Denali from the Air

From our respite in the woods we drove to the hamlet of Talkeetna.  On the way down we passed one of the Princess Cruise Lines lodges.  Alaska is the original destination for the cruise company.  There are several hotels scattered throughout the state.  This view is from their Mt. McKinley Lodge.  The name of the mountain was returned to its original, Denali.  I guess rebranding the hotel is too expensive?  Since the mountain was showing off again we stopped and took a picture.

Our adventure today tasked the folks at K2 Aviation to fly us around Denali.  Daniel did a great job of threading the plane through the various mountain passes and giving both sides of the Otter a good look at the mountains.  What a unique perspective to look at the mountains.

In the picture directly above you can see a very large glacier that flows out from Denali.  Speaking of Glaciers, out plane trip including a landing on Pike Glacier.  Why that one?  Fresh snow is easier to land on and it makes the passengers happier.

 If you look over our shoulder you will see a plane landing.  This is part of the National Park.  Planes are permitted to land here.  The runway markers are blue, plastic sleds jammed into the ground.