Interviewee: Robert Zimmer, Coley Gentzel

Location: Talkeetna Ranger Station

Day: June 16

Talkeetna, Alaska could be described as a one horse town, if you were feeling generous, or more accurately tiny and out-of-the-way. Just to give you a sense of scale, the mayor is a cat named Stubbs, he can be found wandering around the town and might even let you pet him. However, despite its small size, Talkeetna is the Mecha of North American mountain climbing. It is from this town that each year over a thousand mountain climbers fly into base camp at 7,000 feet above sea level to climb Mt. McKinley’s west buttress.
Mt. McKinley, or Denali (meaning “The Great One”), as it is known in the local Athabascan language, is North America’s highest mountain. With a peak of 20,320 feet, winds of over 80 miles per hour, temperatures of -40 °F in the spring and summer and covered in clouds two out of every three days, it is no surprise that Denali is also the hardest to summit. Only about half of all those who attempt to climb the mountain reach the top.
After registering for the required permit 60 days in advance, the climbers must pay the $350 fee, and fill out registration forms, listing their previous climbing experience, the amount and type of equipment as well as the food and medical supplies they will take with them; the next stop for the 1171 climbers registered to climb the mountain in the 2014 season is the Talkeetna ranger station. Once at the station there is an orientation given by the rangers to review park rules, injury treatment and prevention, and waste management.
The climbers come from all over the world, mostly from the United States and Europe, with others from South Africa, Australia, India, and East Asia. The climbers have to haul a 40 pound back pack and another 60 pounds on a sled. The national park has a strict “pack it in, pack it out” policy, this includes human waste. This along with other policies and enforcement by the national park service has helped to make Denali, according to Ranger Robert Zimmer, “the cleanest mountain in the world.”
Once on the mountain the climbers are the responsibility of lead mountaineering ranger, Coley Gentzel, and his crew of full time and seasonal rangers who are tasked with safety of the climbers. These positions are highly prized in the climbing community as they are a chance to turn a passion into actual employment. The rangers who are hired for these jobs are among the most experienced and skilled mountaineers in the world. Seriously, some of theses guys train sherpas. Gentzel has summited the mountain nine times.
Safety is a huge concern for the Rangers. Climbing Denali is very dangerous, the mountain has claimed close to 100 lives, not to mention countless injuries. At 20,000 feet of elevation there is only half as much oxygen as at sea level which can lead to sicknesses such as high-altitude edema, a condition that causes fluid to build up in the lungs and brain. The terrain is equally treacherous. There are areas affectionately christened with names such as “The Autobahn” and “The Orient Express”, because a fall on these steep slopes will cause a person to accelerate uncontrollably and making it impossible to stop. Falls in these areas are almost always fatal.
Reaching the peak takes between two and three weeks, around 21 days, far longer than the record time of 11 hours from base camp to summit and back set by Killian Journet. So far this season only 195 of the 651 climbers who attempted have reached the summit, or around 30%. This number does not include the additional 376 climbers who are on the mountain at the time that this is being written.

By: Stuart Murch

 

Interviewee: Dora Miller

Location: Talkeetna, AK

Day: June 16

After departing our first stop of Palmer, the group drives up to Denali National Park and stays at the Grizzly Bear campground. However, it is a long drive from Palmer to Denali, and a group of our magnitude gets hungry. So, we stop at the small town of Talkeetna, a quirky little village complete with cat mayors, homemade ice cream, lovely rivers, a old fashioned nostalgic feel, and plenty of tourist traps for your children to spend your hard earned cash. At this stop, a group of Junior Leaders and I entered a small hut. The dimly lit one room cottage contained a fairly obvious theme. They Aurora Borealis. Magnets, postcards, small photos, big photos, and posters, littered walls, shelves and racks Our entire clique was in awe, and how could we not be? We don’t see this type of stuff in Michigan, just snow. I knew I had to interview this wonderful artist, so I asked her if she would mind if we could chat for a bit. She agreed, but on one condition, that she could ask us some questions first. After giving her the information about our group and our mission, I began my interview. She told me that her name was Dora Miller, and said, “I came before Dora the Explorer.” Dora has lived in Talkeetna for 13 years now, and moved from Brazil. At first I was surprised why she would ditch a nice warm place for one not known for it’s nice weather. Then I realized that I was a little biased, living in Michigan and all, plus Alaska is very beautiful. With some help from my fellow Junior Leaders, we found out that she moved to Alaska for the Aurora, and moved to Talkeetna because she knew people here, and that it was easier to go somewhere where you know people. Dora has a 16 year old son whose name she knew I would not be able to spell, so she did it for me. Henrique, pronounced en he key, is 16. His name is the Portuguese version of Henry. When Dora first moved to Talkeetna, she loved the winter, and particularly enjoyed shoveling snow out of her driveway, which makes sense, seeing as how she has not seen a lot of snow in Brazil. However, reality stung her more than the frigid Alaskan air. Combined with the cold an the constant darkness, Dora realized that she just might go nuts in the winter if she couldn’t find something to do. So, she took advantage of the wonderful spectacle of the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights. Before this Dora shot only normal landscape shots, such as: mountains, lakes, and glaciers. Now, she is very passionate about her work, which is very evident when one strolls into her little shop of wonders. My assisting Junior Leaders and I thanked Dora, pucrchaced a few small knick knacks and left, continuing our adventure into the state that Dora loves so much.

