Denali to Anchorage

Continuing the flight to Anchorage, we flew over these remarkable winding rivers. Note the small streams flowing into the river. They are much darker than the larger stream - they are fresh water streams flowing into a glacial river which carries a heavy burden of glacial silt. At left, the dropping out of the silt has created sandbars.

This river has changed course so many times that the marks of former courses cover the entire landscape. My vision of it is that the heavy silt burden fills up one streambed and it moves to another. Note again the darker ribbon of a non-glacial stream winding toward the larger river.

Anchorage comes into view beneath the high mountains. For a flight which took under an hour, this had been an incredible journey. The vivid memory of the overflight of Denali will last a lifetime.