Busy Busy Busy

As many of you know the summer is my busy season. This year has been especially busy with big fires burning all over Alaska. I haven't had much time or much inclination to get out and take photos so far.

I had made reservations at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge a while ago, so that finally motivated me to get out of town for my time off. Unfortunately the smoke from the many fires found it's way all the way down to McCarthy too. Smoke kills the strength of the sun and kills contrast.

Kennicott is a copper mining community that overcame the harsh weather and tough terrain to mine a "mountain of green"(copper). Kennicott was the company town, McCarthy was it's unchaste cousin down the road.
Copper was discovered in those mountains with the help of the Ahtna people who have been inhabiting the Copper River valley for years. A rail needed to be built to get the copper to market. The railroad (CR&NW, Copper River and NorthWestern, was nicknamed the "Can't Run and Never Will) a very difficult build and still provides the roadbed from Chitina to the mill.

Here are some photos from my trip:

Copper Center Cemetery, you can see the smoke obscuring the sky.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...IMG_1642-3.jpg

Gilahina Trestle on the CR&NW RR. The smoke was still very thick on this portion of the road.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...IMG_1647-8.jpg

From the end of the road. The road ends at the Kennicott river and from there a footbridge provides access to McCarthy and Kennicott. After the bridge shuttles allow transportation to the towns of McCarthy and Kennicott.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...MG_1651-12.jpg

The powerplant at Kennicott. The park service has been slowly restoring and shoring the many buildings in Kennicott. Those furnaces and boilers are huge, there are four of them, one for each smokestack.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...MG_1663-22.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...MG_1667-26.jpg

The Root Glacier
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...MG_1689-48.jpg

The Mill is the centerpiece of Kennicott. It's built on the side of a steep mountain and is 13 stories high.
From the railbed:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1761-110.jpg

The General Managers Office and residence below the mill. The GM's office was one of the nicest residences in town and provides and excellent view of the valley below.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1752-101.jpg

The power plant in front of the mill.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...kottMill-1.jpg

A view from the top of the mill.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1777-126.jpg

The top of the mill from National Creek. National Creek flooded in 2006 and caused quit a bit of damage to the hospital, east bunkhouse, and assay office as well as destroying the train trestle. The trestle is being rebuilt, but I'm afraid the bunkhouse, hospital, and assay office are beyond restoration.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1771-120.jpg

Assay office (below) and hospital.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1755-104.jpg

East Bunkhouse
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...G_1754-103.jpg

If you come to Alaska, I highly recommend a trip down the 60 mile McCarthy road to see McCarthy and Kennicott. The Kennicott Glacier Lodge is a really nice lodge with all of the amenities, albeit shared private baths, but that's pretty normal for Alaska. There are many tours, hikes, and photographic opportunities in McCarthy and Kennicott.

Great stuff here! I really like the -->The power plant in front of the mill image.Stay safe, get those fires subdued.Thanks for sharing.

Rick

Thank you for the tour. Fascinating place I'd love to explore. Nature always wins eventually.
Good luck with the fires.

Wow wow wow! Great stuff really enjoyed the excellent images but also found you narrative very interesting.