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- Story Listed as: True Life For Teens
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Life Experience
- Published: 09/19/2015
2 Mountains, a Glacier, and an Airplane
Born 2001, M, from Portland, Oregon, United StatesMy head jolted upright; my eyes scanning the room. My ears picked up the loud hum of an engine in the background. All the items in the bedroom were shaking violently, as if a mild earthquake were trying to force everything in sight to collapse. Outside, green foliage swept by our motor home in a blur, as the face of Mt. Denali/McKinley (since the name was recently changed from McKinley to Denali) slowly receded, its glistening peak omitting back a luminous glow through its crystal-like turquoise glaciers.
Glancing ahead at the windshield, there was a sea of plants with a black strip of asphalt sliced in between. Excluding the occasional meander, the scenery was monochromatic, until the highway split into a two way intersection, with a small town built around it in a quarter mile diameter. After having driven on a primarily straight road, the abrupt turn caught me off guard as I barrel rolled and narrowly escaped a clash of my head and the closet that was adjacent to the wooden bunk. As I recuperated and walked over to the dinette, I noticed that the RV was commuting on a rundown gravel path. The machine kept surging forward until the sound of the engine cut off in front of a log cabin with a diminutive airfield behind the wooden structure. We evacuated the vehicle, and escalated the steps into the sanctuary.
Inside, the wooden structure had a table the width of the building. On an oak sign hanging from the center of the table, there were the words Talkeetna Alaska Air Taxi. There were multiple families inside the cabin, along with a handful of employees. Space was finite as the minuscule room did not provide adequate space for everyone. Outside, bush planes were taking off and landing, their propeller creating a racket as they flew off into the distance and became an object the size of a fly. After checking in for our flight, we were given a briefing in which the pilot told us where we were flying; the southern regions of Mt. Denali/McKinley along with a landing on Ruth Glacier. The secretary then told us to walk outside and gave us four orange tickets. Outside, a worker fitted us with snow gear, as we walked over to our mode of transportation. A shining artifact of technology loomed ahead of us, with a blue exterior and red stripes. As we boarded the single propeller 10 seated airplane, the pilot instructed us to put on a headset so he could narrate during the flight. Minutes later, we were soaring into the heavens.
Inside the aircraft, chilly air circulated around the cabin. The frosty air was the combination of ice winds, freezing air, and no heater. The plane flew under the stratosphere, ergo, the ride was bumpy. There was a multitude of unsteady moments in which the plane seemed as if it was about to break down. Also, the propeller was so loud that I could hardly hear the narration. However, the reduced luxury did not hamper the view the scenic ride had to deliver. The rugged rocks with their powdery slopes were akin to a serious man emanating artificial laughter. The friendly appearance of the white substance that covered all three peaks in sight, was able to mask the bitter cold personality that was lurking within. We flew around Mt. Hunter, (a mountain that is side-by-side to Denali), and saw a group of evergreen trees that were on the edge of death; their roots poking out of the rock into a white abyss. We swept around the mountain before taking a left to get a glimpse at the paramount solid of this trip, Mt. Denali/McKinley. The monotonous scenery was still awe-striking despite the two repetitive colors, white and grey. The panorama looked like a picture ripped into reality. The mountain was similar to Mt. Hunter, but larger in every way.
After taking another left, the plane then declined in altitude until it reached a clearing that, according to the pilot, was Ruth Glacier. The plane delicately touched down on a glacier; the breaks screaming while the metallic bird slowed to a stop. Outside, the sun was shielded by the titan constructed of boulder that blocked the western view. This allowed the ice crystals to thrive and forced us to stay in a close formation or else, one would be in thick snow.
As we trudged our way around the glacier, taking photo after photo, we heard a soft buzz in the background. The noise got louder until a plane emerged over the hillside; landing and coming to an abrupt stop leaving a trail of white dust. As passengers exited the aircraft that shared the same air space as ours, we emerged back into the hull of the flying machine and took off. Our pilot completed one last loop for us to view the mountain that was a staple of Alaska, proudly declaring that it is still the highest mountain in North America.
As we flew back to the airfield and off into the distance, I saw the mammoth structure twinkle in the setting afternoon sun for the last time before the cone shape lump of stone became a spec in the horizon.
