Alaska: Part Six

Denali Flight

 Leaving Anchorge, we knew we were in for a treat when we saw Denali (Mt. McKinley) which is about 125 miles away from this point.

We checked in for our flight and then went up to the Princess Lodge for snacks and the view.

 That's Mt. Foraker on the far left, and Denali between Gail and me.

Our pilot, Patrick, who is also an aerobatics instructor in L.A.

I got to be co-pilot, thanks to Sarah's finagling on the tarmac.

If Patrick needed to, he could swing that yoke over to my side for backup.  Our plane was a
De Havilland Otter converted to turboprop.  The Otter was built from 1951 until 1967 and is still in high demand today.  It is a short take-off workhorse of the bush, and can be fitted with skis or floats.  It can carry 10 or 11 passengers.

After taking off in Talkeetna, we were soon flying over huge glaciers.

Feeling kind of small about now.

Patrick guiding us through.

50 MPH winds are blowing the snow off the top, which is 20,310 feet in elevation.

We are actually going to land down there on that glacier, which is base camp for Denali expeditions.

 Crevasses, some of which are 600 feet deep, according to Patrick.

 Going in.

The landing.

A life altering experience, I do believe.

There were two other planes on the glacier while we were there.

 Patrick is one of only 38 pilots in the world certified to do glacier landings.  He flies climbers up in the spring, and does other trips into the bush.  His wife is a graphic artist with studios in New York and Los Angeles, and is also a pilot.

 Glaciers carry a lot of dirt and rock, and have various patterns related to their movement.

Can you imagine the difficulty trekking across one?

 Converging glaciers.

 Flying back to Talkeetna, we could see vast areas of bogs that are covering the permafrost.

Sarah has flown in these planes numerous times, but still gets a thrill out of it.

Thanks, Sarah, Patrick, and K-2 Aviation!

Over to Wildflower Cafe to decompress and relax.  What a perfect day!