The Great One
DENALI - The Great One - That's the common interpretation of the native Athabaskan name for Mt. McKinley (since officially renamed), North America's highest mountain at 20,310 ft. in elevation. On a clear day the mountain can be seen from Anchorage 150 miles to the south and in Fairbanks 150 miles to the north and at many other points in between along the route of Alaska's own railroad. Nowhere is the view more spectacular than in the Talkeetna area where the summit is less than 40 miles distant as the raven flies.
Here the Alaska Railroad's southbound weekly passenger train, the Aurora (235S), has paused to give the lucky visitors a spectacular view across the frozen Big Susitna River near MP 224 on the ARR's mainline. Eight miles to the south of Denali (left in the photo) is the 14,573 ft Mount Hunter.
This is what visiting Alaska and riding the Alaska Railroad is all about!
South of Talkeetna, Alaska
Sunday March 20, 2011
The Great One
DENALI - The Great One - That's the common interpretation of the native Athabaskan name for Mt. McKinley (since officially renamed), North America's highest mountain at 20,310 ft. in elevation. On a clear day the mountain can be seen from Anchorage 150 miles to the south and in Fairbanks 150 miles to the north and at many other points in between along the route of Alaska's own railroad. Nowhere is the view more spectacular than in the Talkeetna area where the summit is less than 40 miles distant as the raven flies.
Here the Alaska Railroad's southbound weekly passenger train, the Aurora (235S), has paused to give the lucky visitors a spectacular view across the frozen Big Susitna River near MP 224 on the ARR's mainline. Eight miles to the south of Denali (left in the photo) is the 14,573 ft Mount Hunter.
This is what visiting Alaska and riding the Alaska Railroad is all about!
South of Talkeetna, Alaska
Sunday March 20, 2011