2 Mountains, a Glacier, and an Airplane(Kevin Zhang)
My head jolted upright; my eyes scanning the room. My ears picked up the loud hum of an engine in the background. All the items in the bedroom were shaking violently, as if a mild earthquake were trying to force everything in sight to collapse. Outside, green foliage swept by our motor home in a blur, as the face of Mt. Denali/McKinley (since the name was recently changed from McKinley to Denali) slowly receded, its glistening peak omitting back a luminous glow through its crystal-like turquoise glaciers.
Glancing ahead at the windshield, there was a sea of plants with a black strip of asphalt sliced in between. Excluding the occasional meander, the scenery was monochromatic, until the highway split into a two way intersection, with a small town built around it in a quarter mile diameter. After having driven on a primarily straight road, the abrupt turn caught me off guard as I barrel rolled and narrowly escaped a clash of my head and the closet that was adjacent to the wooden bunk. As I recuperated and walked over to the dinette, I noticed that the RV was commuting on a rundown gravel path. The machine kept surging forward until the sound of the engine cut off in front of a log cabin with a diminutive airfield behind the wooden structure. We evacuated the vehicle, and escalated the steps into the sanctuary.
Inside, the wooden structure had a table the width of the building. On an oak sign hanging from the center of the table, there were the words Talkeetna Alaska Air Taxi. There were multiple families inside the cabin, along with a handful of employees. Space was finite as the minuscule room did not provide adequate space for everyone. Outside, bush planes were taking off and landing, their propeller creating a racket as they flew off into the distance and became an object the size of a fly. After checking in for our flight, we were given a briefing in which the pilot told us where we were flying; the southern regions of Mt. Denali/McKinley along with a landing on Ruth Glacier. The secretary then told us to walk outside and gave us four orange tickets. Outside, a worker fitted us with snow gear, as we walked over to our mode of transportation. A shining artifact of technology loomed ahead of us, with a blue exterior and red stripes. As we boarded the single propeller 10 seated airplane, the pilot instructed us to put on a headset so he could narrate during the flight. Minutes later, we were soaring into the heavens.
Inside the aircraft, chilly air circulated around the cabin. The frosty air was the combination of ice winds, freezing air, and no heater. The plane flew under the stratosphere, ergo, the ride was bumpy. There was a multitude of unsteady moments in which the plane seemed as if it was about to break down. Also, the propeller was so loud that I could hardly hear the narration. However, the reduced luxury did not hamper the view the scenic ride had to deliver. The rugged rocks with their powdery slopes were akin to a serious man emanating artificial laughter. The friendly appearance of the white substance that covered all three peaks in sight, was able to mask the bitter cold personality that was lurking within. We flew around Mt. Hunter, (a mountain that is side-by-side to Denali), and saw a group of evergreen trees that were on the edge of death; their roots poking out of the rock into a white abyss. We swept around the mountain before taking a left to get a glimpse at the paramount solid of this trip, Mt. Denali/McKinley. The monotonous scenery was still awe-striking despite the two repetitive colors, white and grey. The panorama looked like a picture ripped into reality. The mountain was similar to Mt. Hunter, but larger in every way.
After taking another left, the plane then declined in altitude until it reached a clearing that, according to the pilot, was Ruth Glacier. The plane delicately touched down on a glacier; the breaks screaming while the metallic bird slowed to a stop. Outside, the sun was shielded by the titan constructed of boulder that blocked the western view. This allowed the ice crystals to thrive and forced us to stay in a close formation or else, one would be in thick snow.
As we trudged our way around the glacier, taking photo after photo, we heard a soft buzz in the background. The noise got louder until a plane emerged over the hillside; landing and coming to an abrupt stop leaving a trail of white dust. As passengers exited the aircraft that shared the same air space as ours, we emerged back into the hull of the flying machine and took off. Our pilot completed one last loop for us to view the mountain that was a staple of Alaska, proudly declaring that it is still the highest mountain in North America.
As we flew back to the airfield and off into the distance, I saw the mammoth structure twinkle in the setting afternoon sun for the last time before the cone shape lump of stone became a spec in the horizon.
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