Reed Lakes Snowbird Mine

This trail is just East of Palmer, Ak in the high country of the Talkeetna Mountains.

Trailhead

I think the elevation profile of this trail is a little off but it was a very enjoyable hike.  Would have been more enjoyable if I had my new boots but unfortunately they do not arrive at REI until tomorrow.  I have worn out my boots to the point that the soles are almost slick!  The sole on the right food is also separating from the boot which makes the fit a little uncomfortable.

Lots of wildlife, of course this is Alaska.  However, this was my first Bull Moose at least with antlers that I have seen. This picture was also taken with a 300mm lens so I really was not as close as it seams.

This little gem of a hunting cabin can be YOURS!  I'm also selling a bridge too if your interested.

Actually this is the last shall we say slightly used cabin of the Snowbird Mine Village.

The trail up to this point has been very nice easy trail as you can see 3-4' wide and smooth gravel

They even had a nice rock hop setup over the creek so our feet did not get wet.







This picture show where we started, see the cabin in the left picture?








 
 In the right picture you can see some more remains from the mine.  The peaks behind those remains is "kinda" where we are headed only out of picture range to the left.







Some more remains of the mine this picture is above the previous picture.









The entrances to the mine.  No you don't enter way too dangerous!

Our destination

Getting closer

 A view from our "destination"  It is another hour to the pass, we decided not to push on.  Reed Lake is to the left in the picture.  The remains of the mine shown in previous pictures is below the ridge.

Happy hikers at the top!   Kristen, Jane, Tom and Ron

 

 At least in one spot we found a faster way down the mountain....... everyone had a wet tush after this ride!

Valdez, AK (Part 2)

Last night was the first night that I have see stars since last May!  Beautiful and will be getting brighter and brighter the closer we get to Fall.  Last night at midnight it was actually dark out....... nice.

Up and back on the road about 8am with the first order of business is to get a cup of coffee.  Closest town is Chitina about an hour away.  As we get close to town a Brown Bear (Grizzly) runs across the road from right to left just missing the car!  I had my camera in hand but could not react fast enough before it was down the slope and gone!  My first sighting of a Grizzly and he or she was running like a scared cat across the road!

Worthington Glacier

Salmon at the Valdez hatchery

Horseshoe Falls

 Mama bear feasting on pink salmon for dinner.  If you look close you can see she has one in her mouth.  She will take that to the side rip it up a bit and then let her cubs eat.

Valdez Glacier - Need to bring my kayak back here!

Valdez, AK (part 1 Kennecott Mine)

This trip is going to take me to Valdez, AK.  Valdez is only about 120 miles away from Anchorage, if your flying that is.  For those of us that have to drive it is 300 miles away.  Taking the Glenn Highway all the way to Glenallen and then south on the Richardson Highway.

About 30 miles south of Glenallen is the McCarthy Road 30 miles of pavement will get you to Chitina, AK.  Chitina was a supply town for the Kennecott Mine and the Copper River Northwestern Railway when the mine closed down so did the town.

We needed a few supplies for dinner that night so we stopped at the local grocery store which was (my best guess) a cargo storage container.  It does not look like much from the outside but the inside was clean and neat with a very friendly clerk.

Yes, paid quite a bit for some cheese and a bell pepper but to be expected considering where I'm at.

 
The picture to the right is the view of downtown Chitina.  The building on the left is the Hotel and the blue building on the right is Spirit Mountain Artwork.

There is another building to the left of the hotel across the street which is there local wifi.  I didn't stop and try it but I assume it is a pay as you go type.

This is actually a picture from the return trip as you can see the town of Chitina in the background but this marks the gravel road portion of the trip.  The road is narrow in places and slippery when wet.  They say the rails have long been removed but as you drive you can see where some rails are still just under the gravel and in other places you can see the rails laying along the road.

Always share the road.

The gravel portion is about 60 miles long, no service stations and very few homes.







This is the Kennecott Mine.  The mine was supposed to be named after the town and the glacier which was named after Robert Kennicott, an early Alaskan explorer, but the company name was misspelled.

In 1900 the original claim belonged to Jack Smith and Clarence Warner, two prospectors who spotted a large green spot on the mountain.  What looked like a green patch of grass turned out to be one of the richest deposits of copper ore ever found.


Really did not plan this one just driving and lets see what is here but if I were to plan this one down I would plan on spending at least one night at the glacier.  Fantastic camp sites just off the glacier so we had just enough time to hike back, climb up on top of the glacier and then head back down.  Didn't even bring the crampons so the walk on the glacier was slick!

With only about 20 minutes to spare, just enough time to get a cold beer from the Kennicott Hotel and then catch the taxi/van back down to McCarthy which is pictured to the left.

It was now almost 8pm and not looking forward to finding a camp site and making dinner when we found The Golden Saloon!  I paid $16 for a very good chicken sandwich and fires here, now some would say that this was an expensive sandwich but I have paid $12 for a hamburger and and fires in Anchorage and they didn't have to haul all there supplies in 100 miles from the main road, 180 miles from Valdez!  So I didn't think it was a bad price at all!

The rail road played a big part in this historic town so I should mention a little about it because without the rail road 200 million dollars worth of copper ore would have never been mined here.  The rail road was called the CR & NW but was nick named "Can't Run and Never Will"  Guess they were wrong!

The mine operated until 1938 when they could no longer compete with the falling prices of copper and the last train service was later in the year when it transported out most of the remaining residents.  In 1941 the mining company voluntarily gave the CR & NW right-of-way to the federal government for the purpose of creating a public highway to McCarthy.  Today Kennicott and McCarthy are privately owned and surrounded by the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, established in 1980

The taxi had quit running for the day so it was about a two mile walk downhill and across two bridges back to the car and about an hour drive before we found a good campsite for the night.  Long day for sure but I'm sure glad we decided to take this "little" Alaskan side trip off the main road.

To be continued, Part 2 in Valdez.  More glaciers, Moose, Brown Bears, Black Bears with cubs, salmon and yes more!