Day 30 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
Early morning, Denali Highway, 2.5 miles SSE of Peak 4790 – Yesterday’s adventure to Peaks 4790 & 4403 had been a big hit, inspiring aspirations of taking on Peak 5210, or possibly even Tangle Benchmark (5,715 ft.) today. However, just a glance out the window of the G6 told the story. Paxson Mountain (5,226 ft.) was in the clouds, even Peak 4790 looked foggy. A gray mist in all directions. Forget it. Not happening.
Surprisingly, prospects changed during the drive S on the Richardson Highway. The rain stopped, the mists vanished, blue sky appeared! For the second day running, SPHP ignored the turn E on the Tok Cut-off.
Looks like we’re staying in Alaska! So, where are we off to, SPHP?
Can’t leave Alaska on a pretty day like today, Looper! It’s a bit of a drive, but there’s a spot that we’ve been meaning to get to for the past few years. How would you like to visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park?
I thought US national parks didn’t allow Dingoes? You’re not planning to leave me stuck in the G6 all day are you?
Oh, come on! You know I wouldn’t do that to you, Looper! Yeah, it’s true US national parks aren’t normally Dingo friendly, but from what I’ve read online, maybe we can get away with a little more in Kennecott? Sounds like maybe no one would object if you had a look at the Root Glacier. Shall we go check it out?
The Root Glacier? We’re all for glaciers, aren’t we, SPHP? Sure, let’s do it! But if they won’t let me in, we’ll just turn around, OK? Unless you can take a real quick look.
Hah! Won’t be any quick look, Loop. First there’s some sort of shuttle bus ride, and then a trail that goes to the glacier. It’s a deal, though! If you aren’t allowed in the park, we’ll find something else to do.
10 miles S of the junction with the Glenn Highway E of Glenallen, SPHP stopped briefly at the Copper Center Visitor Center, headquarters for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, to fill a few water bottles. A map was posted near the entrance showing McCarthy Road, which Lupe would be traveling to get close to Kennecott where the trail to the Root Glacier started.
11:14 AM, 57ºF, Klutina River, MP 101 of the Richardson Highway – S of the Copper River Visitor Complex, the Richardson Highway crossed the Klutina River. Lupe was ready for a break from the G6. Since there was a place to park and access to the river, this seemed like a good spot to stretch those Dingo legs and have a sniff.
Unfortunately, the sky was now looking a bit stormy off to the E, calling the whole Root Glacier idea into question.
With the sky all gloomy over the Wrangell Range, there wasn’t any point in stopping at the Willow Lake viewpoint. Mount Drum (12,010 ft.), Mount Wrangell (14,163 ft.), and all the other white giants were socked in among the clouds. The weather was still decent along the Richardson Highway, though, so SPHP kept driving S.
The L (E) turn onto the Edgerton Highway came 5 miles S of Willow Lake. A sign said it was 94 miles to McCarthy. The Edgerton Highway was in beautiful shape. The first half dozen miles were arrow straight and went ENE descending a huge slope in a series of drops. The highway then leveled out and curved SE, eventually climbing a bluff overlooking the Copper River.
The Edgerton Highway continued SE on mountain slopes following the Copper River valley, but the river was seldom in view. Eventually the road left the river, winding S down a long valley where it passed 3 deep narrow lakes before arriving at the little community of Chitina.
Chitina was the official end of the 33 mile long Edgerton Highway. The road turned E here, and the pavement ended. Ahead was a gap blasted through solid rock that was only one lane wide. If there had been any on-coming traffic, a wait until it cleared would have been necessary.
The narrow gap was short. When the G6 emerged on the other side, Lupe found herself at the confluence of the Copper and Chitina Rivers. This was the start of the 60 mile long McCarthy Road and an amazing sight! Although low this time of year, both rivers still had considerable flow and impressive giant riverbeds.
McCarthy Road was gravel. Beyond the gap, it immediately turned NE hugging the base of a steep mountainside for nearly a mile before reaching a bridge over the Copper River.
After crossing the bridge, McCarthy Road turned E along some bluffs overlooking yet another river. The Kotsina River was much smaller, but also had an impressive braided-channel floodplain. The Kotsina joined the Copper River only a mile upstream of the Chitina River confluence. Worth another stop!
