As if another warm, sunny day was just too much to hope for, we woke up today to thick clouds and drizzle. We shrugged, pulled on our long underwear and our rain gear and headed down the street to the offices of Copper Oar Outfitters. We would not let the wet weather discourage us as we set out on a rafting adventure down the Kennicott and Nizina rivers.
At Copper Oar, we met our guides, Andrew and Hunter (both sporting the requisite McCarthy male beards), and our fellow rafters, Missy and Dan, from Boise, and Ray, Joanie, Andrew and Michael, from Clemson, SC, before donning Neoprene vests and thick rubber boots and setting out in a van toward the Kennicott River. There, Andrew gave us a quick safety briefing that boiled down to this: Stay in the boat. No one wants to take a dip in this water.
The temps today hung in the mid-60s — pleasant by any stretch. But next to the river, there is a rush of much cooler air as the breeze travels over the water. A 34 degrees, the water is definitely not “pleasant.” It’s not even “refreshing.” Six hours ago, the water rushing past our feet was frozen into a 27-mile-long glacier.
Andrew remarked at how high and fast the river was running — even despite the very warm, dry weather they’ve had lately. In fact, the river is high and fast because of the warm temps, which melt the glacier that feeds the Kennicott River.
Our group was divided into two boats, which had been waiting for us on the banks, and we quickly launched down river. The water was certainly moving swiftly, and while we encountered several stretches of churning water and got soaked by a few swells that came over the bow, it was more of a scenic trip than a thrill ride. While Andrew expertly navigated the five of us down the river, he was also able to chat about geology and geography of the area as well as his winter ski patrol job in Tahoe, his Kansas roots and the (failed) romance that led him to Alaska.
Andrew also filled us in on a bit of the flavor of McCarthy. I asked him if it was true that the Fourth of July parade truly goes back and forth and back and forth along McCarthy’s main drag, just to make it interesting for the spectators; a parade that only goes on for half a block is hardly a parade, after all. Andrew confirmed that, and added slyly that nudity is actually what makes the parade interesting for the spectators. We prodded him a bit and finally got him to admit, with a wink, that he may or may not have been naked in last week’s Independence Day parade. That’s all he’d really say, besides emphasizing that it was PG-13. That means butt-cheeks, I guess.
By lunchtime, we were pretty well acquainted with Andrew, So we pulled off to a wide bank where Andrew and Hunter set out a beautiful lunch spread of make-your-own-sandwich fixings while we spent some time getting to know the other members of our group. We soon learned that Dan grew up in Sheridan, Ind., and that he worked in radio for a long time. Keith was then completely starstruck when he learned that Dan wrote for the infamous Bob & Tom Show, and actually penned Keith’s favorite Mr. Obvious skit — the one about the garbage disposal.
Speaking of atwitter, I have never seen Natalie as positively ebullient as she was this evening. I think she, too, is excited about the new friends we’ve made. Ray and Joanie and their sons are staying up the road at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, and we’re headed there tomorrow for a one-night stay. Andrew (10th grade) and Michael (8th grade) have challenged our three to a Monopoly tournament when we get there. I think our oldest is especially looking forward to that. Enough said.
At the end of the float ride, we pulled the rafts from the river, broke all of the gear down, and then waited for our ride back to McCarthy — in a restored 1949 Dehavilland Beaver that landed on a gravel bank next to the river and took turns shuttling our entire group back to McCarthy. Our family of five went first. Bill, our pilot, gave us another little flights tour over the Kennicott Glacier and over the town of Kennecott before landing us safely at the McCarthy airstrip. Interesting note: The flaps on the Beaver are hydraulic; Bill had to pump them with a lever on the floor next to his seat.
Before heading back to Ma Johnson’s, we stopped for a snack at the Roadside Potatohead, a little sandwich and burrito bar tucked into the woods at the edge of town. Cool place!
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