Sunday, Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Today was the day we killed in the town of Kennecott. It is inside the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. The airstrip is just 4 miles away from the lodge. We had until 4pm to do as we see fit before the Ultima Thule folks picked us up. We decided to do the tour of the abandoned copper mine. The Pepper-Herman family, that were our dinner companions, went on and on about the tour for hours. Granted they were not looking us in the eyes while they did it, they were sort of googling around all over the place. 
It was a walking and history tour of the abandoned copper mill and mine. It was so fascinating. We got to go inside and all the way up to the top of the abandoned copper mill where the copper was processed after coming in from the mines. I can’t get over how interesting it was and how much we enjoyed it. Back when this happened in the 1920’s they did amazing things in such a remote place. It seems impossible what they pulled off. The best part of touring the old mill was having access to almost every area. There were almost not hand rails, very little safety precautions, and hazards a plenty. We did have to sign a “sorry if you die” waiver. But since this is a national park in America it seemed very out of the norm to have access to such dangerous places during a guided tour. 
It was refreshing not to have every little aspect sanitized for my consumption. I’m an adult, if I want to make bad, dangerous decisions that is my right. After the tour we relaxed, had lunch, and killed time checking out the view of 2 glaciers while waiting for our ride. The Ultima Thule folks arrived at the airfield right on schedule. We were flown about 20 minutes away to our new home for the week. We were flown in a Piper Super Cub plane with no electric of any kind. The propeller is manually started. The 2 of us had to sit in between legs, single file, with the pilot in the very front, also single file. Hard to believe there was room for all 3 of us. Our luggage had to go in another plane that was larger and brought in for the luggage and some other people. Wifey had a hard time with this tiny plane. I loved it! Such a thrill. We arrived safely got settled in to our new home for the next week. We were greeted by 1 of the 8 dogs that live here. Hopefully we will get to know them all soon. We should have brought Sandy and Charlie. We will be flying everywhere we go inside the national park park for the next 5 days. This place is amazing but even more so knowing that everything here came in by small plane. They have built an amazing little compound here 1 small plane at a time. Tons of pictures HERE if you are interested.
Kennecott abandoned copper mill & mine
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Then it went up on a very low nearby tree branch. I sat and watched and shot photos for about 20 minutes. I was hoping to catch it diving for a fish. That didn’t happen, but I did get some great shots sitting still and also in flight. Back on the boat for lunch where we had fresh king salmon caught yesterday by the professor and his wife. Non-Sweet Family People.
We backtracked, rerouted, and kept trying to stay dry from the ankles up. Larry, our guide, was trying to keep his guests safe and dry. It got to a point that was unavoidable. We had to wade through waste high water. I loved it, some of the other people not so much. There were 7 of us including Larry the guide. I thought we might live on this island now. I was quietly forming alliances in the background, figuring out who we would sacrifice first to the Bear God. After we took the plunge, got soaking wet all over, we were able to get back on the skiff to bring us home. What was supposed to be an hour or so of leisurely meadow walking turned into several hours of bushwhacking, wading through water, and crossing head high grass fields. I did get to eat all the salmon berries I could handle most of the walk. A treat within a treat. Some pictures 
