Tag Archives: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

The McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

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Sign warning of danger, dangerous weather and road conditions on the McCarthy Road, in winter, Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska.

Hey Folks

Well, I’ve not got a lot to tell you, unfortunately. For various reasons, none to exciting, I’m in Anchorage until after the holiday. Around the first of the year I’ll be heading to McCarthy. Not for a trip, but for the winter. Update (actually it was 2 awesome winters).

That’s right, I’ll be staying just outside a town that has about 5 people in it during the winter. I’m not sure how often I’ll get internet access, but hopefully I can work that out and stay in touch. For those of you who don’t know much about McCarthy, the photo posted here gives you a little idea.

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Hopscotch above the Chittistone River

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Hiking and trekking above the Chittistone River, Chittistone, Valley, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.,

Hey Folks,

This will be my last post here for a while. I’m heading off to the big wilderness again in the morning. This time, my plan is a little different. I’ll be over in the park until just before Xmas, when I have to return to Anchorage and baby sit 2 dogs, Keba and Musa, until the new year – then I’ll be back over to the park scrounging around in the dark.

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Wildflowers, Chugach Mountains, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Wildflowers, Chugach Mountains, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another photo from my trip this year to Tebay Lakes. We hiked south from the landing strip, at Upper Tebay Lake, and found this ridge on the backside of Tebay Falls, where we camped. I got up early one morning and had a blast shooting the dawn, with an array of wildflowers.

Most mornings there would be an ever so slight breeze, which made it difficult to get closeup photos of the wildflowers, but I managed to get a few that were sharp. Fortunately there were flowers everywhere here – way more than probably anywhere else in the park that I’ve seen.

This little patch of Dwarf Fireweed (the magenta or pink-ish flower here) and Arctic Daisy made a nice foreground for the distant peaks. I’ve never been very good at identifying flowers, but I’m pretty sure these are right. The yellow ones are either Alpine Arnica or Mountain Arnica.

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How to find a campsite, by Carl.

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backpacking campsite, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

There’s a lot of things I’m not good at. I can’t do math (I quit, right around the time our class began studying something they referred to as ‘long division’). I can’t play basketball. I have a black thumb when it comes to all things computer. I’m not good at remembering where I put things ….. BUT!!!! …….

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Alpenglow on Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Alpenglow on Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks

Well, this one will be the last of my current winter in McCarthy series.

This is another photo of the Wrangell Mountains in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Donoho Peak, and the moraine at the toe of Kennicott Glacier and Root Glacier. You can clearly see from the snow that this is wintertime. No disputing that!

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Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another photo from my recent trip to the Wrangells. This is a photo of a couple of chunks of ice. I spent quite a bit of time right around this little area, watching the light – it’s amazing how much it changes in a very short time in the winter here.

I found some great pieces of ice and chunks and walls and all kinds of cool stuff. If it had been summer, I wouldn’t have been able to cross the river and lake to get to this part of the glacier.

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Bremner River, Wrangell St. Elias National Park

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Sunset over the Bremner River, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks

OK – we’ve officially left Denali behind. For a while. I’m going to post some images from Wrangell St. Elias National Park, because it’s been a while .. must be a few weeks at least.

This photo was taken on a backpacking trip I did this August, near Tebay Lakes.

We flew in to the backcountry, after waiting around McCarthy all day for the weather to clear – we’d flown in earlier in the day, only to be turned back by a dense fog, less than a mile from our landing strip — arrgghhh – so close! Then we hiked for 10 days, and had an absolute blast. The weather couldn’t have been better – you know it’s good weather in Alaska when I’m swimming in lakes and showering in waterfalls. The blueberries were out of this world.

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Skolai Pass Tribute

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Mt. Bona, Russell Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks

Thanks so much for all the comments and emails I have had from readers so far, it’s great. I’ll try to keep up and be better about posting images, new and old and writing something about what’s going on. It tickles me that people out there are interested, thank you.

On another note, I would like to write this post in salute to Mr Paul Schoch, from Wisonsin, whom I never met, but wished I had. Mr Schoch went missing in Skolai Pass this fall, in mid-September. I won’t offer details here, other than point to a newspaper story for those of you who aren’t familiar with what happened. Mr Schoch’s tent was spotted, by my father, as we flew over the area looking for him, after Paul hadn’t shown back up at the landing strip for his scheduled pickup.

Newspaper Story

It saddens me that someone came to an unfortunate end in a place I love so much, and to which I return, often more than once, every year. Skolai Pass is possibly my favorite place anywhere. I was so excited to take my parents to this place, and show them a place I hold so deep. At the same time the reality of the wilderness was made perhaps no more evident than by Mr Schoch’s disappearance. It IS wild, rugged and remote country, and from what I’ve read, Paul seems to have valued those kinds of places as I do. In some weird and almost unspeakable way, I think I’d rather come to rest in a place like that than somewhere else.

It serves little purpose for me to speculate as to what may or may not have happened.

What’s important is that his family and friends find some solace knowing their husband, father, or friend, died in a beautifully wild and truly awesome place. I wish them all my most sincere condolences and most heartfelt sympathies. Their grief, I’m sure, is in some way an important part of his death (as grief always is) and also a reflection of his life. To his memory, and to all those who knew and loved him, my deepest regards.

Sincerely

Carl

PS – This photo is of the Russell Glacier, and Mt. Bona, a 16 421 foot high peak, on the south side of Skolai Pass, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.