Kent Miller • Visual Journalism

I cannot upload photos, however, I can tell you that I am inside a cabin on Telaquana Lake.

We just flew in on a float plane to Jerry and Jeanette Mills’ place. He lives here year round with his wife.

Jerry: “It pretty much has everything that an Alaska wilderness has to offer. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, wolves, wolverine, dall sheep, caribou and moose. There is also a Salmon run and bears come up in the fall. Black bears have even come up on the deck. Just behind the cabin, a cow moose chased a brown bear because the bear was trying to get at her calf. Jeannete seems to be a wolf magnet. She was walking the shore line, about a mile and a half down the lake. Six or seven wolves ran toward her. She was pretty nervous until they stopped short of her and left. Here in front of the cabin a wolf came out within a hundred feet of her.”

I’ll post a photo of Jerry and his cabin as soon as possible. Hard to imagine I found internet access in such a remote place. The only way to get here is by float plane. It’s 50 miles north of Pt. Alsworth and 150 miles west of Anchorage.

MTC

UPDATE!

Here is an aerial of Jerry and Jeanette Mills’ cabin. They are actually volunteers for the NPS. The cabin serves as a ranger station.

At left, Jerry pours coffee for pilot Leon, right, and me in his extremely remote cabin.

MTC

I want to get these photos out quickly before I get eaten by mosquitoes.

I have so much to write and show you. Since a posted last, I have made many more photos in Talkeenta. I then went up in a helicopter again on June 1. This time to base camp of Denali. Then a flight up Denali photographing climbers and scenery.

Later that day, I drove to Denali National Park and Preserve. I went straight to park headquarters where I met ranger media specialist extraordinaire Jay Elhard and my student Central Michigan University SCA student intern Nate Kostegian. We headed straight into the back country of the park. Spent the night in Toklat at the bunk house (half way into the back country) for two nights and came back to park headquarters today.

I’m now back in Talkeetna on my way to Anchorage. I fly out to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve tomorrow at 1 p.m. (you can follow my 24 day travel plans on my first post here). I’ll be posting photos of grizzly bears (and cubs), wolves, ravens, geese, moose, arctic ground squirrels, and more. For now, here are a few photos from my trip to base camp and up Denali in the NPS helicopter on June 1.

Small fixed wing aircraft are constantly flying climbers up to and down from base camp at 7,200 feet.

Second base camp after a first day trek.

Climbers on Mt. McKinley.

Climbers must wear protective sunscreen (among many other protections) and a mask over their noses to keep from being severely burned. The sun reflects off the snow and is just as powerful as direct sunlight.

A view from high above one of the many ridges on McKinley.

A ranger handles the fuel pump so the helicopter in which I was flying can get back to Talkeetna.

The NPS put me up at Eye of Denali, a beautiful bed and breakfast on the Talkeetna River. This is where many volunteers stay while in Talkeetna. I am here to photograph ranger station activities and Mt. McKinley (Denali) from a helicopter. This place reminds me of “Speakers” in the UP. Gorgeous. Spiritual.

MTC