Flightseeing McKinley

I got to go on a flightseeing tour of Mt. McKinley today!!!!!!!!! It was such a clear sky, the perfect day for it. We left the little airstrip in Healy in a tiny propeller plane and flew over Denali Park to the mountain. So many fabulous mountains and amazing pictures! You can see the climbers’ camps at 14,000 and 17,000 feet – and they waved at the plane. The pilot waved the whole plane back at them by tilting it from side to side. We had to wear air masks above a certain altitude because it isn’t a pressurized cabin, and had to talk and listen with speakers and headsets. Mt. McKinley has tan and black rock under the snow – I asked why and it turns out the black rock was material from the bottom of the ocean that got pushed up when the mountain was formed. There have been fossils found and all! The peak of Mt. McKinley is actually two peaks. There is a giant bowl type area near the top, I think the pilot said it was called the stadium or football field or something. We flew right over the peak, which is actually getting higher each year as the mountain continues to grow.

Surprisingly, I didn’t get at all plane sick – I actually think small planes may be easier to ride in than jets. I was also worried because on normal planes I have to use Ear Planes (genius ear plugs that maintain the pressure in your ears) or I can’t hear properly for days. But that wasn’t a problem – we just zipped up and down like it was nothing.

In the afternoon I completed the first leg of my epic walk - the first 15 miles to Savage River. I’ll write more tomorrow.

Pictures: Inside the plane; Mountain Chain: McKinley and highest point in America; climbers camp