MOUNTAINS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
We sit on our roof terrace, somewhere along the Denali Highway and enjoy one of the never-ending sunsets overlooking the snowy mountains. It never really gets dark in the north of Alaska. We look back on our trip so far and think about the people we met and are happy about the adventures we already experienced. The Denali Highway is not an expressway as the name would suggest, but a gravel road with many potholes which leads 200 kilometers through breathtaking landscape.
HIGHEST PEAK IN NORTH AMERICA
Some days before we visited the Denali national park and were fortunate to see the mountain which gives the park its name in full glory and with no clouds. This is only granted to 30% of all visitors. We believe the mountain wanted to show us Swiss how beautiful it looks. And in fact, we are thrilled by its majestic glory. We continue to dive into the mountains of Alaska with its endless expanses and snowy peaks.
MORE MOUNTAINS
Another bumpy track leads us into the Wrangell – St. Elias national park. We visit an abandoned copper mine on the edge of a mighty glacier. It’s not hard to imagine how tough life must have been over 100 years ago digging for copper here, far away from everything. Again, we are very fortunate: people tell us we chose the nicest day of the year so far and so we’re hiking on the giant glacier which reaches far down into the valley in bright sunshine and blue sky.
HEATWAVE
A bit surprised we meet on the glacier an Alaskan woman in hot pants, bikini top and hiking boots only… Up here in the north, they call it a heatwave once the temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius. A little later, a member of the First Nation tells us while shopping in the supermarket with a laugh, that she needs a new home because her igloo melted in this heat. This is most likely a sure sign that summer has arrived in Alaska ?
If the heat becomes too big, one can always visit one of the countless glaciers in Alaska. Some are within walking distance, others can only be visited by boat. In Valdez, we take a boat trip with the Lu-Lu Belle to visit the Columbia Glacier, which lets its ice fall into the sea. But more of that in our next blog, after all we’re still sitting on our rooftop terrace and tomorrow we continue our drive along the bumpy Denali highway.
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