King of the Wilderness

Lin Yu’an piloted the plane, heading south all the way. He set the cruising altitude at nine thousand five hundred feet. At this altitude, the air was smooth, and the view was excellent.

Soon, the roof of the North American Continent—the majestic Alaska Range—appeared right in front of them with an overwhelming presence.

Mountains over four thousand meters high stood silently between heaven and earth, like a group of white giants.

The sunlight shone on their steep, glacier-covered cliffs, reflecting a dazzling light. Huge glaciers, like rivers frozen in time, poured down from the cracks of the peaks, ending in a deep blue hue.

"Look! That’s Denali!" Aliya suddenly put down the map and pointed excitedly at a giant white peak far more imposing and majestic than any others around it.

Hearing their mother’s excited voice, the two little ones also turned their gaze toward the gigantic white mountain.

They might not yet understand what it was, but they could feel the atmosphere of excitement. Their son kicked his little legs excitedly in his car seat, making a series of "ya-ya" sounds, almost as if cheering for the mountain’s grandeur.

Mount Denali stands at 6,190 meters, the highest peak in North America. Its name means "the high one" in the native language.

At this moment, it was fortunately not shrouded in clouds, and its sacred and complete silhouette was clearly displayed before them.

Lin Yu’an didn’t speak. He just skillfully maneuvered the plane, slowly approaching the giant peak.

Flying the Turbo Beaver, he began making a circling flight several kilometers away at a safe distance from Mount Denali.

The little ones’ faces were almost pressed against the cold window. Looking down at the glaciers winding like white giant dragons and at those peaks gleaming under the sun, their eyes sparkled with the light of exploring the unknown world.

Aliya and Emily could clearly see the feather-like snow banners blown by the strong wind on the peaks, the nearly vertical ice walls, and even some colorful tents belonging to climbers, as small as ants, on the glaciers halfway up the mountain.

"It’s so spectacular..." Emily murmured to herself, utterly stunned by the view, filled with primal forces, like a scene from the creation of the world.

After completing the circling flight, Lin Yu’an reset the course and continued south.

In the next few hours, they flew over the vast Copper River Delta, overlooking the braided waterways spread out like a web.

They flew along the rugged coastline, seeing the gigantic glaciers break into countless blue ice blocks under gravity, crashing into the emerald-green bay below and splashing huge waves.

By noon, the plane began to descend slowly.

Climbing and descending are the most severe tests for babies’ eardrums. But Lin Yu’an was thoroughly prepared.

Aliya and Emily, in perfect sync, each took out the prepared bottles and started feeding the babies.

The little ones, holding their bottles, contentedly swallowed. This simplest action perfectly balanced the pressure in their ear canals, allowing them to feel no discomfort during the descent.

They simply watched curiously out the window at the beautiful city, surrounded by mountains and the ocean, growing larger as they approached.

Lin Yu’an’s voice came clearly through the intercom system into their headsets, "Ladies, welcome to Alaska’s capital—Juneau!"

"We’ll be refueling and resupplying here for the first time. And, by the way, savoring the world’s freshest king crab."