We boarded the train which was quite cramped with all of our carry on backpacks and while Peter and I had some space under our seats Cheryl and John did not which meant that they had stuff around their feet as well as John having to have his camera bag on the table the whole time. He didn't seem to mind as he used it as a head rest during the journey.
Each of the train carriages had their own crew consisting of a guide, a waiter and a cook for any of the snacks which required a bit of basic cooking. Our guide Ester was a 70 year old retired school principal and while she was very knowledgeable her commentary did get a bit much at times. As we left Whittier she explained about the port and that there only 220 people who love there and they all live in the one building which is a block of apartments up from the port. Whittier was used by the US army in WW2 where they constructed a military base named Camp Sullivan. It was inactive base until 1960 but once the army moved out the population declined.
On Good Friday 1964 Whittier suffered over $10 million worth of damage in a 9.2 magnitude earthquake. This caused tsunamis along the West coast of the US and the tsunami that hit Whittier reached a height of 13m and killed 13 people. As a result of that areas along the railway which Ester pointed out changed forever and a lot of the trees died due to the inundation of salt water.
Whittier is a popular disembarkation port for many cruise lines and with the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel through the Maynard Mountain it links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with Whittier and is the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.
As we go along on our journey Ester continues with her commentary about every little thing along the rail line which is great but after awhile it does start to get a bit much.
We arrive in Talkeetna which is where we will connect with the first of our land accommodations Mt McKinley Princess Lodge. When we left Whittier it was quite cold and windy but when we arrive in Talkeetna it is very warm. We drop off our backpacks and coats at one of the local businesses which must make a killing every time one of the trains come as they charge $1 per bag to store them at the back of their store. It is great though as it means we don't have to carry a lot of stuff while looking around this quirky little town. We make our way to the pub for sme lunch and there are heaps of people around but it is only a short wait to get seated and have a yummy lunch before a short walk around the town. Now we were told it wouldn't take long to walk around town and they weren't wrong.
We make our way back to the shuttle stop to go back to our accommodation at the lodge which is an hour bus ride from town. When we arrive we dump our stuff and have a look around making our way to the back deck of the lodge to see a sight that only few people have - Denali or Mt McKinley!
We wanted to go for a walk along one of the trails which fan out from the lodge but unfortunately it was closed due to animal activity which most likely meant a moss was on the loose.
To fill our time here we decided to book a tour for the following day to Byers Lake.
A pub dinner and then bed after a long day of travelling.
Day 2
Our day started with a tour of Byers Lake with our tour guide Annie. We were a small group which was nice. Our first stop was at Denali South Lookout and we were fortunate to be able to see the mountain again from this viewpoint. The lookout also afforded a great look at one of the many braided rivers in the area.
We set off again and along the way we see a mother and baby moose by the roadside. Annie slows right down and they walk across the road in front of us. A very Northern Exposure moment.
We arrived at the lake and set off on one of the many trails. The lake is beautiful and it was a lovely morning for a walk. As we walk around Annie points out a cabin which is owned by the park but which people can rent for $60 a night. Think of camping but with a solid roof. Very rustic indeed.
As we go along the trail Annie points out a lot the plants that are edible and tells us some interesting things about what the native Athabascans used some of the plants for.
One of these is this fungi that grows on the side of trees (see above) and it is a shell shape and the Athabascans would use it to carry the coal of a fire from place to place so that when they arrived they would be able to start a fire when they arrived.
Further along the trail we come upon and original trappers cabin which was built in 1959 and abandoned in 1964 and is now being left to go back to nature.
The views across the lake we stunning and the day before was a clear blue hot day so Annie told us that a lot of people were at the lake with their kayak and canoes and also swimming. Some people even drive from Anchorage for the day her dad being one of them.
The water is way too cold fro me but we do pass a family whose kids were swimming.
After the walk we go back to the lodge and decide to go into Talkeetna for an early dinner as we are on the road again tomorrow. A nice dinner of fish tacos and a beer at the West Rib Pub and Cafe back on the 7.30pm shuttle, packing and then bed. yet another day done and dusted.
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