Denali National Park
August 17, 2012
arrived with clouds hanging onto the mountains tops but this didn’t dampen
C&J’s desire to get to Denali Park so with breakfast dishes cleared away
and everything secured, Chuck headed the pickup North again.
It is hard
to describe the country side in this area because it changes at every turn.
Rugged, jagged, cold and threatening Mountain tops push up from treeless hills
into the clear blue sky. The rugged land between the road and the foot hills
are covered with a blanket of thick brush and tall grass. We searched this wild
area for any kind of wild life but if an animal would have been close it could
not have been seen. There were many signs that read “beware of Bear, Moose and
even Wolverines” but we never saw them.
The Denali
Park sign appeared and we all got excited. Everyone had said we wouldn’t want
to miss this wonderful mysterious park.
Mt McKinley, Bear, Dall sheep, Moose, Caribou and Wolf were all the
things we wanted to check off of our “most likely to see list”, while in the park.
So we went
right to the registration and information center and then headed to Riley Creek
campground and our camp site on Bear loop. C&J signed up for an 11 hour bus
ride into the back country of the park which they would be doing on the
morrow. It was lunch time so Jane
started sandwiches while Chuck chatted with the camp Host and the Ranger. After lunch C&J went exploring and found
the store (ice-cream) and the bus stop where they would catch the bus, at 6:
A.M., for the day long tour.
The park
transportation system is great. One can ride a free bus to all places of
interest in the park. One can get a pass
for a ride deeper into the park if one wants to hike the back country. One of the drivers describes this as “leaving
the security of a bus to become part of the food chain”. We saw lots of bears
on our bus ride, so we know where her thoughts came from.
C&J took
advantage of the “free bus” or the “Green bus” and rode up to the information
center where they watched a movie about how the park was developed and then
enjoyed all of the exhibits. A stop at
the restaurant for a beer and waffle fries was truly enjoyed. Then it was a
downhill, one mile walk back to camp.
This was needed after the beer and waffle fries. By 7:30 P.M. they were
ready for bed and eager for their 6: AM bus ride in the morning.
Saturday the
18th of Aug. proved to be 35 degrees and a bit foggy but that cool
the excitement of the day. They caught
the 5:45 bus from camp and headed to the wilderness learning center where they
caught the 6:15 for the 86 mile trip to Wonder Lake.
It was light
as the bus started up the bumpy road, which was under construction, and the sun
was just starting over the hills and C&J knew it was going to be a great
day. As the bus arrived at Savage River
Campground, where the last group of excited site seers were picked up, the sun
broke over the jagged mountain top and the cameras started clicking. This stop is only 13 miles into the park and
is where the private vehicles can go no further. There is a campground there that folks can
drive to but then they can’t drive their vehicle until they leave the park, thus
the free bus.
The Fall colors shown so vividly on the hill sides and the
contrast of the jagged mountains and bright blue sky gave everyone so much
joy.
The driver,
a very informative woman, teased us with glimpses of Mt. McKinley as we twisted
and turned deeper into the back country.
We would turn a corner and there in the cleft of two high peaks would be
just the snow covered tip of Mt. McKinley and the cameras would click like
crazy. Then a hushed cry for “Stop, Dall
Sheep on the right”, and the bus creaked as the weight shifted to that side as
everyone tried to see the sheep. Their white coats contrasted sharply with the
dark gray walls they climbed on. So cameras clicked and hushed excitement
filled the bus. A couple of Caribou were
sighted and then real excitement was generated when the first big silver backed
Bear was sighted. It felt like the bus was going to tip over but it was great,
as everyone could see him scamper across the road. C&J were wishing they
had better cameras at that point. 
There were
stops along the way where they could leave the bus to stretch and have a health
break. One was by a river another on a
high point ,Eielson Visitor Center, where everyone enjoyed the sight of Mt.
McKinley and all of its’ glory. There
aren’t enough words to describe the beauty of this 20,320 foot high mountain
range around it. And on this day, with a brilliant cloudless blue sky as a back
drop, it stood unbelievably high and mighty.
At mile 85 we arrived at Wonder Lake.
It was noon and we were to have a
half hour to have the lunch we had brought along to enjoy. C&J hiked out onto a blueberry covered
high vantage point and enjoyed peanut butter, celery and the low growing blue
berries for lunch. Now they know why the Bears enjoy this succulent berry. But they did wonder how many they have to eat
to put on their winter fat because this verity of blueberry is very small.
The return
trip was just as exciting as the prior trip with sightings of Bear, Caribou and
a flock of Ptarmigan which is the Alaska state bird. We arrived back at the Wilderness Center about
5: P.M. exhausted but still excited about the day. After dinner and reviewing
the pictures over and over again, C&J headed to bed to dream about a snow
covered mountain and a delightful blue bird day.
Sunday
proved to be another bright, warm and sunny day.
After chores C&J took off
to check out the Railroad Depot hiking trail. The wind had picked up which was
delightful as it whipped through the Birch and Cottonwood and cooled the warm
day. At one point C&J stopped to
feel the leaves dance in the tree tops of the Birch trees and laughed as they
met another couple that confirmed that C&J had become true “Tree
huggers”. It was interesting how smooth
and cool the Birch bark was, opposed to the warm rough bark of the Spruce tree.
About half way to the station the path went through an area that had been
settled by a fellow that built a hotel to accommodate the gold miners and later
the Railroad that came in to supply the miners. They found the Railroad station
interesting and realized that the station connects travelers with Anchorage and
the Cruise ships at Seward.
They enjoyed
a burger at the restaurant then caught the free bus to the Sled dog kennels. There they enjoyed a presentation of how the
dogs are taught to pull the sled and about the breeding of these very special
dogs.
Because it was still early Chuck suggested taking the free bus on the 15
mile trip to the Savage River with a chance to see more wild life. They caught
the bus and enjoyed the ride to the river and got to see a big cow Moose
munching on the bushes beside the road on the return trip. Since Jane had started a spicy soup before
leaving she warmed it up and mixed up some corn bread while Chuck got the
generator going to charge up the batteries. And since it was past happy hour
the cold beer really tasted good. Relaxing, after all the hiking and enjoyment
of Denali National Park, was welcome.
