Kennicott Ghost Town

I love ghost towns. There is something about the odor of decaying wood, rusty tools, and the damp musty scents of Mother Nature creeping in and reclaiming a space that man once thought he had conquered. Kennicott ghost town in Alaska is my favorite because it’s grand in scope, (the mill building is 14 stories high), and it is remote.

We faced a few obstacles getting there: Caiya ripped off a toe nail chasing a rabbit on the drive up. The road into Kennicott starts in the middle of nowhere, the pavement ends, and the road continues even further into nowhere on dirt thrown on top of old railroad tracks into the heart of the monstrous Wrangell / St. Elias range. Several forest fires raged nearby. The weather decided to rain, because we were camping. I forgot the Cola. And, there was plenty of fresh bear scat on the trail to our camp spot overlooking the massive Root Glacier. (We know how scared Kristen is of running into a bear.)

The beauty of this place is that one can get hit with obstacle after obstacle, but the magic of old Kennicott is turned up so loud that nothing can come close to drowning it out. This magic held true for the first settlers of the town as it does today.

The buildings in Kennicott seem to be falling apart rapidly. This place won’t be around forever.

See it while you can.

Below, is a snippet on the history of Kennicott, AK, from the state park website…
“Few stories in the history of commerce can compare: In the summer of 1900, two prospectors exploring deep in the wilderness see magnificent green cliffs perched high on a mountainside. Climbing closer, they stumble upon the richest copper vein ever found.

“It doesn't take long for two of America's wealthiest families, the Morgans and Guggenheims, to sniff out the wealth potential. They buy the rights and build 196 miles of private railroad to get the copper out. When the mine opens in 1911, they employ 600 miners and build a wilderness city, complete with a hospital, general store, schoolhouse, baseball field, skating rink, tennis court, recreation hall, and dairy.

“The mine buzzes with activity for 37 years, when the Depression hits and the price of copper crashes. One November day in 1938, the last trainload of miners chugs away for good, leaving the Kennicott mine standing quietly in the wilderness. Over the next half-century, more and more visitors find their way to the ghost town where buildings still stand, complete with the miners' work papers and tools. But it wasn't until 1998 that the National Park Service purchased the property and made it officially open for visitors.”

The Pilgrimage

Last week with Dan, Jonna and lil’ B came and went so fast! It’s a good thing we have pic’s to remind us of the events that transpired because it seems like a distant memory now. Other than the flight over Denali we went on a scenic boat ride, hike/canoed to a couple of rustic cabins, went to the wild animal park, hit the skate park…and ate! Our once crowded trailer seems so big and lonely now. Thanks Dan and Jonna for being such good roommates and hanging in there.

The next adventure for us was the big pilgrimage to Child’s Glacier. A bit of an undertaking as we had to ferry ourselves and our truck and camping gear 2.5 hrs from Valdez to Cordova. We would have loved Mike’s parents to join us, but come to find out Mike’s dad has “glacier fatigue.” (The truth of it, more likely than not, is that they needed a break from us and who can blame them?) Anyhow, Child’s Glacier is a 300ft high sight to behold especially when you are viewing the mass from only 1200 feet away. It’s has been like an addiction, that even the constant 2 days of rain could not tear us away from, for the time we’ve been here to just sit and watch the calving, and hearing the sonic boom as the ice hit’s the water and the atomic bomb like splash. The constant cracking is more powerful than thunder and if we blink or turn and walk away, we might miss something. The hassle of this little side trip was worth every minute and Mike and I both agree Denali is still the mother of all, but this is a close second!

Best Day Ever!!

The saying supposedly goes that everything is bigger in Texas, but as I have come to find out someone is mistaken and it’s all really much bigger in Alaska. Bugs of all kinds are WAY bigger (mosquito’s and dragon flies in particular), the animals, and the mountains. A little note: your wallet better be bigger too… (Things are a little more costly!)

We have seen a lot of amazing wonders thus far in our travels and they all have had an enormous impact on us (the photo’s are amazing, but will never truly tell the whole story); however one place we visited seems to be the mother of all. In short we along with Mike’s parents, brother Dan and his wife Jonna, (who met us here for a week from Hawaii), chartered an 8-seater plane to take us to the summit of Mt. McKinley better known as Denali. Denali is the largest mountain in North America (over 20,000 ft. tall), it rises 18,000 ft. out of the tundra which gives a view of 18,000 vertical feet of mountain. Just as a comparison, all you see of Everest is 11,000 ft. It is also considered to be the coldest mountain in the world (it was -20 degrees on the summit on the beautiful sunny day, in the most perfect conditions, in July when we flew over). It is massive, awe inspiring, and the most amazing sight to behold. We got to spend over an hour flying less than 1 mile away from the mountain and the whole Alaska Range. All I can say is that I don’t think we ever realize how small and minute we really are in the scope of the earth we live upon, until we witness something that puts us in our place.

Not Top of the Food Chain

I never remembered the drive to Alaska being so long, or the road being so warped. If it wasn’t so beautiful and wild… why would anyone make the effort? Humans intact. Truck #2 intact. Travel trailer intact, (though I thought it was going to launch off the back of the truck several times.)

A couple nights ago we were camped in Stewart, BC under some tall pines, next to a small river. The fire was crackling. Between the trance of the flames and swatting mosquitoes, everyone was occupied. Then, we noticed a wolf quietly watching us from across the river, not 30 feet away. Was it sizing up Caiya, (our dog), in hopes of a meal should we leave our mutt unattended?

The wolf and other animals along the road kept us entertained. It’s a rush to be in situations where you aren’t the top of the food chain.

Our favorite ‘sighting’ was a fox who approached us in the middle of nowhere and spent a few minutes being our buddy. (See the photo, above).

We made it to the Anchorage area yesterday.

Out with the old…on with the new

It’s always hard leaving behind those you have become attached to and moving forward; however, when forward means leaving Winnemucca it’s not as hard as one would think. Winnemucca is a place in the world that most people pass on their way somewhere else and that is all they know about it. Our family has become very familiar with this vintage town, and now it is the resting place of an old friend, and the keeper of our hearts… (Ok that might be pushing it). Yes “old reliable” come to find out wasn’t so reliable…our 93 Chevy truck is dead with 2 blown cylinders. Most people would turn around and return home defeated after 5 days stranded in such a city, but not us. We drew strength from something most would chalk down as a tragedy and have persevered. I don’t want to leave the impression that Winnemucca is a horrible place, we embraced it and with a little help from Honks (the dollar store) we dominated. The city skate park, cemetery, mammoth bones, and Neanderthal skulls are just a few hidden jewels!

With a new ride we left the past behind. As we sit here tonight singing songs around the camp fire in the Jedediah Smith redwood forest, we realize we have so little time to see so much, and the big AK waits.

We want to send a shout out to: Dave and Joyce for showing us how it’s done in Minnesota, Jim and Kathryn, Rick and Alicia and the rest of the West Coast Loveridge crew, Grandpa Fox, Donna and Carl, and Dave Ean for hooking us up with a great deal on our new ride (05’ Toyota Tundra).