Glaciers in the Chugach and Mt. McKinley

---

We left Seward driving north on the Seward Highway with overcast skies and clouds making haloes around the taller mountains. We stopped at a salmon hatchery for a few minutes and saw lots of baby salmon, some about to be released into nearby creeks. We drove over Moose Pass and past the Sterling Hwy to the Portage Hwy.

We stopped at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake. There we saw our first icebergs, which had calved off of Portage Glacier. They were the most amazing shade of blue. After the visitor center we drove through a tunnel to a scenic viewpoint where we could see a corner of Portage Glacier and got pretty good views of Shakespeare, Burns, and Byron Glaciers. They were all so beautiful.

We then drove back to the Seward Hwy and along Turnagain Arm again, stopping at Beluga Point to look for Dall Sheep. We did spot a herd of them high up the hill, and we watched them until they were out of sight. We looked for Beluga whales, but did not spot any.

We went into Anchorage, ran a few errands there and had lunch before heading back out the Glenn Hwy to Parks Highway, which runs north to Denali Park and on to Fairbanks. We passed Wasilla, but it was too cloudy to see Russia. We stopped in Trapper Creek for the night. After supper we drove out Petersville Road and got our first good looks at Mt. McKinley. There is supposed to be a lot of wildlife out that road, too, but all we saw was a big porcupine. That was good enough.

---

Photos

Blue Icebergs
in Portage Lake

Cloud Halo
Chugach Mtns off Seward Hwy

Kenai Lake
from Seward Hwy

Portage Glacier
and blue berg in Portage Lake

Byron Glacier
in Portage Valley

Mt. McKinley (Denali)
Our first view of the top from Trapper Creek, with Alaska Range in front of it

Comments

[peggy]

Unbelievably beautiful on an 8x10; I can only imagine in real time!! How lucky you all are. Thanks for the armchair adventures of a lifetime. love ya

[Alice Pendergast]

WOW!!!
I love your pics, Charlie. You are doing a great job! Wish I was there! Hi to Kerry, Gena, and Bob! Love you guys!