INTRODUCTION
As always, you can view the photographic narrative for this story below. What is a photographic narrative?
After our epic train ride to Talkeetna and flight around Denali the day prior, we woke up on the third day of our trip wanting to do a bit of exploring on foot. After a stop for brunch at The Wandering Cafe, we set out for a drive north to Hatcher Pass. We wound through the mountains for a while until finally arriving at a parking lot between the Hatcher Pass Lodge and Independence Mine. As you might expect, the winter brings heavy snow to the mountains of Alaska, and having taken this trip at the end of May, the majority of the snow was still present on the mountain faces. The road was plowed to this parking lot and a bit further, but didn’t allow cars all the way to the iconic Independence Mine. I asked one of the Rangers if we were still allowed to hike up to the mine and she simply responded, “It’s your park!”. Elated that we would still be able to explore the site of the mine, we trudged up the road to the point where the snowplow had stopped. From here we hoisted ourselves onto what was no less than four feet of snowpack and continued toward the mine, our feet neary level with the roofs of nearby bathroom sheds. Being careful not to posthole (although the snow did give out at one point, burying my leg up to the thigh) we explored around the beautiful scarlet and gray buildings (intentional Ohio State reference), taking in the incredible beauty around us and cherishing the opportunity to have this place all to ourselves. Up in the mountains just a bit, we saw a few more modern cabins separated from the historical site by a sign that read, “Respect Private Property”. Only after returning from this trip did I learn that, serendipitously, this property belongs to the family of one of my coresidents. Small world.
Satisfied with our exploration of Independence Mine, we hiked back to our car and drove into Wasilla, ending up at Bear Paw Brewing. I’d spotted this brewery the day prior from the train, and was excited to try some local brews. They certainly didn’t disappoint. We got an amazing pizza for dinner, and then turned in for what would be an early start the next day.
A STORY IN PHOTOGRAPHS
