Andrew goes to Alaska - Part III.


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If you only check out one photo, make it the eagle!!

Some typical Southcentral scenery, west of Palmer.

Well, here's my adventure for the summer. If you know me, you know I have an ongoing love affair with Alaska. I spent a full 2 weeks there this time, at the beginning of July. My good friend Vince joined me the first week, and the second week I fished, explored, and wrestled a grizzly. That's almost all true.









If you love the outdoors, there is no where I have been that comes remotely close to the Alaskan experience. Skip the cruises, IMO seeing the real Alaska on your own agenda, and away from the crowds, is the only way to go. What God made in 7 days, I couldn't dream up in a million years. I always come away truly humbled, and refreshed.





Eagle and Symphony lakes are both glacially fed, but Eagle (on the right) has much more "rock flour"sediment, giving it that greenish blue glacial look. Symphony is about 50% meltwater, and is clear blue water you can drink straight from the lake. This hike was 16+ miles and 6,000 ft of elevation change (3,000 up & 3,000 down), and I did it in a 13 hour continuous round trip, not a bad feat for a Midwesterner! The view made it all worthwhile. Climbing up into the clouds is not an experience you get in Michigan.....















Horsetail falls near Valdez. They say everything is bigger in Texas, but I think Alaska takes that cake. This fall is ~150ft wide at the bottom.




Momma bear looking for salmon near Valdez...we ran into "junior" a little while later!

That's a story for another time.....

A view of Anchorage, a surprisingly modern city of 1/4 million people. This is from Flattop mountain area, a popular day hike. A 10 acre fire was burning this day in a greenbelt park.

The Great One, Denali. What else can I say....

A few fun Denali facts:

It's the highest mountain face in the world, over a 10,000 foot near vertical rise on the north side, the infamous "Wickersham Wall".

Temperatures of -150ºF have been endured by mountaineers crazy enough to tackle it in the winter.

Because the atmosphere is thinner near the poles, the air pressure at its 20,320 foot summit is equal to 22-23,000 feet for mountains elsewhere.

I haven't climbed it, but a guy can dream......

Plants hanging on at the edge of life. 300 feet higher, it was all rock and snow.

A fantastic sunset, midnight, Talkeetna.

Matanuska Glacier

Worthington Glacier, north of Valdez.