Return to the Nebesna Road

Wrangell Range from the Nebesna Road

Blue skies and the Nebesna Road… two of our favorite things combined make a very good day.  After passing three more moose grazing near the highway, we stopped at the Slana Forest Service office to find our road conditions.  

Moose on Tok Cutoff Road

We were surprised to learn that the snow melt had not yet started and that the road condition was great.  Normally when we travel the Nebesna, we need to make about a half-dozen wet water crossings.  This time, all but two were dry.

A look up the Nebesna Road

We found our favorite camping spot empty, so we quickly set up the camper, the bug screen, and settled in for the evening.  Much to both our chagrin, David had also turned up lame from a severe Charlie horse he had during our last long hike.  With Morgan due to arrive with crutches and a boot, and David gimping along, I literally felt like the last man standing this trip.  Hopefully both will bounce back quickly.

The next day we discovered a visitor had entered our camp the night before, leaving a large moose track as evidence.  We broke camp and traveled to the top of the Nebesna Road, visiting several favorite places.  I had hoped to hike to the Ramble Mine this trip… maybe we can stop by again before heading back into Canada.  We were surprised to find the entire road was remarkably dry, even the normally muddy places. 

Moose track

The weather was so glorious that we decided to spend another day on the Nebesna.  With David still limping badly, we just hung out, drinking in the views and enjoying the sunshine.  While David tested our new solar panel while I caught up on a few blog posts. 

The camper hooked up to the new solar panels

Later that afternoon, we received a text from Liz and Walter, our Australian friends.  They knew when we were picking up Morgan and had realized that we would all be in Anchorage at the same time.  Surprisingly, we had cell service, so David “rang them up.”  We quickly made arrangements to meet up and camp together.