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| Mark's cabin on Second Ave. |
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| the train car in front of the cabin |
It's hard to explain what a town like Talkeetna is like. A bit like Skagway, it is a destination for tourists who arrive in RVs like ourselves as well as by the Princess train and Princess buses from Anchorage. There also is the Hurricane Train which runs to Fairbanks and perhaps beyond. It is possibly one of the last flag trains in the US. Many people live "up the tracks" doing things that the rest of Talkeetna really doesn't want to know about. The train can be flagged down and on you go with your pack, your dog, your rifle, your raft, your bike whatever is needed for the next part of the journey. Mark and Carlisle use the train to access the backcountry as do many others. Around town, the locals travel by all modes of transportation, bikes being number one, motorcycles, ATVs of all sizes and shapes with any number of attachments, racks, trailers, truck beds.... anything goes in Talkeetna. Downtown Talkeetna is historic dating back to the Gold Rush. It is here that three large glacial rivers converge, the Talkeetna, the Susitna and the Chulitna. These large silt filled rivers can be very scary. Many of the townspeople live in dry cabins as do Carlisle and Mark. This makes it easy to leave in the winter when the temperatures get well below zero. Living with no water doesn't seem to bother the inhabitants. It seems somewhat like camping out all the time. We had hoped to be fishing for King Salmon on the Talkeetna River where it meets a clear water creek but the rain has muddied the waters so we will have to wait a day or so. Near to Main Street, Carlisle has worked hard to turn a train car into a home, not an easy task. Her friend Mark has lived in his cabin on the same property for a number of years. Underneath the train car are stored kayaks, bike racks, spare tires, tools and everything needed in AK. Talkeetna is said to be a "drinking town with a climbing problem" as it is the staging area for all climbers of Denali. Climbing teams from all over the world set up their tents, lay out and organize the mountains of gear and food necessary for a three week climb of Denali. The climbers basically take over the town to the annoyance of the non-climbing culture. May and June are the optimum climbing months and then these folks move on and others fill the gap. When Fall comes, much of Talkeetna begins closing down and the summer residents leave. There is a celebration by the locals as they reclaim their town. We have met some very nice friends of Carlisle's who run businesses, mush dogs, teach school, work in clinics and eke out a living in this unusual place. One thing is certain, it is a town for the hardy outdoorsman and those that like winter. Presently, it's cool in Talkeetna and somewhat rainy. We'll buy our King stamps tomorrow and Carlisle will jet us up river looking for the fish hanging in the clear water as they make the long journey from the sea to the spawning beds. With any luck, we'll have some luck.