Talkeetna, Hatcher Pass, and the Matanuska Glacier
July 6, 2023
After we left Denali National Park on July 2, we drove south to Talkeetna. We were looking to reprise our fond memories from years ago of walking around the quaint little town and enjoying reindeer sausage and biscuits at Talkeetna Roadhouse. It was a bright sunny day as we drove into the harsh reality that the world had also discovered Talkeetna since we were last there. Multitudes of cruise ship passengers disembark at the train depot to clog Main Street. The Roadhouse only has a bakery window now, and meals are just for overnight guests. The experience was so disappointing that we left without stopping. Sigh – memories soften the rough edges and highlight the fun times and emotions, especially times spent with your children. But, ouch!
We had picked several boondocking spots on the banks of the Susitna River to choose from for that night’s camping, so we went to each to decide which was best. Our favorite choice involved a stream crossing to get to our camp spot. What fun! Other campers were fishing and riding their ATVs, so we felt like locals being there.
The next morning we decided to give Talkeetna another try, at least to have a pastry and walk around before the crowds. Sadly, none of the places we wanted to visit were open that Monday, and with the gloomy rain we decided some places you just can’t go back to.
On the drive south to Parks Highway, our spirits were lifted by the sighting of a moose grazing close to the road.
We had a delicious reindeer sausage croissant with coffee at Black Bear Coffee, so warmed and nourished, we drove on into Palmer.
We refueled and re-provisioned before going to the Finger Lake State Recreation area campground. Boondocking spots are usually available in the Hatcher Pass area where we would be adventuring, but I had reserved this sure spot nearby for the holiday weekend. Besides, it is always fun to be surrounded by celebrating campers!
The next day was July 4, Independence Day! We drove up early to the Independence Mine in Hatcher Pass.
The mine wasn’t open for the day yet, so we hiked the Gold Cord Lake trail.
It is hard to believe that there used to be a small town of homesites all up this hill for mine family, and thankfully this little one remains.
The lake was just starting to thaw at the edges in early July, and you could see how lovely, clear, and blue the lake must be perhaps in August.
View from the lake looking down at the mine
Later, the historical mine tour took us into closed buildings to learn how the gold miners lived from 1938 to 1951.
A century ago in the middle of nowhere, children read the classics in school!
After our tour, we met two pet reindeer out on a walk with their owners who said they are like “very needy dogs.”
Only in Alaska! While the lower 48 may have baked in the heat, our Independence Day at Independence Mine was cool in many ways!
On July 5, we returned to the Hatcher Pass area to hike the Gold Mint Trail. Due to all the rain, recent reviews of our hiking trail options mentioned slick and muddy conditions.
We opted for an 8-mile hike on the Gold Mint Trail, which goes further out to the Gold Mint Hut after a part of the trail that is currently “spongy.” To explain, for one summer vacation our family hiked the Maine Huts & Trails system consisting of 4 huts with at least 12 miles of hiking between each of them. We were told some areas were spongy, but what we didn’t know was that in Maine spongy means the trail boardwalks are washed away and you’ll be sloshing about up to your knees in water. (Our awesome teenage daughters took it in stride and did great!) The term stuck and now a spongy trail means it is underwater. No worries, the Hatcher Pass area is gorgeous, and it would be a great spot to return for more hiking.
July 6 was ice climbing on the Matanuska Glacier for Larry! I talked to the guides at Matanuska Ice Climbing Adventures earlier in June who kindly refunded my portion of the trip as I was not a candidate for ice climbing or even spectating as my broken arms were not completely healed. We arrived early and were impressed to see the crew cleaning the interior and exterior of the vans that transported guests to either the glacier or the heliport. That kind of attention to detail says a lot about a business!
They carefully fitted Larry with boots, crampons, and a belaying harness before going to the heliport.
The helicopter then took him several miles to a remote area on the Matanuska Glacier.
His guide, Thomas, did an outstanding job teaching Larry ice-climbing skills and then coaching him through climbs of increasing difficulty.
For the last challenge, he rappelled down into a crevasse deep in the blue ice with a waterfall and river!
Larry returned to the camper with a huge smile on his face and quite a story to tell about his day. MICA guides let us stay in our parking spot for the night, and we had visitors!
