After politely declining an offer by our B&B owner to fly us into the back country for some hiking (he was very nice but a bit too odd and made us nervous), we spent the day hiking up toward the Jumbo Mine. We climbed 3500 ft. Over 3.5 mi and 3 hrs. At which point we could see the mine, and more importantly the view, and decided we'd rather descend than climb another foot. We proceeded to run down the mountain in half the time it took us to get up! Despite the overcast day, the views were phenomenal.
We then went on the National Park Service history walk where we learned mine about Kennicott copper mining in the early part of the last century. Construction on the mine began in 1908 and operations ceased in1938 when all copper ore had been extracted from the area. The town once employed 600 men, and 6 women (nurses, teachers, and a secretary) - though there were no "loose women." Apparently people (men and women) would only stay about 6 months before moving on. Work in the mines was tough, and women had to be single. Since there were so few women, they usually found husbands pretty quick, though the same saying we learned the first day rang true even then "the odds are good but the goods are odd."
We've noticed pretty much everyone in McCarthy wears multiple hats. With so few people in town, when a need arises somebody must fill it. One of our river guides from was our shuttle bus driver on another day and our bartender ended up giving us a ride to the footbridge because he had to go pick some guests up (in the middle of a busy shift at the bar) who were staying at the hotel across the street.
We came back to the lodge where we made s'mores w/some other guests-a couple if petroleum engineers for "America's most hated oil company" (BP) and our B&B owner. Another good day!
After politely declining an offer by our B&B owner to fly us into the back country for some hiking (he was very nice but a bit too odd and made us nervous), we spent the day hiking up toward the Jumbo Mine. We climbed 3500 ft. Over 3.5 mi and 3 hrs. At which point we could see the mine, and more importantly the view, and decided we'd rather descend than climb another foot. We proceeded to run down the mountain in half the time it took us to get up! Despite the overcast day, the views were phenomenal.
We then went on the National Park Service history walk where we learned mine about Kennicott copper mining in the early part of the last century. Construction on the mine began in 1908 and operations ceased in1938 when all copper ore had been extracted from the area. The town once employed 600 men, and 6 women (nurses, teachers, and a secretary) - though there were no "loose women." Apparently people (men and women) would only stay about 6 months before moving on. Work in the mines was tough, and women had to be single. Since there were so few women, they usually found husbands pretty quick, though the same saying we learned the first day rang true even then "the odds are good but the goods are odd."
We've noticed pretty much everyone in McCarthy wears multiple hats. With so few people in town, when a need arises somebody must fill it. One of our river guides from was our shuttle bus driver on another day and our bartender ended up giving us a ride to the footbridge because he had to go pick some guests up (in the middle of a busy shift at the bar) who were staying at the hotel across the street.
We came back to the lodge where we made s'mores w/some other guests-a couple if petroleum engineers for "America's most hated oil company" (BP) and our B&B owner. Another good day!
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