Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport to Kennicott, AK

Day 57

We slept in the baggage claim area of the airport after arriving in Anchorage around 2:00AM. Liv took an empty bench and I laid out my sleeping pad below her on the cold tile flooring as we attempted to save some money on a hotel. By 3:00 the baggage area had quieted down and we finally started to doze, only to be startled awake by the loudspeakers hollering, “WELCOME TO ANCHORAGE TED STEVENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WE ARE NON-SMOKING…”, “THE T.S.A. HAS ISSUED AN ORANGE TERROR ALERT…”, and “BAGGAGE LOOKS ALIKE, DOUBLE CHECK YOUR BAGS AND DO NOT LET CHILDREN ON THE CONVEYOR BELTS”.

Eventually our marathon day’s fatigue managed to block out even the loudest public announcements and we slept almost soundly until 6:00. Quickly finding coffee and a muffin for an overpriced amount and checking some last minute emails, we met Swiss Pete and the van at 6:45. The weather was overcast with some sprinkling, but it was still a relief to be back in Alaska.

The drive took just about eight hours, including a 30 minute delay on the Glenn Highways as crews blasted out a straighter section of the road. The views were still amazing and Pete shared his bear stories and exploits in between miles of relaxing driving. I slept only a few minutes, but Liv nodded off for quite a while as we passed a section of tundra.

In Chitina, Pete gassed the van and Liv and I explored the town for a few minutes, stopping by the Chitina Hotel – which was actually very crowded and very nice. The rain this summer made the McCarthy road very slow and rocky, but a stop to walk under the Kuskulana Bridge deck and look into the 220’ gorge broke things up nicely. At 2:30 we rolled into the footbridge and got picked up by Paul in the KGL van for the drive to the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Liv was very happy to see the family again and we startled Bonnie pretty respectably while she was running and Liv poked her head out the window to say hi. Justine gave a high-pitched joyous welcome that scared the other residents in the bunkhouse. It’s good to see the Cyr Contingency again.

Kennicott appears the same as it did in 2006, minus the washed out National Creek Bridge, NPS construction mess, and a few more collapsed buildings. Dogs still walk freely, guides still wear long underwear beneath cargo shorts, Israelis still visit the lodge, and everything moves no faster than 20 miles per hour. It’s very welcoming to be back (almost feels like returning home), but the male staff this year seems to have taken over Cabins 1 & 2 with their oddball trashy ways. Don Imus could probably do a fine job describing them. Thankfully, Terry still lives in Cabin 2, but we’re housed in the bunkhouse, room 4, with Justine down the hall and Bonnie and Paul in the Chef’s Cabin.

Apparently, there are some bad vibes about us apparently coming to stay for free without working, but to hell with that. It’s $2,000 to get here and that’s a bit more expensive than free. Hopefully, we’ll bring some good weather to cheer everyone up from the cold, rainy summer Kennicott’s been having.