Well, we got to see "the Great One" in an incredible summit flight. Circled Mt McKinley numerous times, flew into gorges, over glaciers, and glimpsed this great wilderness in all its majesty. Wow! That's all I can say. This was a lifetime experience. Denali, the Great One, and Mt McKinley are all one and the same. Denali is an Athabascan word that means "Great One." At 22,000 plus feet, it's the tallest mountain in North America--snow covered and magnificent. We were actually upgraded (for free) when we got there to this flight from a shorter, less inclusive one, so the gods were smiling on us. Good weather and a fantastic flight--what more could we ask for? I am still in a state of awe...worth the trip just to see what we saw.
We flew quite close to the trail up this mountain. The season is ending for climbing for this year. Over a hundred people have died trying. So far this year, only about 40% of the climbers have made it to the top. The rest had to turn back.
Off to the ship today, one hour bus ride, and five hours by train.
P.S. You have to wait for photos. (Hard to take in a moving plane but we tried our best.McKinley has yet to be visible from the ground. It's very elusive. They actually call your room to tell you when it's "out." So we really did luck out getting to see it by air.
Stay tuned!
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Hi: Very glad that it was you sightseeing at 22,000 feet ..... sounds like it is an awesome adventure so far.
ReplyDeletejan w