Denali says hello...

[Torsten]

Interesting. In the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland, five or six degrees farther south than Denali, we don't really have any completely natural tree-lines, but the temperature data suggest about 750m. No-one ever seems to have established a forest at that altitude, however, and the evidence from Gaelic placenames suggests the true tree-line is about 100m lower, probably limited by wind.
There's a little patch of larch at Bachnagairn in Glen Clova, which I've been visiting for a good fifty years now, during which time it has very noticeably expanded, creeping up the hillside to something distinctly over 600m. It was orginally planted as a windbreak for a hunting lodge in the throat of the glen, and there's general surprise in the area that it survived, let alone seems to be thriving.

Grant Hutchison

My forest ecology professor was originally from Scotland. He described the challenge presented by wind in afforestation efforts there. Apparently, an index based on the rate of tattering of cloth flags was developed to help predict plantation success.

[geonuc]

Denali did an impressive job of concealing itself during my only visit to Alaska. Even on the drive to Denali NP in reasonably clear weather, the mountain was heavily shrouded.

[grant hutchison]

Denali did an impressive job of concealing itself during my only visit to Alaska. Even on the drive to Denali NP in reasonably clear weather, the mountain was heavily shrouded.

Likewise during our visit to the National Park, though we got a late break. We drove in to the Kantishna Roadhouse in a thunderstorm, during which we had to change the wheel on our hire car. (We arrived looking like drowned rats and slathered in mud, and the clerk at the desk said: "Changed a wheel, huh?") The rain hammered down all the next day, but then on the morning we were due to depart we woke to clear blue skies and suddenly there was this monstrous great mountain that they'd apparently installed overnight.

Grant Hutchison

[Trebuchet]

Here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, you can forecast the weather by Mt. Rainier. If you can't see it, it's raining. If you can see it, it's going to rain.
Oh, and "rainier" also means "more rainy".

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Measured from the centre of the Earth, it turns out to be pretty low. It's a curiosity of latitude that the summit of Denali, despite being the highest point in the USA, is closer to the centre of the Earth than the lowest point in the USA, in Death Valley.

Grant Hutchison

Hah, so one can climb uphill from the top of Denali to the bottom of Death Valley

[grapes]

Hah, so one can climb uphill from the top of Denali to the bottom of Death Valley

Just an easy stroll down 3km from DV to Denali peak

[Gillianren]

Here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, you can forecast the weather by Mt. Rainier. If you can't see it, it's raining. If you can see it, it's going to rain.
Oh, and "rainier" also means "more rainy".

A friend's mother once worked with someone in on a business trip from the East Coast who said he figured he'd drive out to Mount Rainier for the evening and walk around for a while. My friend's mom had to explain to him that, despite how close the mountain can look some days, that's really not something you can do from Seattle. And, yes, we refer to it around here as "the mountain is out."

[grant hutchison]

We have the opposite problem in Edinburgh, where the craggy little hill, Arthur's Seat (250m), can sometimes look a very long way off when viewed from the city centre in poor visibility (which is common in Edinburgh, and even more common in the smoggy past).
There's a story of a Swiss mountain guide on his first visit to Scotland, back in the day when Brits were putting up a lot of mountaineering firsts in the Alps. The guide was jokingly asked what he thought of Edinburgh's local "mountain". After considering Arthur's Seat solemnly for a moment he replied: "Two days, one bivouac."

Grant Hutchison

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

A friend's mother once worked with someone in on a business trip from the East Coast who said he figured he'd drive out to Mount Rainier for the evening and walk around for a while. My friend's mom had to explain to him that, despite how close the mountain can look some days, that's really not something you can do from Seattle. And, yes, we refer to it around here as "the mountain is out."

When I was there, it was so snowy (for days) that the only way I could tell I was on a mountain was to look down at my feet and see they were standing on sloped ground.

[PetersCreek]

I dropped by the post office yesterday to pick up another parcel when Denal was showing off again, so I snapped another pic.



Not that much different except that it had a bit of alpenglow and popped quite nicely against the blue sky. This was at 11:45 AM and the Sun was just peeking over the Chugach Mountains behind me, which is why (I believe) that Foraker's base appears to be in shadow...rather than low clouds, as in the previous picture. I've been here for 21 years (as of this month) and I still haven't become jaded to our mountain views. I don't think I ever will.

While preparing this post, I recalled that Selenite said:

Isn't there a substantial waterway between you and those mountains? The Knik Arm or Cook Inlet?

So, for your terrain ogling pleasure, I prepared a Google map showing my viewpoint and the line-of-sight to Denali.

[Torsten]

I wouldn't get tired of that view either!

That bit of ridge behind the spire is what I was considering in that earlier calculation of how much of the mountain is in view based on simple geometry, a spherical model of the Earth (okay, now expecting some spherical cow references), and the elevation of the hill in the middle ground. This time, with the larger photo available for comparison, I used Google Earth to find the elevation of the ridge, and it's ~4108 m. As earlier, if it is considered the lowest level of Denali visible (not quite, I know), then it means we're seeing the upper ~34% of the mountain. Still a big "wow" on the size of that mountain, and how much is brought into view by refraction.

