Pictures From Alaska

Jamie and I took a trip to McCarthy, Alaska this summer to visit my sister. McCarthy is a small town (pop. 42) about 300 miles east of Anchorage. It was a copper mining town in the early 20th century, but was abandoned in the 1930's. It is nestled in Wrangell-St. Elias national park which is the largest national park in America. It boasts 9 of the 16 tallest peaks in America and the largest icefall in the world. My sister works for a pilot there and lives with no running water and electricity only from a generator. It's about 120 miles to the nearest grocery store, hospital, and police station and 60 miles to the nearest paved road. A nice escape from the city!


Jamie at the airport	The Anchorage Airport at 1:30 AM	The truck that will take us the 300 miles from Anch to McCarthy


The Matanuska River from the road	Our wheel after it flew off the truck at 1:00 AM	A closer view


The tiny camper we planned on staying in for three weeks	The inside of the camper after unpacking	Jamie looking cute in the camper


The cabin we scored (the tiny camper just wasn't working out)	The cabin came with a cat...	...and had a nearby water source...	...that could also be used to chill drinks.


Jamie on the Root Glacier	Me on the Root Glacier	A moulin on the root glacier

Moraine (a thin layer of rocks on top of ice)

"We walked all the way across that?!"

Jamie with a wet butt from sliding on the glacier


The old copper mill building	Jamie helping with dinner	Rocks on my back


A cairn we built	Me shooting ice	Jamie on her bike


Me flying a kite	Me in Sam's wood burning hot tub	Wild raspberries


Me with Kitty AKA Growler AKA Jesabelle AKA Jessie ...	I can't quite seem to get the ten second delay thing down.	Jamie and I hanging out on the front porch


Live music in Kennicott	Me and my sister, Jenny	Athena dancing with her baby, Tahna


Jamie on the plane on the way to our backcountry trip	The plane leaving us in the middle of nowhere	Jamie ready for adventure


On the hunt for clean water	Bear Track	Jamie shooting rocks


Clean water found!	Time to set up camp...	... and collect firewood


Dinner with a view	The fire pit we built	Jamie in the tent


Trying to build a bridge	The clouds began to roll in...	...so I gave up on the bridge and crossed the old fashioned way.


Waterfall on the other side of the river	A rainy dinner	A cloudy morning


Iceburgs at the end of the Nizina Glacier	Waiting for the plane to pick us up	The plane arrives


Nizina River from above	The end of the Nizina Glaicer and beginning of the Nizina River from above	Mile-High Cliffs from above


Kitty on my back	Jamie looking like a bee	Layla fetching rocks


My sister hoola hooping	Me hoola hooping	Bear ribs marinating


Jamie enjoying the view on the way to the historic Jumbo Mine (an abandoned copper mine from the '20s perched up in the mountains)	Jamie scrambling up to the tram station	A pile of cables at the tram station


The engine that pulled the trams	The second floor of the tram station	Some artifacts

Jamie on the "porch" of the tram station

Me on the "porch" of the tram station

Me on the third floor of the tram station


Jamie beginning to get fatigued on the way to the mine	Keep pushing, Jamie, we're almost there.	We made it!


Me in an overturned outhouse from the '20s.	A boot from the '20s	A creek transitioning from above-ground to below-ground.


Me sipping water	Awww, how cute	Kitty poopin' in a makeshift litterbox at my sister's house


My sister on her dock with her house in the background	My sister's front yard	Me getting water thrown at me at the airport