The next morning looks like a beautiful day to better see the mountains in the
Wrangell - St. Elias Range... but the closer we get to the mountains the cloudier it gets {sigh}. The weather in this part of the world turns on a dime making predictions notoriously inaccurate. Locals only pay attention to the short range forecasts of a day or two.
In the early afternoon, we pass a large convoy of old Army vehicles. This convoy celebrates the
70th Anniversary of the Alaskan Highway, with 200 participants and over 77 vehicles, one of which was shipped from as far away as Australia.
A little later we pass a large parking lot filled with all kinds of Army vehicles.
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| Historic convoy regroups and takes a break |
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Not long after passing the convoy of lovingly restored vehicles, we stop at a view point for the
Mentasta Mountains.
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| Mentasta Mountains |
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Late afternoon we pass Mentasta lake and spot trumpeter swans in the lake.
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| Mentasta Lake |
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| Trumpeter Swans |
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We stop for the night at the
Eagle Trail State Recreation Site which celebrates the original Eagle Trail, built from from Valdez to Eagle to improve communications with the gold fields. Naturally, after getting settled, we decide to hike the trail.
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| A grouse greets us at the campground |
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| A section of the original Eagle Trail |
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| Even though it's mid August, Fall colors are already showing |
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We branch off the Eagle Trail to climb up to an outlook.
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| Burl on spruce tree |
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| Wild rose hips are ripe for the picking |
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| View of the Mentasta Mountains and valley from the Overlook Trail |
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