The Thursday Ramble: Adventures

The photo above was taken about 20 years ago on a glacial melt lake on the side of Mt Denali in Alaska.  At the time I had a consulting contract with AARP to present training. The next day I was presenting a full day on elder abuse and neglect at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. 

I insisted that I had to have at least one day to rest from travel, it is about 4,000 miles each way to Alaska from the eastern United States. On my rest day I booked a flightseeing tour with Rust's Flying Service.  As we were lining up to board the plane, a Dehavilland Beaver with a turbo charged radial engine, the pilot looked at me and said, you look like you weigh about 250 pounds? Do you mind riding up front in the co-pilot seat? I confirmed that I was about 245 at the time, and gleefully agreed to the front row seat. 

We took off from a lake next to the international airport and flew northeast.  About half an hour out, the pilot said, look down and tell me what you don't see.  I was puzzled, there was deep wilderness, rivers, lakes, homes. He said, do you see roads or power lines. There were none. Access is by water, or air, or snow machine in winter. In less than an hour we had gone from civilization to one of the most isolated landscapes I have ever seen. 

We flew up a glacier on the side of the mountain, looking down on ski planes landings on the glacier, turned around the side of the mountain and the pilot scouted a couple of lakes before selecting one for landing. The landing was so smooth I had to look down to see that we were there. The pilot quipped, "I caught you looking down to see if we had landed." We taxied up the shore, tied off, and we were able to walk on the shore for a few minutes. The pilot said that lake was only flyable a few weeks in the spring, once the melt slows the water level drops too low exposing rocks and making landings dangerous.  The only other way in was a two day hike up the side of the mountain. A place that few humans ever visit. A place no one has ever called home. 

It was an adventure I will always remember. We need those in our lives. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May.