Winter is Cominig

I went up to Hatcher Pass about ten days ago. Jan and Autumn had gone to Anchorage to go shopping, and since the day was picture perfect, I decided to take a trip back up to Hatcher even though I had been there the week before. It was amazing how fast things had changed. When I was there the first time, I went up with Jan and her sister Jill. We drove all the way up to the Independence mine, and there was no sign of snow anywhere. As you can see, that all changed rapidly. I was actually hoping to get some more pictures of the mine. When I was there the first time, the battery on my camera died- go figure. This time the gravel road that goes over to Willow and passes by a lake that I was hoping to fish, was closed. There was also a sign warning of icy roads by the toll area before the mine, so I didn't bother going up. The last thing I need is to go sliding off the road and down a mountain.

The bottom picture is of the Little Susitna River. It's clear as a bell and runs really fast. I believe it's glacier fed, so you can imagine that if you fell in, you'd stand a good chance of freezing before you ever got out. I've never seen anyone fishing in it up near the pass, I'm not sure if there are even any fish in it up there. However, I believe that salmon and trout can be caught further down stream, closer to the salt water. There are spots in the pass where you're allowed to use a gold pan and try your luck. I've never heard if anyone has ever found any gold, but the Independence Mine was a fairly profitable operation before they shut it down at the start of WW II.

I doubt that I'll go up to the pass again this year, but once spring comes, I'll be making my way there again. Perhaps I'll get a chance to see if I can catch one of the trout that are supposed to be in the lake up there.