[Trebuchet]

My only visit to the Anchorage area was in January, 2004; when the US Army decided to call me up for "Annual Summer Training" at Ft. Richardson. Which I suspect I have already posted in this thread.
Anyhow, my fellow reservists and I (five of us) decided to do all we could in the area. One night was a visit to a fancy restaurant in a tall building with a nice view. I kept wondering what all that mud in the distance was. Knik Arm, apparently.
Not that we could see it well; it got dark about 2:30 PM.

[Van Rijn]

My only visit to the Anchorage area was in January, 2004; when the US Army decided to call me up for "Annual Summer Training" at Ft. Richardson. Which I suspect I have already posted in this thread.

I remember you mentioning it, but I didn’t think it was as recent as 2004.

[Trebuchet]

I remember you mentioning it, but I didn’t think it was as recent as 2004.

Ouch! 1974!
Double Ouch!! I'm getting so dang old!

[Van Rijn]

Heh, well, as they say, it’s better than the alternative.

[PetersCreek]

Anyhow, my fellow reservists and I (five of us) decided to do all we could in the area. One night was a visit to a fancy restaurant in a tall building with a nice view. I kept wondering what all that mud in the distance was. Knik Arm, apparently.
Not that we could see it well; it got dark about 2:30 PM.

That sounds like it might’ve been The Crow’s Nest at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.

[Trebuchet]

That sounds like it might’ve been The Crow’s Nest at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.

Yes, that sounds right!
We may have gone to a strip club afterwards...

[Gillianren]

I've been here for 21 years (as of this month) and I still haven't become jaded to our mountain views. I don't think I ever will.

That's about as long as I've been living in Olympia, and I still greet Mount Rainier every time I see it.

[grant hutchison]

That sounds like it might’ve been The Crow’s Nest at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.

We stayed at the Captain Cook once. Every meal was like an assault course, to the extent we skipped the breakfasts we'd paid for just so that we wouldn't need to go through endless negotiations with the servers. "How would you like that done?" "Would you like to try this?" "Would you like the try that?" "Do you want X with your Y?"
Just bring me the named item on the menu that I have read aloud to you, for pity's sake.

Grant Hutchison

[Selenite]

While we are on the subject of identifying landmarks in Alaska, could someone pinpoint the name and location of this rambling red building? It's currently in my computer's wallpaper collection. It's very atmospheric and moody spot with the low clouds clinging to the slopes.

[PetersCreek]

While we are on the subject of identifying landmarks in Alaska, could someone pinpoint the name and location of this rambling red building?

That’s the historic Kennecott Mines near McCarthy, AK.

[Selenite]

That’s the historic Kennicott Mines near McCarthy, AK.

Thank you. Wow. Smack up near a glacier in the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains at the end of what looks to be a very long and lonely road. Even for Alaska that seems forbiddingly remote.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Peter's Creek, are you able to comment on Gates of the Arctic Park?

I've wanted to go there for 30 years, and never did. But now that I have given my job the one-finger salute, I have time for lots of things that I couldn't do before.

Once the Covid lifts, I was thinking about making the great heroic journey to Anchorage or Fairbanks, then heading up.

[PetersCreek]

Peter's Creek, are you able to comment on Gates of the Arctic Park?

I've never been there myself, so I can't say much except that it'd be a dream trip for me, too.

Once the Covid lifts, I was thinking about making the great heroic journey to Anchorage or Fairbanks, then heading up.

If you're laser focused on the park, there are direct flights from SEA to FAI but not from many other connecting hubs (PDX, et al) if any. Many itineraries route through ANC, as well, should you wish to visit on the way up or back. You can drive from ANC to FAI in about 6½ hours. The chief benefits of making the drive are the scenic overlooks where one can get postcard views of Denali, weather permitting. Coldfoot is one of the three gateway communities from which you can access the park and is the only one reachable by roadway, another 6-ish hours from FAI. Bettles and Anaktuvuk Pass are accessible by air. Fly-in service to the park itself is available in each gateway community.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

I've never been there myself, so I can't say much except that it'd be a dream trip for me, too.

I gave my job the one-finger salute on 31 Dec 2019 (that's for you yanks, I use two fingers), so I figured 2020 was the year when I can do all kinds of things I've always wanted to do, but for which I never had the time. But the virus had another idea.

If you're laser focused on the park, there are direct flights from SEA to FAI but not from many other connecting hubs (PDX, et al) if any. Many itineraries route through ANC, as well, should you wish to visit on the way up or back. You can drive from ANC to FAI in about 6½ hours. The chief benefits of making the drive are the scenic overlooks where one can get postcard views of Denali, weather permitting. Coldfoot is one of the three gateway communities from which you can access the park and is the only one reachable by roadway, another 6-ish hours from FAI. Bettles and Anaktuvuk Pass are accessible by air. Fly-in service to the park itself is available in each gateway community.

I've been to Anchorage (so I've heard the joke is, the nice thing about it is it's so close to Alaska) and Denali Park. Never all the way to Fairbanks.

I'm thinking a long raft journey through Gates of the Arctic into the other park (what's it called? Kobuk?) if such can be arranged.

It's already a 20-hour or so journey for me even to get to ANC, though.