Wrangell St. Elias wonder, and Alaska, at last

Day 7, part 1: Whitehorse, Yukon to Northway, Alaska

The weather was finally better today. The sky was still full of multiple layers of broken cloud, but the instability and moisture had worked itself out. The passes to get to the southeast coast were still solid IFR, but flying over the top was now a possibility. Regardless, I stuck with the decision to bail on the southeast coast and move into the Anchorage area to meet my wife who would arrive in a few days. The local weather briefer gave me some suggestions the day prior for glaciers to tour as a side-trip from the Alcan, and I planned to do an abbreviated tour - perhaps a 20-minute detour or so - before stopping in Northway, Alaska to clear customs and then proceed from there.

After departing Whitehorse the first "cool!" moment was sighting Lake Laberge, of Sam McGee fame. I'm not someone with an extensive knowledge or even appreciation of poetry, but that one always stuck with me. I could only imagine traveling through here, in the dead of winter with a dog-sled. Being someone raised in a tropical environment who has lived through one solid winter in eastern Idaho (though its no Yukon, I got to experience snow covering the ground for 4 months straight, and catching the school bus at -20F), I could identify with Sam.

Lake Laberge

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who toil for gold; 
  The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
  Was that night on the marge of Lake Laberge
I cremated Sam McGee.

 - Robert Service

The scenery quickly took a more rugged character as the mountains west of the highway grew in stature and ferocity as they formed the 'foothills' of the approaching Wrangell and St. Elias ranges protected in the Kluane national park (on the Canadian side, Wrangell St. Elias park on the Alaska side). Atop this range, a vast icefield feeds vast glaciers down in every direction.

My plan was to planned to depart the highway near Haines Junction, and fly up the Kuskawulsh Glacier as far as I could, and weather permitting hop over to and fly down the Donjek Glacier and river to rejoin the Alcan norhwest of Burwash. The weather cooperated with this plan, and in short, it was one of the most spectacular flights I've experienced. The photos tell the story better than I ever could.

"Foothills" of the St. Elias range, near Haines Junction

Enroute up the Kulkawulsh River, I divere from the Alcan. This smaller range separates the high country from the Alcan highway

My first look at the present-day terminus of the Kuskawulsh Glacier

Each valley coming down from the icefield above had glaciers spilling out, with cloud spilling down over them

Kuskawulsh after its last main tributary (the south arm) joined it

Turning one's head from the main show, scenes like this would distract you right and left

Tributaries converging

Closeup of convergence

Eventually things were obscured by deck of stratus clouds. Mt. Logan, Canada's highest peak only about 500' shorter than Denali dominated the background though it was still many miles distant.

Taking a glance back at where I'd come from

Spillage from the ice field above into the Kuskawulsh

Glacial recession

Donjek Glacier terminus

More Donjek

Donjek calving into the river below

Donjek

One need not look far to see signs of how quickly these glaciers are receding. My aeronautical chart showed this one extending down to where the large area of grey debris now lies

Following this breathtaking diversion I rejoined the Alcan highway over still beautiful, but much more mundane terrain to cross the American border and land at Northway to clear customs; the inspection lasted all of a minute as I showed the agent my passport and he went around the airplane with what looked like a Geiger counter, because you know, there must be a huge threat of sneaking fissile material in from Canada.