By: Asher Wertheimer

 

Interviewee: Doug (The Wilderness Man)

Location: Palmer, AK

Day: June 15

The morning of the second day in Alaska, we had time to explore Palmer doing whatever we wanted. After my group stopped at Subway, we all decided to go check out the supermarket. While I walked around, I ran into Doug at the Carr Supermarket. He told me he was from “the wilderness”.

Doug is from Minnesota, and moved to Alaska 41 years ago in search of excitement and beautiful scenery. Doug told me that he had no running water, so he used a lot of cologne. After giving him my business card so he could check out the website, he told me he also had no electricity. He lives on the side of a mountain (how cool!) and only comes to town for food and water.

The Wilderness Man also told me about how Alaska has changed his ways of life. He mentioned that 45 years ago he never would have pictured himself now without running water and electricity, but he enjoys having the nature close around him. He was pretty confident on his way of life. I was very interested on how he could go on everyday without many people around him and no electricity. I wanted to ask him more about his life, but he seemed to not have much more to say. He continued to talk about being close with the animals at home.

Doug then made it obvious that everything that he had, had left him. His children left him and his wife had died. The squirrels, his only friends he had at his house, even stopped coming for food. Unfortunately, Doug is becoming older and ill. He told me that he was looking to move back to Minnesota to be with his family and around his friends. He was very nice and I enjoyed talking with him, he told me he hoped to see us all again.

By: Korinne Winnie, Mackenzie Horn

Interviewee: Kier

Location: Sam’s Club, Anchorage, AK

Day: June 15

As my group was sampling bacon at a Sam’s Club in Anchorage, I came across a young employee, 21 year old, Kier. From the moment he struck up a conversation with me, I knew he would be the perfect candidate for me to interview.
Kier is an Alaskan native and lived here until age 5 when he moved to Las Vegas for 7 years. Kier prefers Alaska over Las Vegas because he enjoys the nature rather than the big cities. Kier remarked that the people in Las Vegas are more odd because Vegas is more popularized by media and the people want attention, rather than the people who go to Alaska who are there to experience the environment. Kier’s favorite thing to do in Alaska is going on hikes during the winter and summer because of the beautiful scenery and majestic views. Throughout the interview, it was clear that Kier had a passion for the natural elements in Alaska.
In addition to hiking, Kier enjoys going to the local gym with friends and playing video games. He has exotic tastes, including Vietnamese food and his favorite Vietnamese restaurant is Ray’s Place. While he has original tastes, Kier goes old school, listing his favorite snack as frozen yogurt. Kier was quick to tell us about his YouTube channel, fmchainsawteddy, where he enjoys posting video blogs, including a video where he attempts to drink 15 juice boxes in 15 minutes.

By: Josie Crose

Interviewee:  Marie

Location:  Chicago O’hare International Airport

Day:  June 14

While waiting for our plane to Alaska in the Chicago O’hare airport, I sat across from Marie. She grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, and loves Cajun food. She was at the airport to go home to Alaska after visiting her nephew, who just graduated from high school. Her nephew will be going to the University of Colorado in the fall.
Marie was traveling with her son, Ravi, who will be in first grade in the fall. One of the teachers at his school is actually one of Mr. Rosene’s daughters! I guess it’s a small world. Both Marie’s father-in-law and mother are identical twins, like me.
While in Lawrence, Michigan, they found a new friend. They were at a garage sale and saw a baby chihuahua named Tito Rivera! Marie instantly knew that she had to have him, so she talked to his owners. She told them that they would pay any price for him. The owners talked for a while, and when they were done, one of the owners ran her hands over Tito, blessed him in Spanish, and gave him to Marie. Marie didn’t tell her husband about Tito for three days after she got him. When she was done telling me about herself, it was time to get on the plane, so we said goodbye.

By: Nicole Wilson