Hello and welcome to the St. Elias Alpine Guides blog! Check back often to hear the latest on upcoming trips, adventures of the staff, McCarthy, Kennecott and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

I wanted to start by sharing some photos from fall in McCarthy with everyone. Our season ended this year on September 14th, and we spent the remainder of the fall doing some building projects and enjoying what quickly became a spectacular early winter in the Wrangells.

After saying goodbye to the last of our clients, we took a few days to just enjoy the beautiful fall weather before starting in on the chores and construction. On one of the most spectacular days of all, office manager Nina and I headed out to the glacier for one last glimpse of its beauty before next season.

Just a couple of days after this hike, the clouds rolled in the from the Chugach and it started to snow. Goodbye fall, hello winter!

Over the summer I often forget how stunning the Kennicott Valley looks with a fresh coat of snow. One day I took the Suburban and headed up to Kennecott to finish closing up the office and get a few items that we needed to take to Anchorage so they would be available for an early season Alaska Range Ski Trip in 2009. No one had driven on the road before me and as I reached the top of the hill the glacier and mountains looked so magnificent in their new white frock. Having grown up in McCarthy and spent many winters here, you would think I would be somewhat immune to its beauty, but that is absolutely not so. I was amazed.

That’s all for this time! We’ll be posting some trip highlights from the summer and hopefully some winter-season guide updates as well. Check back soon. -Gaia