My fall departure began with a northbound ferry trip to Haines (from Petersburg) with my Tundra on the car deck of the Kennecott ferry. It was a two night stay because of a stops in Sitka and Juneau. Dental School classmate Dennis Welch accompanied on the trip to keep me awake on this long tortuous adventure. We departed Petersburg effectively October 11 (boarding after midnight–specifically 3am) and arrived in Haines October 13 at noon. We were guests of on-and-off mayor “Wild Iris Fred” for two days and toured Haines and visited old friends.
Letnikof Cove–a photogenic yet hidden viewpoint near Haines. I kick-started a dental clinic in Haines in 2002-03 before moving down to Juneau.
John Svenson is a local legend with 15 ascents of Mt. McKinley (now Denali). He’s a talented artist without bounds. Interested and avid readers of this blog can find him at extremedreams.com.
A sad tale to be told was the sudden and catastrophic landslide just south of Haines that obliterated 7 homes and killed two residents. This phenomenon is occurring all over Alaska. In my previous post (Sitka Shipwrecks) I noted many slides I hadn’t seen 20 years ago when I first started cruising around SE. In a phone-call to the Senior Hydrologist/Meteorologist Aaron Jacobs in Juneau, he states:
“Yes we are tracking these types of events along with the US Forest Service and USGS along with the Sitka Sound Science Center in Sitka. There seems to be an uptick in landslides across SEAK over the past 10 to 15 years but that might be just from better reporting but also we are seeing more extreme rainfall events which is the biggest trigger here in Southeast Alaska.”
Summary: Global warming is bringing catastrophic “tropical” rains to a previously misty fjordland.
First stop was Wrangell-St. Elias National Park–America’s largest park. Because of a recent 14″ snowfall, they cancelled my talk however kept it on Zoom–so still had about half dozen die-hards in attendance. One attendee drove 110 miles from McCarthy in this snow. That’s dedication!
My next stop was Anchorage where there is a wonderful aviation museum including this Grumman Goose……
……operated by the Department of the Interior, of course. The Grumman Goose was the commercial plane of choice for decades. Only a few still fly here being replaced with the DeHavilland Beaver and Otter.
We check into the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage–$160/night and wonderful food and hospitality. Wally Hickle got it right in this case.
Except for the food…… We usually ate in the lower restaurant–and couldn’t complete a meal they were so large. But in the top restaurant it was a different story. Why is it that the larger the plate, the smaller the portions? Now, I live on good halibut grounds in Petersburg and manage to put more on my plate than the Captain Cook. And what are these M&Ms? Hey–I get a tablespoon of purple mashed potatoes…..and all for $46! Take note, Wally, this needs improvement. Two dinners and a bottle of wine totaled $300. I’m sticking to the lower restaurant from now on (called Fletchers–Captain Cook is the theme here and it’s nearly a museum of interesting artifacts of his explorations in the Pacific NW–Cook Inlet is, of course, named after him.) Three and a half stars…….
My second presentation on WPA poster art of the national parks is to the Alaska Geographic–the purchasing arm for all NPS park units in Alaska. They’ve been selling my Arctic Refuge (see below), Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), and Glacier Bay NPS posters for many years. It was great to finally meet them and tell my story of historic poster art of the NPS. This building–an old train depot/complex–was converted into professional suites in 1993.
Leaving anchorage, we stumble on this “roadside attraction.” This is not the place to talk politics and the proprietor had just about every kind of old antique you can imagine; none of it practical. Further ahead, we stayed in Talkeetna where about 50 stores are selling scented soap, off-shore pottery and dream catchers….. To Talkeetna’s credit–and if you want to search about–there is a wonderful museum on Mt. McKinley. I forgot my cell-phone camera so you’ll have to take my word for it. And only $5!
The drive from Talkeetna north takes one through Denali National Park and we experienced perfect weather–along the entire Alaska Range. Here Mt. McKinley (OK–Denali) rises 20,320′ above us. Magnificent! I applied to climb Mt. McKinley in 1967 but never left Seattle; perhaps for the best, as it was the worst weather ever and 7 lives were lost on Pioneer Ridge.
In Fairbanks, I present at the University of Alaska and visit the Museum of the North–a must see. Here is a Magnus “Rusty” Concord Heurlin painting of Mardy and Olaus Murie above the Sheenjek River in about 1959. Here is a selfie and a unselfie?? Due to their efforts, the Arctic Refuge is now protected as a wilderness refuge. Of course, oil exploration is continuing in section 1002…….
This was the basis for my Arctic Refuge silkscreen. We used the US Fish & Wildlife Seal (with permission) in a limited edition so had to use the same colors in the design. It worked perfectly. This is the open edition
That same evening, I look up an old UW Geology schoolmate. Craig Lingle went on to get his PhD in Glacial Geology–actually a Geophysics degree. We also shared residence in the famous Wilbur’s Alpine Club at 4718 20th Avenue NE in Seattle–which was torn down last month. Lots of glacial stuff to ponder here in Alaska. Dr. Christianson’s Introduction to Geology (201) was 54 years ago.
After this last talk in Fairbanks, it’s a south-bound epic journey to Seattle. I stop in Whitehorse, YT, and meet up with an old climbing friend, Martin Epp. Martin, Fred Beckey and I ventured into the Cathedral Provincial Park, BC in about 1969 or 70 and bivuoaced in horizontal sleet for several days. Martin finally descended down to our basecamp muttering “dat man is crazy,” in his strong Swiss accent. Priceless! Martin and his wife Pia, built an amazing Swiss log chalet; every detail including this stove was hand-made. They served us tea and carrot cake and Martin shared his experiences on the Eiger.
Photo of Martin and Fred during the Cathedral Park trip in 1969.
We drove East to Fort Henry and then south detouring through Muncho Provincial Park–now this is a hidden gem with folded limestones, jade lakes and terrific relief. A light snowfall highlighted the geology. The original AlCan Highway passes through this park. Awesome!
Another perspective of mountain uplifting. Northern BC is a wild place!
There is more!
And more!
From Muncho Park, we spend our last night on the road in Prince George and then make a long day from there to Seattle. It’s good to be back in my warehouse–Intergalactic Headquarters of Ranger Doug’s Enterprises. I hastily pack my car with more stuff and head south to Tucson…..Stay tuned!