Beyond the Kotsina River, McCarthy Road wound up onto a forested ridge. Gravel turned to chip seal, a most definite improvement despite numerous rough breaks and pot-holes. About 4 miles from the Kotsina, a fabulous view of the Chitina River appeared on the R.
McCarthy Road now proceeded E through forested territory. Another 10 miles or so brought Lupe to the most famous point along McCarthy Road, the single lane bridge over the Kuskulana River.
The Kuskulana bridge had a metal support structure, but the roadbed was constructed of heavy wooden planks. The planks looked practically brand new. Very reassuring! The river itself was so deep in a heavily timbered valley that Lupe scarcely saw it, although SPHP drove super slowly while crossing the bridge.
After crossing the Kuskulana bridge, the chip seal ended. Gravel all the rest of the way! Potholes, washboardy, some stretches not real good. The usual sort of thing, but nothing impassable or out of the ordinary. McCarthy Road continued E or SE through some beautiful territory. Lupe saw two swans on Chokosna Lake.
The next point of interest was the Gilahina Trestle at the Gilahina River, which was little more than a creek. The wooden trestle, a good portion of which was still intact, was built during the winter of 1910. The trestle was once part of the Copper River & Northwestern Railway serving the Kennecott copper mine in the early 20th century.
Slow and scenic, McCarthy Road went on and on. Intermittent rain fell. The G6 had to ford 2 streams. Fortunately, neither was more than a foot deep. In one case, a beaver dam right next to the road was holding back water more than a foot higher than McCarthy Road itself.
SPHP drove past many signs saying “entering” or “leaving” Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, reflecting the existence of numerous stretches of private property. Homes, lodges, campgrounds, cabins for rent, tire repair businesses, and even small air strips all became increasingly frequent.
McCarthy Road finally started going downhill. Several miles later, the road leveled out. SPHP stopped at a visitor information station on the L. The little office was locked, but information was posted outside.
Criminy! Dingoes weren’t allowed on the shuttle vans. That meant a 5 mile march up to the old Kennecott mill town before Lupe could even start on the trail to the Root Glacier. 60 miles on McCarthy Road had taken 2.5 hours with all the stops. Already after 3:00 PM!
A little farther along McCarthy Road was another visitor center. Why two? Maybe this second one was privately owned? This visitor center was clearly open. Outside a sign said free day use parking, or $5.00 overnight. SPHP drove on by to the end of McCarthy Road which wasn’t much farther. On the L was some sort of campground. A sign said “base camp”. Straight ahead was a long metal footbridge, the only way across the huge silty torrent of glacial meltwater comprising the fast-flowing Kennecott River.
We’re probably doomed Loop. Think we’ve arrived too late to see the Root Glacier today, since they won’t let you on the shuttle buses. Shall we try walking to Kennecott? Probably more sensible to wait until tomorrow, but who knows what the weather will be like then? Been sort of rainy on the way here. Might easily be worse tomorrow.
Up to you, SPHP. You’re the one who takes forever and a day, and will have to hurry. I know I can get there easily enough. If we don’t make it, we can always try again tomorrow, weather permitting.
Alrighty then. Let’s stash the G6 back at that free day parking place, and get after it. We can always turn back, if getting to the Root Glacier starts looking completely hopeless.
3:34 PM, 61ºF, free day parking visitor center near the end of McCarthy Road – Throw everything in the pack and go! SPHP didn’t even bother stopping by the visitor center. Loopster was on her way to the Root Glacier! The end of McCarthy Road was only a short walk from here.
Turned out there were two long metal footbridges, one after another. The second bridge went over a dry wash. Perhaps an abandoned channel of the Kennecott River, or one that only flowed during the spring melt when the river was high?
At the end of the second footbridge, a path on a level ridge paralleled a road that was a bit lower off to the L. The path was hundreds of feet long and passed an outhouse before rejoining the road a little beyond it. This appeared to be the point where shuttle buses picked up or dropped off lucky ticket holders.
Of course, that fortunate group did not include Lupe or SPHP. A long road hike was ahead. Still 4.5 miles up to Kennecott! 10 minutes on the road brought Lupe to an intersection. Here another road went hard R to McCarthy. Even though McCarthy must have been quite close, Lupe was in a rush. The American Dingo simply didn’t have time to check it out.
