Copper River Frenzy

We found a beautiful campsite at Liberty Falls, right next to a racing river that was so cold Roxanne “swam” only once.  She lasted about 20 seconds in the icy glacier flow before bounding back to shore.

Our site is close to the small town of Chitina, which rests between three mountain ranges and the famous Copper River.  Copper River is known for the incredible salmon that run there each year.  It has been a fascinating education, learning about the life of salmon, the territory that they migrate, and the seriousness of fishing them.

We have been introduced to fish wheels, contraptions that run by the river’s current, catching salmon in baskets that then funnel them into a catch basin.  Many fishermen use long dip nets to scoop the struggling salmon from their appointed destination.  Others use fly and tackle to land their prize.  Seagulls hover always around the fishing camps, scavenging carcasses and entrails that are tossed back into the river.

 

Chitina also marks the beginning of the McCarthy Road, an abandoned railroad bed that leads to Kennicott, at one time the largest copper mine in the country.  It is the deepest road that can be traveled into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Wildlife Refuge, the largest national park in the United States.

It took over two hours for us to traverse to the end of this 62-mile-long road.  Once there, we hiked a short trail, partially over alpine tundra, to Root Glacier.  

We were closely watched by a large gyrfalcon, the largest and one of the most rare in the falcon family (there are only 500 reported pairs).  She was either over-ambitiously eyeing Roxanne or was trying to move us out of her territory. 

We would have liked to visit McCarthy and Kennicott.  But the now abandoned Kennicott mine is closed to car traffic and must be traversed ten miles round trip by foot or by purchasing a ticket for a shuttle bus.  With a rather large number of tourists, having Roxanne in tow, and the weather finally warm, we opted not to visit the mine.

We returned along the same path, wanting photos of the fish wheels and salmon fishers.  Nearing the Copper River, David spied a pair of eagles.  They seemed quite uninterested that I was eagerly snapping photos.  Suddenly, another eagle flew overhead and both birds flared.  It was then that we saw the eaglet, freshly fledged on the hillside.  She launched into the air soon after we spied her.

Exhilarated from the photos, we then ventured down to the river’s edge to photograph fish wheels and the fishing frenzy.  RVs and campers lined the river's edge, while fish wheels lined the river.  

We returned to Ozzie, filled with enthusiasm.  Reluctant to leave our beautiful camping spot, the rain began again in the evening, however, making it easier to pack up for our next destination:  Valdez.  

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