Talkeetna, Alaska is a primary staging site for climbing assaults on Mt. McKinley, or “Denali,” as it is known here. The view of Denali and Mts. Foraker and Hunter is awesome.
In Talkeetna lives Cliff Hudson who, in case you have not been keeping up on your history of Alaska as it relates to bush pilots, is a bush pilot, a pioneering bush pilot. “Cliff,” I asked, “Are you what is known as a bush pilot?” “What’s that? I landed in a few of ’em,” he answered, looking at me out of the corners of his eyes.
Also in Talkeetna is the town doctor, Jim Yates, a pilot, Caribou hunter, and a nice person who came to Alaska from Ohio with his dog, Penny, a friendly, good humored dog, the breed that has hair hanging down in her face. There is Nancy Larson, rugged individualist, a hunter, who owns a hunting cabin up toward Hurricane Gulch and catches the Alaska Railroad Shuttle Car from Talkeetna to get to the cabin because there are no roads for access. Tricia runs the (historic) Talkeetna Roadhouse, where many of the Denali climbers (and Pamper and I) have lodged. Roberta Sheldon is another local. A couple of years ago, I read her book, The Heritage of Talkeetna, about the early history of the Talkeetna area. There is Billy Fitzgerald of Danali Trekking, a wilderness adventure company, and John Saily, formerly of Washington State, who is in Talkeetna because, “The mountain talked to me, simple as that.” John owns the Little Bighorn, a shop where he makes (on site) and sells custom knives--no junk, only real quality. His shop is “real Alaskan,” but boasts a modern-day Internet connection at www.littlebighorn-alaska.com.
With that brief view of some of the people of Talkeetna, the question is, where does Talkeetna go from here? Talkeetna is a great place in an interesting situation. The people here have some decisions to make about how to accommodate the 90,000 or so annual visitors and still maintain the historic character. Well, we all know every place in the country does not have to look the same, and be the same, with a McDonalds on the corner and a Burger King down the street. But some think the town has already gone too far in the direction of accommodating the tourists. Some don’t even want turnouts on the spur road to Talkeetna so the motorhomes can pull off the road when Denali first comes into view. These decisions will need to be discussed possibly using a visioning process like we did in Chattanooga several years back which ultimately led to the revitalizing of the riverfront and downtown Chattanooga.
It is not too late yet for Talkeetnans to seize their moment in history and become what they collectively decide they are to be. It can be done without violating the Constitution or their collective conscience. It will take hard work, patience, respect for each other, listening, and, OK, the wisdom of Solomon. We wish them well.
(Tom Crangle is a Chattanoogan with an especial fondness for Alaska. His wife is Pamper Garner)