McCarthy to Tok

After a comfortable night of camping on a beautiful site, we again packed our bags and said goodbye to Erin, Bryan and Mark. We can't wait to come back and see what they do with the place over the years!

Before we left the area, we had to visit the old mine, which is perched above the moraine from the Kennicott and Root Glaciers. The Kennicott Mine was started in 1906. It is about 5 miles up the road from McCarthy. McCarthy is where the "women of ill repute" spent their time while the miners worked in the daytime up on the mountain in Kennicott. The mine area is slowly being restored by the National Parks Service, as it is an Historic Landmark.

We charged back down the road to Chitina on our way to Tok for the night. Up near McCarthy, a 50,000 acre forest fire was burning, so the air wasn't so good. We couldn't see across the Copper River on our way back. As we got back on the pavement to Tok, the skies cleared and we were treated to some more views of the Wrangell Mountains.

We decided to camp in Tok before heading north back to the Yukon. We REALLY needed showers, laundry and some internet access. I would now like to sing the praises of the Sourdough Campground in Tok, AK. Not only do they have WiFi, but they have laundry, showers, and most importantly, an evening pancake toss. I entered, but despite my best efforts, I failed to throw the pancake into the bucket, and thus, did not win a free breakfast in the morning...

Odometer: 6907 miles