Our second day in Alaska. Ron and I had purchased tickets on an 8 passenger bush plane out of Talkeetna. The Talkeetna cafe we entered into on this early morning excursion was already tourist filled; surprisingly crowded. We ordered our food and found a spot at one of the outdoor picnic tables.
Arriving at K2 Aviation in plenty of time, we donned Gore-tex snow boots that slipped over our shoes, stored our excess things in a locker, grabbed our jackets and headed for the plane.
The bright red bush plane was equipped with special wheels and skis that allowed a dry runway takeoff and a snowfield landing. Seven passengers sat in the back with one other in the Co-Pilot chair.
Talkeetna is a little over 350' elevation above sea level. We flew towards Mt McKinley, an icy mountain rising 20,320' above sea level. We flew for several minutes above an emerald green, pond and lake dotted valley known as the Mat-Su. This is, apparently, a primitive wilderness area enjoyed by winter snowmobile enthusiasts when the water and tundra freeze solid.
Soon we were winding our way deep into the Great Gorge, a half mile wide crack in the mountain nearly a mile deep. It's the home of the great Ruth's Glacier, a half mile wide chunk of ancient ice that measures almost 4000' thick!
We taxied as far as we could, turning around in the Amphitheater and coming to a stop. After cutting the engines, our pilot walked back, opened the door and secured the steps; we stepped out onto this massive chunk of ice and snow.
We spent 15 or 20 minutes on the ice just taking in the gorgeous beauty of the mountain. The air was crisp and easy to breathe. The snow depth was minimal and easy to walk upon. After snapping all the photos we could stand it was time to board. Other planes with tourists were landing, doing much the same as we did.
We taxied to the snow runway begin point and picked up speed. In a moment we were airborne and watching the glacier speed away behind us. This was an exciting level of fun...very spendy...but well worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment