The Incredible Now: The Yanert Ice Field

The Alaskan range was as beautiful as it was unpredictable. In Talkeetna, the low clouds postponed our flight around Mount Denali for what seemed to be indefinitely. The following days gave no promise of sunshine, and our excitement tottered on uncertainty.

We pushed our flight reservations to the last day of our trip, not sure if even then it would be clear to fly, but happily chance happened upon us before then. When the heavens parted for an afternoon, we hopped, skipped, and landed ourselves in a helicopter that took us down the Alaskan Range to the Yanert ice field. While we did not fly around Mount Denali, we were instead secluded and isolated from most tourist spots. We flew over several mountain tops and viewed glaciers, wandering Dall sheep, and lonely waterfalls. As breath-taking as it already sounds, nothing captivated the air in our lungs more than when we flew next to the glacial wall before we landed. The helicopter before us was a black speck beside the immense ice field that cascaded through the mountain side, and you wanted to reach out and touch it as you desire to reach for stars in the night sky. It was an icy feeling that warmed us as we descended to walk on the glacier - we were to walk on something that may not be here for years to come, and in the now, the incredible now, it was as it had never been before.

Walking on a glacier was different than walking on ice or in snow. It was tough, and sturdy. Our shoes gripped it, allowing us to run amuck without fear of sliding or stepping through weak areas. The glacier ravine was a beautiful sea-green and crystalline blue, and the water rushed past us as we cupped as much as we could in our hands. The water was cold, crisp, and full of an ancient spirit. That same spirit coursed through us as we gazed around the magnificence of nature, wanting every passing minute to adhere to our memories.

The ride back was a beautiful blur, and we ended the day toasting Coronas to Alaska at the Savage river, which was a short trail within Denali National Park. That day we saw Alaska in its true elements:  we saw its peace as we looked down from the helicopter, its life as we drank from its glaciers, and its adventure as we climbed its rocky hillsides.