward but not at all technical and only slightly taxing.  We were both fatigued from last night’s Powerhouse trip, so we took it relatively easy.  We explored the angle station where the trams from Jumbo and Glacier Mines intersected for quite a while and I managed to put my foot through the third floor floorboards.  The angle station doesn’t seem to have been damaged much more over the past two years and apparently the NPS is planning to put a roof on it to preserve it for the future.  Amen for the all-knowing and miss-funded Park Service

The remaining two miles to the mine were uneventful, with a few feisty remarks from Olivia as her blood sugar started to tank.  A short refueling and twenty minutes later we arrived at the bunkhouse.  The past two winters had been harsh on the old building, collapsing the first floor in 2007 and the second in 2008.  The third floor can still be accessed through the missing south wall and the building’s 2008 collapse sheared the main floors of the structure off of the basement locke

r room.  The twisted hallways and doorframes still give an amazing sense of vertigo inside the bunkhouse and it’s sad to see the odd building finally succumbing to the past 95 winters.

On our hike back to Kennicott, I realized the last full-sized tram tower had collapsed since 2006, leaving in a scattered mess on the side of the rock glacier.  Along the trail, Liv kicked up a sharp rock, painfully hammering her ankle and falling on the trail. After a few minutes she turned out alright.  The remainder of the hike down was unremarkable (except for the views) and we made it in time for dinner where Liv and Justine cooke

d Bonnie and Paul’s 26^th Anniversary cake.

The evening was capp

ed with cards in Bonnie and Paul’s cabin.  Bonnie won in only a few hands, and then I took second place from Liv after an hour of battle. My win streak has extended to three games for the trip.

Kennicott, AK – Glacier and Powerhouse Tour

Day 63

We were ready to work today on time, but Rich felt we did our fare share yesterday and gave us the day off.  Liv called Alaska Airlines and moved our flight back a few days so we could help around the lodge a bit longer.  Aside from fighting with the air

line’s website, the change was shockingly easy and only cost $200.

00 – which the lodge is going to pick up graciously.

After a quick lunch, we borrowed some crampons from St. Elias Alpine Guides and headed to the Root Glacier.  The weather was overcast and cool, feeling more like November in Maine than August.  The glacier was dirtier and covered with more ruts than the last time I had walked on it, making our explorations mildly difficult.  Having the crampons attached to running shoes didn’t help either, for us or our shoes.  We scoped out a few rivulets, waterfalls, and tos

sed some rocks into a moulin then called it a day.

Returning to the bunkhouse, Liv read and napped while I updated the journal.  I toyed with the idea of skipping today’s run, then opted to head out for a 30 minute shoot down the wagon road.  Stepping back outside, the clouds had completely departed, fully exposing Mt. Blackburn, Ahatna, Regal & Parka Peaks, a

nd the Stairway Icefall.  The view was amazing and resulted in more than one fist pump.

Heading down the wagon road, I gave shouts to the bears about every 10 seconds.  By the twelfth minute I increased the frequency to every breath as I passed a black bear happily sitting in soapberries and watching me with mild curiosity.  He seemed unconcerned by my presence, but it still gave me a good startle.  Not wanting to visit the bear again, the run was extended to the cross trail at the airstrip, increasing my mileage.  Six minutes later, yelling the entire time, I shocked a second black bear in the brush, sending it up a tree with a great show of displeasure on the bear’s part.  His sudden movement scared the Christ out of me, causing more yells and giving my legs plenty of speed to leave the area.  Somewhat shaken up, I thankfully made it off the wagon road and ran the three miles uphill to Kennicott (possibly disturbing a third bear along the way).

After dinner, Liv, Justine, Paul, and I helpe

d Bonnie in the dining room then headed to the Powerhouse for some breaking and entering.  Justine scampered up a board through a second floor window, then unlocked a side door for the three of us.  We climbed over the massive boilers and investigated some generators that looked to be nearly in working condition.   Paul gave a quick lesson on the workings of the generators, which was quite interesting, before continuing our snooping.  Justine took some dissuading from climbing a sketchy ladder to the catwalks, then I let everyone out before climbing out our entry window.

Tomorrow night Justine and I will probably return to climb the aforementioned ladder and maybe break a few limbs in the process.

Kennicott, AK – Mill Tour

Day 62

We were both drafted into working for our room and board today, continuing to fell trees below the South Wing.  The work was enjoyable, made better by another day of beautiful weather.  By 4PM Liv and I had finished up work and made our way back to the bunkhouse to rest before running.

