Well, Fairbanks did not get through September without a hard frost. The thermometer read a very solid 20F in the Goldstream Valley.
Late afternoon I visited the bus to drain the water tank, and the frost was still on the ground.
Winter is around the corner.
The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition left Hyde Park in London on this day in 1955. Their destination was Singapore.
They had a few adventures along the way. The trek was documented in the book “First Overland” by Tim Slessor.
Today is Walter Harper Day in Alaska. Harper was the first known individual to summit Denali on this day in 1913.
Thursday night’s sunset in Fairbanks happened after midnight. Making it the first of the summer where the sun set the next day.
I absolutely love Fairbanks summers.
This Memorial Day weekend, the cargo hold of the old sternwheeler was open to the public for the first time in six years.
The steamer Nenana plied the waters of The Yukon and its tributaries from 1933 to 1952. During that time, the Nenana brought goods, news, transportation and employment to the villages along the Yukon River.
Inside the cargo hold, you can see the boiler and the engine room. The boiler is the steamer’s second when it was fitted to run on oil, instead of cords of wood.
The cool feature is the diorama that runs along the outside walls. The display depicts all the villages that the SS Nenana served. At 340 feet long, with a mural background of close to 240 feet, the diorama is one impressive piece of artwork.
Besides the villages and the Alaska Railroad, six Interior Alaska rivers are also depicted: The Yukon, Tanana, Nenana, Innoko, Koyukok and Porcupine.
The plans are to have the cargo area open most of the summer, with a major restoration project to begin on the Nenana in 2025.
The first successful summit party of 2024 returned to the lowlands this past week.
Currently there are 261 climbers on The Mountain, with 952 having registered to attempt Denali this summer.
There is no “best” time to climb Denali, although May – June are the most popular. One never knows what the weather will be on Denali. Winter ascents are attempted, but are rare.
There are several possible routes, but 90% of climbers choose the West Buttress Route. It is common to spend 17-18 days on a summit trip, depending on experience, weather and group size.
Most climb in groups of 5-6. No groups larger than 12 are allowed.
The Muldrow Glacier Route was the northern counterpart to West Buttress and was considered the less technical route, but that changed with the Muldrow Glacier surge in 2021. Currently the glacier appears impassable from the air.
Photos credit: Denali National Park and Preserve
