Leaving a piece of her heart, 1,600 miles behind
[by Elise Giordano]
[by Elise Giordano]
[by Seth Kantner]
The historic Ester Gold Camp was built in 1936 by the F.E. Company to house hundreds of workers needed for gold mining operations in the area. The abandoned gold camp includes a hotel, restaurant, mercantile, saloon and ticket office.
For a couple of years in the late 1990s, I worked as a backcountry ranger in Denali National Park. The job was outrageous, in a good way. I and a handful of other college kids were required to work an allotted number of 12-hour shifts at the backcountry permit desk, and then, with the blessing of our supervisors, take off for several days at a time, to “patrol” the park.