FREELANCE WRITING & PHOTOGRAPHY

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Hatcher Pass - A Winter Wonderland

Hatcher Pass is one of my favorite wilderness areas in the entire state of Alaska. The pristine natural beauty is easily accessed and provides endless opportunities for remote exploration.  Outdoor enthusiast's find this area a vast playground for hiking, downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountain climbing, mountain biking, white water kayaking, rock climbing, berry picking, paragliding, back country camping and recreational gold mining.  

Hatcher Pass is a mountain pass with a summit of 3886 ft./1148 m that winds through the southwest portion of the Talkeetna Mountains.  The Independence Mine State Historical Park is 271 acres that allows a walk back in time, with well-preserved mine buildings, including an underground mine tour and a Museum featuring detailed information on the history of gold mining.
 
Today, Taz, Zip and I ski in to Independence Mine as the sun rises.  At 9am, the temperature is about 5 degrees, and pale pinks and blues waft over the mountain peeks.  There are just a few other cars in the parking lot and skiiers on the trails.  By early afternoon, the sun is high in they azure blue sky and the temperatures soar to 20 degrees, bringing in hundreds of others who flock to the area and join us on the trails, skiing, showshoeing and snowboarding, on and off trail, surrounded by the surreal beauty of Hatcher Pass.


















 


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Wow! So beautiful! So pristine! Love it.