SPHP tried to walk fast. The road to Kennecott went gradually uphill. The day was getting sunnier, and the forced march began to feel mighty warm. Progress seemed both good and insufficient. Precious time was ticking away! Shuttle buses full of happy passengers zoomed by every 10 minutes or so, stirring up dust. A few passengers waved cheerfully at the two suckers along the road.
Private vehicles went by with some regularity, too. Apparently there was plenty of private property even over on this side of the Kennecott River. As the road started climbing at a faster clip, Lupe began passing cabins and vacation homes. Exactly how all these vehicles that kept coming and going got over here to begin with was a mystery.
The situation wasn’t looking good. The road hike was taking way too long. Hopes were fading when a white pickup slowed, then stopped. Need a ride? Sure! SPHP offered to pay. Unnecessary. Lupe and SPHP were invited to hop up into the back of the pickup. It still took a little while to get to Kennecott. Loop couldn’t have been more than halfway when her benefactor had arrived.
Ah, yes! This was the life! Zooming along effortlessly, Lupe rode facing into the breeze. At Kennecott, she got formally introduced to Robert, who had so kindly stopped for her. Robert had a cabin somewhere in the area, and had spent most of the summer here. He was on his way to the big hotel in Kennecott for dinner.
After many thanks, Robert went on his way. Lupe and SPHP had a look around. Robert had dropped the lucky Dingo off at the entrance to the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark.
As historic old mining operations go, Kennecott was easily by far the most impressive example Lupe and SPHP had ever seen! Many huge old buildings were perched along a steep hillside overlooking the Kennecott Glacier. Some of these buildings were rotting away into various states of disrepair, but others had been remodeled and were in use for various functions. Concession stands, tour guides, equipment rentals, a shuttle ticket booth, and souvenir shops were all open.
A more thorough exploration of Kennecott would have been fun, but even with Robert’s help, Lupe still didn’t have any time to spare. An area trail map showed the American Dingo needed to head N on the one main street running through Kennecott. Robert was already up at the Kennecott Glacier Lodge overlooking the main drag, enjoying a drink while waiting for dinner. He shouted and waved as Lupe and SPHP went by.
The enormous Kennecott Glacier could be seen between some of the buildings Lupe was going by. Completely covered with dirt and rock, the Kennecott Glacier didn’t even look like a glacier, more like a vast gravel pit gone wild. A strange and desolate scene, and a dangerous region!
At the N end of Kennecott, the street narrowed down to a nice level jeep or ATV trail. A scenic 15 minute stroll through the forest brought Lupe to a junction.
Signs for 4 different trails were at the junction. The Jumbo Mine and Bonanza Mine trails went to the R. Those trails were big climbs up to more abandoned mining operations. Lupe went L, sticking with the Root Glacier and Erie Mine trails.
Not far from the junction, Loop crossed a wooden bridge over Bonanza Creek. The trail was still flat and easy, but remained in the forest. The Carolina Dog was 15 minutes beyond the junction when she finally got a good glimpse of the Kennecott Glacier again. A couple minutes later, the view really opened up. Donoho Peak (6,696 ft.) was in sight beyond the confluence of the Root and Kennecott Glaciers!
Another 5 minutes brought Lupe to a big gash in the hillside she was on created by Jumbo Creek. The trail went steeply up along the near side of the gash, before dropping down a bit to cross Jumbo Creek right below a waterfall. Lupe spent several minutes exploring the waterfall before taking a narrow bridge over the stream.
Immediately beyond the Jumbo Creek bridge, a short very narrow stretch of trail traversed a steep slope. The sure-pawed Carolina Dog had no problem with it. Even SPHP managed to trudge across in one piece. 8 minutes from Jumbo Creek, Loop came to another junction.
The Root Glacier and Erie Mine trails parted ways here. Off to the L, the Root Glacier trail went down to the glacier, which wasn’t very far away. In fact, it was possible to rent crampons back in Kennecott and venture right out onto the Root Glacier, but SPHP hadn’t done that.
Lupe’s mission was to get all the way to the end of the Erie Mine trail, which continued on up the valley paralleling the Root Glacier. At the end, if the American Dingo got that far, she would have a grand view of the Stairway Icefall coming down from vast snowfields surrounding splendid Regal Mountain (13,845 ft.).
A little beyond the junction, Loop crossed a plank bridge over Amazon Creek, last of the 3 streams she would have to get over. So nice that they all had bridges!