The run down to McCarthy was a blast from the past, accompanied by Liv for the first 2 miles.  

Our legs were still sore from the past few days of hiking, but the steady downhill grade loosened things up considerably.  Cruising past the airstrip, I passed the typical dust clouds of the Wrangell Mountain Air buses while my stomach retaliated from my lunch choices.  Running over the footbridges sounds the same as it did two years ago, but this time only slightly slower in its rhythm.  The run uphill was stand

ard, with more soreness being exposed after each mile.  Overall it was a very good run, but my fitness definitely needs improvement.

After Justine got off work at 9:30, Liv, Justine, and I dug out our flashlights and found ourselves a mill tour.  Access to the mill was easier than it was in 2006, walking in through an unlocked door on the 8^th floor rather than climbing over the walls of the 16^th floor.  We snaked our way to the top, finding 

a few secret places I was previously unaware of.  Generally speaking, the mill’s unchanged from how I left it two years ago.

Making our way to the ground level 19 floors below, some of 

Justine’s co-workers tried startling us from the shadows.  Not wanting to give them the pleasure of a good scare, we walked out the front door of the mill, completely avoiding their shenanigans.

Kennicott, AK – Work Day

Day 61

We managed to sleep later than planned, resulting in a slightly delayed start to the workday.  Luckily Rich didn’t care and I was put to work clearing brush with Paul on the slope below the South Wing.  The work started out easy

 enough, then Paul starting showing his superior Ninja skills with a chainsaw, cutting four willow trees simultaneously with one pass of the saw.  His craft is more of an art form, and I get the im

pression Rich is even mildly humbled by Paul’s capabilities.

Liv filled he

r day in the kitchen helping Justine.  Baking bread and cookies proved to be harmless, but prepping the onions for lunch resulted in a mild stab wound to the thumb.  It was shrugged off with Olivia’s typical ease as Justine shouted “Hot buns, coming through!” carrying a try of freshly cooked goods.  Jeannie’s command in the kitchen seems to have improved things dramatically from my days working with Carol 

and the food is quite amazing.

Jody and the girls arrived this afternoon and treated the staff to pizza, ice cream, and beer for dinner.  Apparently it’s the end of summer staff party, which our attendance only made the staff slightly bitterer as they worked and we ate.

We planned to do a mill tour this evening, but Justine headed to McCarthy to see off some friends and we ended up throwing rocks at the Kennicrap before heading into the Powerhouse.  The Park Service is getting the Powerhouse 

ready for public tours and it’s been pretty much cleaned out of all the erroneous shit that used to lie around.  The boilers’ size still demands respect, but the darker August nights make exploring them without a flashlight impracticable and dangerous.  Later this week we’ll return for a proper tour.

Kennicott, AK – Porphyry Hike

Day 60

The morning started out cool but sunny, an apparent diversion from the summer’s typical weather pattern.  Meeting for breakfast, the Cyr contingency and I fueled up and hoarded vittles for today’s hike.  Lisa advised us of the best route to Porphyry, heading past the KGL water tanks to find the easily distinguishable trail towards the rock glacier. (Rock glaciers are 10% ice and 90% rock, giving them glacial characteristics without the immediately obvious ice.)

Making our way past the water tanks, we followed the waterlines heading towards National Creek, nearly missing the trail in a few areas but finding our way with relative smoothness.  At the base of the rock glacier, Bonnie had a quality misstep and tumbled into the brush with both feet sticking into the air.  It wou

ld have been funny, but her landing shortly appeared to break an arm.  The arm didn’t break and the hike continued up the glacier without much trouble.

Running along the skree ridge up the north side of Porphyry, we spent about two hours making our way to the summit, clambering on all fours over the nearly razor sharp skree.  Justine made the summit first, slightly startled by the sudden termination of the ridge and Liv took up the rear after a short breather.  The view towards Green Butte and McCarthy Creek are still amazing, increased by not having to solely look at Fireweed Mountain.  A few ridges over, I could pick out the canyon where The Kids and I camped at Peavine Bar. 

Paul and I walked along the ridge, looking down on Nati

onal Pass, and then sending rocks over the edge, crashing a few miles down slope.  The chaos caused by the rocks never seems to get old and we continued chucking rocks well after Justine and Li

v started hiking back.  The return was eventless and the weather stayed beautiful throughout the hike.  The only mishap was my judgment of a 3 hour hike (we were hiking for about 7 hours) and our legs burning from yesterday’s Erie trip.

I’

m also finding out the run up Bonanza still hurts after a few days.  But it’s still worth it.