As we approached the larger cities, it became obvious that the few roads only ran to the edge of town.
There are more licensed pilots in Alaska than any other part of the United States with a comparable population. There are as common as crows in a cornfield in West Virginia.
We were lucky to fly at 12,000 ft. around the peak of Mount McKinley in Denali State Park.
The peak is above 20,000 ft. but the climber’s Base Camp was visible below us. We radioed our observations along to those trying to reach the summit.
We were lucky to see Mount McKinley while we were here. It’s common for the mountain to be covered by clouds and the visibility to be near zero. Many climbers have lost their lives here caught in the weather system actually created by the mountain itself.
While riding the train to Denali, we passed a grocery store in an isolated village where bush pilots landed on the main highway and taxied up to the store for supplies.
After loading the plane, he taxied back on to the highway, looked both directions and carefully launched back into the air while the traffic was sparse.
You can still live off the land in Alaska by hunting and fishing but the short summers don’t allow much time for growing vegetables. Everyone pushes life to the max while the summer sun allows nearly 24 hours of daylight before the equally cold and dark winters arrive.
