Alaska

Talkeetna

I boarded an Alaska Railroad train to the own of Talkeetna, which is about 4 hours away from the Denali National Park entrance.

Why Talkeetna and not Denali?

Denali is a fully booked and overpriced destination. It’s possible to camp out in the park itself, but I am not a camper, I am alone, and I don’t own or want to haul any camping gear. Color me lazy. Prices for the lodges there are i.n.s.a.n.e, and nothing was available one month in advance anyway.

Talkeetna, on the other hand, borders the park itself, with its airport serving the Denali base camp, for the few who are crazy enough to climb it. Staying here is multiple times cheaper compared to Denali, with great glacier landing flights and boat tours, weather permitting.  I was able to rent a whole house, with four bedrooms, for an average price of a motel.

My Talkeetna digs

Talkeetna is a tiny town, with only a few hundred people living here (and less in winter). This place almost forces you to ignore any schedules or plans – it’s just that laid back. Most roads are unpaved, which locals prowl in their “Arctic Cat” alternate terrain vehicles.

There is one store that’s kind of a grocery store, but that does not mean there is a lack of places to get food at. In fact, almost every joint along Main Street is some kind of a food establishment, with some open until midnight. At the end of June, that’s approximately the sunset time. Princess Tours has a lodge near Talkeetna, so there is no lack of cruise ship tourists in this town either.

This is also a prime spot for Mount McKinley viewing, which I will refer to by its real name - Denali (official name in Alaska). I actually did not know this - that there are some beautiful viewing spots right near the town. In Denali National Park, there are only a few places from which you can see the mountain, if it’s not obscured by clouds, which is 75% of the time. I also didn’t know that I was going to see Mount Denali in more spectacular ways, without even expecting it…

While my arrival date did not see a lot of promising weather, the next morning was gorgeous, so I booked a Talkeetna Air Taxi glacier landing flight right away.

The weather here changes in an instant. I’ve heard of how unpredictable the Denali area weather is, but now I know first hand. Even IF you are in Talkeetna, and you book a flight two hours in advance, you can’t expect the weather to stay the same for more than that. Clouds or overcast seem to come in and out every time you look out the window.

Glacier landings, and extreme altitude rescues were pioneered here – in Talkeetna – by Don Sheldon, who started Talkeetna Air Service. Thanks to him, we can all experience a glacier landing, and Denali climbers can be actually flown to the base camp, instead of spending weeks hauling gear to it. Everyone here knows who Don Sheldon is. The town of Talkeetna may still exist because of him.

The airport is a 10-15 minute walk from downtown. I strolled over, signed in, and went to the waiting deck behind the front office. Here you can choose a pair of snow shoes to pull over you boots, and wait for your friendly pilot to pick you up. Our friendly pilot was Tom, who gave us the mandatory safety lecture and packed us into the small DeHavilland Beaver plane.

On the 2+ hour flight, you first fly over some remote cabins, surrounded by intensely lush green terrain, with alpine lakes, and an occasional moose on the loose, grazing down below. Then, the flight crosses into Denali National Park, and now you are in for some of the most incredible Nordic views in the world. Gigantic glaciers with enormous crevasses, or some of the highest peaks and deepest gorges in North America.  On this particular day, we were incredibly lucky to see the actual summit of Denali. Any day that you can see the Mountain is a good day.

Not every flight is a glacier landing flight, since the weather can change before the plane can even get there. We were very lucky however, yet again. The landing site was where Don Sheldon used to land all the time. He built a cabin for himself nearby (you can clearly see it before the landing), which is available for rent for almost free, but you need to arrange delivery of all supplies by plane – no fresh towels or room service there.

It was actually hot on the glacier surface. Why. Why. First of all, the surrounding range completely shielded this area off from any kind of wind, so it was very calm. Secondly, the snow reflects most of the sun rays hitting it, so you are basically standing on a mirror, with heat coming from above and below you. Therefore, if you are dressed up for winter - hot. See?

Before we left the glacier, we did the mandatory Stupid Glacier Trick, where we would all let out a short loud holler and listen to the multiple echoes bouncing in the Alaska Range….

We landed back in Talkeetna, and I spent the next day very busy doing nothing, enjoying the second straight day of great weather, eating and sipping on beer at the local open-air joints.

It’s 11:20 pm - try falling asleep like that

Next: I spend two days traveling deep into the Arctic Circle.

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