Denali view is never the same

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Driving north on the Parks Highway on a clear day, you can see Mount McKinley for the very first time. Again. Whether you've driven the road once or a thousand times, the spectacle of Mount McKinley posturing above the clouds is a new, spectacular view.

"That mountain never looks the same twice," I thought to myself as I made the trip to Trapper Creek to interview author Ken Marsh about 10 days ago. It was a clear spring day, and the mountain was covered with snow, rocky edges showing through on its base as the warm weather was apparent.

As I drove the highway -- a trip I've made countless times with a fly rod in the back of the truck and eager expectations in my mind -- I realized just how imposing the mountain is.

After you get past the sheer size of McKinley, which seems to take a few years to do, you realize how much it means to the region and the people who call the upper Susitna Valley home.

Keeping my eyes on the road, I shot glances at the mountain the rest of the way to Marsh's home on Petersville Road.

That view is something you just just have to stare at, to be honest. Finally, I decided that cabin fever was really setting in, and that would explain my sudden emotional attachment to this enormous inanimate object.

But Ken Marsh changed that for me. I realized I wasn't insane to think McKinley changes its face every day.

While talking about his book, "A River Between Us," which details the history of the upper Susitna Valley, we were talking about the region in general.

I asked him if he could pick one thing -- just one, little thing -- that makes the northern end of the Valley such an intriguing place to live, work and play.

His answer was simple -- McKinley.

The reasons, however, were far from simple.

"The fact we are living in the shadow of McKinley is one of the most inspiring things for me," was his response. "Every day, we are in the presence of the history of McKinley. It really creates its own mystique, from whether or not Dr. Cook summitted or not down to its own weather patterns.

"If you have to point to only one thing about this area, it would have to be the beauty of McKinley," Marsh added.

As I made my way back down the highway from Trapper Creek, I felt compelled to stop in Talkeetna and at least check on the river, if not bust out the rod for a quick couple of casts, just to get the dust off.

With McKinley staring over the rivers, I talked to a visitor from Vermont who was taking pictures of North America's tallest peak.

"It's so big, and so beautiful," she said. "It really is awe-inspiring. You guys are lucky to have all of this in your backyard."

"Yeah," I told her. "We are. But just wait until tomorrow. It'll be even better."

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. He is counting the days until he can be salmon fishing in McKinley's shadow.