This was by far the highlight of our entire vacation! After fretting all morning about weather conditions, God cleared away the clouds and rain just in time for us to take a small plane flight to land on a glacier in the shadow of Mt. Denali!
Here is the plane we flew in.As we took off, we flew over the Susitna River.Our pilot.Our copilot…me! The pilot asked if anyone wanted to sit in the copilot’s seat and I volunteered! This was a very wise decision! The views up front were spectacular! Oh, and I was very careful not to touch anything, even though the yoke was right in front of me! Mt. Denali is right in front of me here! This was an incredible experience! Mt. Denali appeared as we climbed above the clouds.Flying over these mountains was an incredible experience. Several of these mountains are between 10,000 and 14,000 feet high. They are snow covered year-round. One of many glaciers is seen on the left of this picture.Another glacier.A long wide glacier.It was amazing to look down on this mountain scene.Another big glacier.Three glaciers here. So beautiful!Such a steep drop!Base camp glacier. It is from this location where climbers t start their climb to the top of Mt. Denali.We have landed on Ruth Glacier! About a foot of new (overnight) snow, on top of about 4,000 feet of ice. It was about 35 degrees here, so the snow was great for……snowballs!MJ in front of our plane on Ruby Glacier.Our plane’s skis.From Ruth Glacier, Mt. Denali’s peak!This is quite a story here. What you see is a luxury “unique” hotel, situated on a ridge above Ruby Glacier overlooking the Sheldon Amphitheater. This is the Sheldon Chalet. If you look closely, you see a helicopter, which is the only access to this hotel.
There is more. Accommodation is for up to 10 guests, and the all-inclusive stay includes an inbound and outbound helicopter flightseeing (not optional) tour from Talkeetna or Anchorage, Alaska. Gourmet delicacies are prepared by their world-class chef. As of 2023, the price is $75,000 per couple (or up to four people) for a 3-night minimum.
For more details, go here: https://www.uniqhotels.com/sheldon-chalet
Looking down our runway on Ruth Glacier, joining with two other glaciers!Another view of Mt. Denali just above the clouds.Another glacier winding its way around mountains.Mt. Denali’s peak again.Zooming in on a glacier.And yet another glacier.
