Day 29 (June 15). We drove 239 miles north from Anchorage today to Denali National Park. The drive was filled with anticipation at seeing the park and hopefully a glimpse at the highest peak in North America and the tallest mountain in the world. The drive was uneventful. After checking in to our cabin we proceeded to the Denali Visitor Center for orientation, followed by a trip to the Wilderness Center to pick up our tickets for the shuttle bus ride to Wonder Lake tomorrow. We're praying for clear skies.
Mileage for the day: 239 miles. Mileage for the trip: 5,885 miles.
Day 30 (June 16). We got up early to take the 9:15 a.m. shuttle to Wonder Lake. The bus was full. We brought all provisions for an eleven hour trip which covered 86 miles into the heart of the park. The trip into the park did not reveal too much wildlife and the Mountain (Denali) was shrouded in clouds. We are disappointed but not surprised. Denali is visible only about 20% of the time. The locals say Denali makes its own weather. My take on it is that Denali is shy. Regardless, we see some spectacular scenary. On the way back from Wonder Lake we have some great (up close) animal sightings: several caribou, two malmots, dozen+ dall sheep, three moose, several golden eagles, and five grizzly bears. Two of the grizzlies crossed the road right in front of our bus. These are awesome animals and it was quite a thrill to be up close to them in their natural habitat. One stood up to its full height (8+ feet) as it was pursuing a snowshoe hare. Hopefully the pictures turn out alright. We got back to the cabin after 10 p.m., exhausted but exhillerated.
Mileage for the day: 84 miles. Mileage for the trip: 5,969 miles.
Day 31 (June 17). We get up early again today so that we can see the first demonstration of dog sledding at Denali. This is a program of long standing in the park and very popular. We got to see the huskies up close and got to pet a number of them. The ranger explained the history and rationale for maintain a husky kennel and sledding program (snow mobiles are not allowed in the park so sled dogs are used for transportation in the winter). The ranger then hitched a team and took the sled around a course for a demonstration. Very interesting. We saw the interpretive movie on Denali at the Visitor Center, bought some final souvenirs, and headed for Anchorage. We arrived around 4:30 p.m., checked into our hotel, and got some supper. After supper we went for a dip in the hotel pool and relaxed for the balance of the evening. The girls fly home tomorrow evening.
Mileage for the day: 274 miles. Mileage for the trip: 6,243 miles.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment