Volcanic Traverse
The route begins on the side of the Sandford River. After negotiating several icy streams or crossing over sections of the moraine covered glacier. At the south side of the of the glacier’s terminus is a grassy hillside and a nice camping area.
The plateau rewards you with awesome vies of the glacier river, Mt. Drum, Sandford, and Blackburn. After crossing the plateau you will either cross the Dadina Glacier or descend into the gravel banks of the Dadina River and cross smaller braided sections of the Dadina River.
The Dadina River valley is filled with a wide variety of wildlife and you are likely to see bears, moose, and buffalo. The airstrip for pickup is about 4 miles down the river.
We thought our flight around Denali the day before was great, but this one around Mt Sanford and Mt Drum was even better. Pilot Katherine flew us close to the peaks, over herds of Dahl Sheep, and shared much of the history of these mountains. I’m a 12,000 hour ATP rated flight instructor. I can tell you that her flying skills are as sharp as any pilot I’ve ever flown with!
2019 - rjma15 Buffalo, New York
