Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

THURSDAY, JULY 5th

A few weekends ago, four lady friends and I embarked on a “Girls Camping Trip” to McCarthy and Kennecott. Plans had been in the works for several weeks, and since Julie and I had the most equipment to pack, we decided to all meet here at my house that morning. Steve was home from work and would also assist us in loading the truck.

Julie graciously offered to drive her husband’s truck (crew cab with a roomy bed to hold all our stuff) the 1000 miles or so that we planned to cover in our long weekend. Julie also supplied the tent - which was a ten man tent! - but it barely fit the five of us comfortably. Of course we weren’t exactly spooning each other either. *grin*

I had a screen house for us to use for some mosquito-free hanging out and eating, but it was a screen house we hand’t used but once in the entire 7 years we’ve owned it. The reason? The metal pipes don’t stay together, necessitating the use of duct tape to reinforce all joints. Also, the screen house itself is really snug around the frame, which makes it somewhat of a challenge to put up - especially if you don’t have any tall people assisting.

Everyone packed their own gear, and also their own food. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t overpack. We certainly had enough food to feed a dozen more people for the weekend!

The drive down the Richardson Hwy was gorgeous as always. The mountains were visible and even though it was overcast, the colors were just stunning. Everything was so lush and green. By the time we reached Glennallen, blue skies were peeking through the clouds.

Our base camp was at Kenny Lake Mercantile and RV Park about 4 miles in on the Edgerton Hwy (near Glennallen). I was familiar with Kenny Lake and the on-site grocery, cafe, gas pumps, showers, and flush toilets. The tent sites are roomy and fairly private with tall bushes dividing each site.  But as soon as we got out of the truck, we were surrounded by hungry, annoying, mosquitoes.

There were HUNDREDS of them! So many that a couple of us dug for our head nets. My elbows were full of bites by the time we got the tent and the screen house up. I was very thankful that I had the foresight to pack the mosquito racquet zapper too, as it got put to good use in both the screen house and the tent.

These photos were taken on the way to Kenny Lake:

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