The Erie Mine trail stayed well above the Root Glacier all the time. At first, the glacier was seldom in sight as the trail often passed through forests behind a lateral moraine. Once in a while, the trail ventured up onto the moraine. During these stretches, Lupe often caught glimpses of the glacier.
The sun was getting low. The need for speed never let up. As the Erie Mine trail went on and on, the vegetation began to thin out. The trail spent more time up on the lateral moraine. Views of the Root Glacier started opening up, and continued to improve as Lupe headed N.
Occasionally the path still strayed back into the forest. Now whenever the Erie Mine trail returned to the lateral moraine, Lupe had panoramic views. From the edge, loose slopes plunged down to meltwater pools flanking the Root Glacier.
Portions of the lateral moraine had collapsed. A steep slope prevented Lupe from seeing farther up the valley. The Erie Mine trail went up and around the missing moraine. Part of Stairway Icefall was now in sight! However, a mountainside jutting out to the W still frustrated Lupe’s hopes of getting a completely unobstructed view.
Whether it would even be possible to get around that next bend wasn’t clear. The top of the lateral moraine became very skinny. Even parts of the trail had collapsed. Lupe had to go 20 or 30 feet down a steep bank into a little valley on the E side of the moraine to avoid a treacherously unstable portion of the trail perched on the brink of disaster.
A porcupine was in the way. Lupe wisely stayed away from it, but the porcupine took its sweet time sauntering off what now served as a trail. No official trail was down here, but hikers had evidently been this way. After getting past a 200 or 300 foot stretch of unsafe moraine, Loopster returned to the top again.
200 feet farther, the trail again left the moraine. Looper was in a rocky ditch. Two thick steel cables hung so low over the trail that SPHP had to duck. Unseen somewhere 3,000 feet higher up the mountain to the R (E) was the Erie Mine.
Beyond the cables, the path quickly led back to a barren spot with a bit of room up on top of the lateral moraine. Success! This had to be it! Lupe had reached the end of the Erie Mine trail.
Further advance beyond this point looked feasible, but time-consuming. Ahead a steeply angled rock wall promised to put an end to that option before too long.
Two boards were laying next to the drop-off at the end of the barren spot, perhaps both to signal the official end of the trail and serve as a warning. This was good enough, anyway. Lupe finally had her clear view of the Stairway Icefall at the upper end of the Root Glacier!
Unfortunately, low clouds completely hid mighty Regal Mountain and the vast snowfields above Stairway Icefall that fed the Root Glacier. Nothing to be done about that. Already 8:00 PM. The sun was about to sink into a bank of clouds near the horizon. Lupe was lucky to have made it to the end of the Erie Mine trail in time to see anything at all.
What could be seen was still tremendously impressive! From the end of the Erie Mine trail, the Carolina Dog had a sweeping view of the entire Root Glacier from the Stairway Icefall clear down the valley all the way back to its confluence with the Kennecott Glacier.
Sadly not much time to enjoy this magnificent spot. Those tricky points along the trail made it important to get back past them before dark. Lupe could take a short break, though. She relaxed having a Taste of the Wild dinner, while enjoying the fabulous Root Glacier view.
The sun vanished. 20 minutes gone. Better get with it. If it hadn’t been for Robert, Lupe would never have made it this far.
On the way back, the porcupine was hogging the trail again. It scurried away as Lupe and SPHP approached, but refused to leave the Erie Mine trail. Scurry? I meant amble. Porcupines rarely see any need to rush. This one certainly didn’t. Come on, come on! For hundreds of feet, Lupe followed the porcupine at a safe distance while it plodded S at a most distinguished pace.
The porcupine finally ceded the trail to the American Dingo. From then on the return was a race back while the light still held. Fun times, as long as the Root Glacier was still visible in the gathering gloom.
Pitch dark long before Lupe got back to Kennecott. A few scattered lights in the old mining mill town, but not a soul out and about. Downhill all the way now to the footbridges over the Kennecott River. A weary 5 mile tramp, but so what? McCarthy Road, Kennecott, the Erie Mine trail had all been a terrific success.
Best of all, a certain beloved Carolina Dog really had seen the ancient Stairway Icefall that still feeds Alaska’s fabulous Root Glacier! (9-4-19, 12:48 AM)
Links:
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Root Glacier Trail & Erie Mine Trail Description & Map
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