Holy Smoke – Talkeetna

(Note: we've been out of Internet connections for a while. This was written on July 8)

Downtown Talkeetna

Well, maybe it wasn't really holy, but the smoke was there. And they say, where there's smoke, there's fire. We didn't see any fire, but it was hot enough. Talkeetna was setting record highs, with temps around 90 on Tuesday, 7/7. It was so hot, we ditched our dry camping ideas and booked into a campground with electric so we could run our air conditioner. Didn't expect to need that very much in Alaska!

The campground is very compact, but grass, wildflowers, and a few trees give a sense of separation to the sites. We had not even finished parking when Kathleen Baird called us on the phone. Kathleen was one of Consuelo's knitting students at Jekyll Island last winter. We enjoyed a dinner with them, and made them breakfast the next morning before they left.

The smoke lingers on. While there have been numerous rumors of being able to see Mount McKinley from several places in Talkeetna, the smoke is still to thick to see that far. I'm guessing that visibility is now up to 15-20 miles, but we'll need a lot more than that to see the mountain.

Talkeetna Ranger Station

Talkeetna is a nice little town, definitely experiencing an overdose of the hormones that spur on tourists. Main street is only about 4 blocks long, but people seem to be walking up and down it from 9 in the morning until 9 at night. The blocks are filled with gift shops, guided tours, quilt shops, and restaurants, with a few lodges scattered here and there, and a museum or two. Much of the Main Street area is a registered historic district, many of the buildings are original homes and stores from the area, dating back to 1900-1920. Tour busses find their way into town and disgorge passengers, as does the train.

Looking seriously out of place, there is a Ranger Station here for Denali National Park, although we're not in the park. Talkeetna is the jumping off point for those crazy people who feel the need to climb the mountains, Denali and others nearby. And in true Alaskan style, you don't drive to the mountain to climb it, you take an airplane, which lands on a glacier at 7,000 feet. And, as it turns out, Talkeetna has the closest airstrip. It also has a train station, so folks can fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks, train down to Talkeetna, then fly up to the mountain.

3D Model of Mount McKinley

Ranger Bob gave a nice talk using the 3D model of the mountain that was donated by the Boston Science Museum all about climbing and what people have to know to get started up the mountain. The NPS provides 8-12 rangers and volunteers on the mountain through climbing season, which lasts from late April until, well, about now. Next week, they will haul all their gear off the mountain, as the snow is becoming too soft to be safe where there are crevasses along the mountain. Actually, it has become too soft this week, as they are having to land the planes at the second base camp, at around 10,000 feet altitude, as the first one at 7,000 feet was becoming unsafe.

Sunset where the rivers join

About 1200 people climb the mountains every year, and about 50% of those make it to the summit of McKinley. 4 people died trying in the last year. Many, if not most, of those that die on the mountain are still there. Some were never located. Others were in places that were far too difficult to try to retrieve. The Talkeetna Cemetery honors the climbers who died trying.

Talkeetna means either “Where the rivers join” or "Place where food is stored along the river", depending on who you ask. At the end of Main Street, a short walk over the sandy delta brings you to the junction of the Talkeetna, Chulitna and Susitna Rivers. It's a place where Thumper likes to go to cool off in all this heat.

Dock at Talkeetna Lakes

We asked about trails, and were directed to the Takeetna Lakes Trail by the campground manager. This is a cooperative project of the residents of Talkeetna and the borough (Alaska has boroughs instead of counties). We were told the trail was about 3 miles, but it felt more like 10
by the time we finished it. It traveled through the woods around several small lakes, with several easy climbs. Wonderful scenery, interesting to see what the Alaska forest is doing at this time of year. Lots of mosquitoes. We made noise along the way so we wouldn't surprise any bears.