Mccarthy and a Day Trip to The Fan Glacier

After two days camping and exploring Hinchinbrook and Kayak Island, we headed to McCarthy to spend time making the rounds visiting friends.

Our friends let us stay in a small cabin on their property, and the kids enjoyed playing on the trampoline and running through the sprinkler. However, the most anticipated activity while in Mccarthy was by far riding on the six-wheeler.

Four-wheelers and six-wheelers are popular modes of transportation in McCarthy since they can fit over the footbridge to cross the Kennicott River and into town. The kids always anticipate the windblown rides on the four-wheelers, and this year, their anticipation was heightened by the fact that we had recently purchased a new-to-us six-wheeler to keep in McCarthy. We’ve spent a lot of time in McCarthy over the years and always used four-wheelers graciously loaned to us from friends. Now, with our large family, the six-wheeler was the perfect McCarthy rig to accommodate our family and all the other kids we could pack in the back.

After being in Mccarthy a few days, we decided to head out for a day trip in the airplane.

Our friends Jeff and Rene had landed near the Fan Glacier the day before and mentioned it would be a fun day trip for us.
After talking to Woodsen, I learned that the Fan Glacier she referred to was the same as Oasis Valley where Woodsen used to go for day trips when he worked at Ultima Thule Lodge. We had checked out this spot a few years ago and found that the river had eroded the runway where they used to land, leaving the only commonly used place to land on the other side of the river, away from the bright blue and teal pools of water that made the landscape so dramatic. When we were there last, we had decided not to land since the barren landscape across the river didn’t look as appealing, but with our friend’s recommendation, we decided to head that way to explore.

We loaded up to go and the kids giggled and messed around in the back as usual. Later I found these photos on my phone. Apparently Melozi did Atlee’s hair and airplane selfies followed.

After a short flight we landed on a long sandy strip between the Fan Glacier and the Bremner Glacier. We unloaded and made our way to the banks of the river.

The kids came with swimsuits on and ready to play in the water.

We followed the river back towards the airplane and found a smaller river with clear water that paralleled the runway. Along the river were deposits of red rocks and sediment that created an impressive color contrast to the blue sky.

As we continued, small pools of water also shared the sediment and color.

As we continued, other interesting colors caught my eye: dark maroon, aubergine, bright greens, and coral-colored sand.

While I was distracted chasing colors, the kids found a steep sandy slope and experimented with various ways to hurl themselves down it.

This trip in particular reminded me how grateful I am for the ability children have to bring so much joy to our adventures through their play, creativity, and ability to fully enjoy the different landscapes we have the opportunity to experience.

We had seen a few pools of water from the air on our side of the river and agreed on doing a little bushwaking to gain elevation and see if we could reach the pools. The kids where shoeless and some shirtless, but we made it through a small patch of alders, a small field of bolders, and eventually higher ground.

We ageed the pool was further away than our crew had patience for, so we headed back down to the small river.

I had the bright idea of floating the river, but after multiple failed attempts to get used to the frigid water, and realizing how swift the current was, I decided against it. Maybe we will bring an intertube for next time.

Soaking in the warm sand and sun before heading out.

I am still impressed by the variety of landscapes you can witness in a short flight in Alaska. We took off on a sandy plateau and soon crossed a wintry glacier, then down to moose-filled meadows, and back to sand and channeled teal rivers.