Denali Park...need I say more?

We departed Fairbanks under cloudy skies at seven P.M. on Friday, destination Denali. After stopping by the mercantile store to pick up essentials for the weekend (Campsite registration and Shuttle tickets), we continued on to our site, arriving at about 11:00. Using our now finely honed camping skills, we had a modest, comfortable camp and cheery fire to enjoy for a couple of hours.

Morning came very early the next day, but not too early to enjoy scrambled eggs made on the open fire and catch the 7:30 shuttle bus to the interior of the park (Automobile travel is restricted to a select few permits and tour buses for the interior of the park, about 20 miles in). A friend from Anchorage, Brian, met us on the bus at his campground and we all continued to the Stony Dome area, where we bade the shuttle good-bye and set off into the wilderness of Denali. Brian makes a hobby of photography, including animals and vistas of Denali, and took us up a dry riverbed to a place he frequently spots bears and other wildlife. No bears were to be found, but lunch on the slope and a nice long hike, including seeing bear trails, numerous pika, and very interesting geology and plant life made it one of the more enjoyable hikes we've had in the Interior, and that is quite a statement! We then had to merely walk back to the park road, where we hitchiked to the entrance and our comfortable campsite, leaving Brian to the trailess wilderness.

Sunday morning found us sleeping in-I estimate my wake up time at 6:45-and having a wonderful breakfast of homemade pumpkin bread, butter, and Nelson especial campfire potatoes. After a nice lazy morning reading next to the campfire, we broke camp and made our way to the Savage River Trail, at the border of the area of the park that allows auto access.

Some of you may know about the moose hunt I went on a couple of weeks ago, returning "unsuccessful" after what amounted to one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life. On the way to Savage River, we had the good fortune of seeing an excellent specimen of a bull moose come out of the trees, wrestle with a tree branch, and proceed to cross the road, very slowly, about forty feet in front of the car. Nothing I had previously heard of moose did them any justice. This thing was absolutely HUGE. It appeared to be about seven to eight feet at the shoulder, with a very wide and impressive set of antlers. It had a very long beard-not sure if that is the correct word-and gray fur on its haunches, suggesting a very old animal. The point is, I'm not sure I would have been able to kill it, hunting season or not. There isn't a word in my humble vocabulary to do that moose justice.

At the end of public access to the park road, the Savage River rest stop offers a well-groomed, heavily traveled, four mile round trip up and back along the river, which is a semi-cloudy combination of glacial melt and spring water. Erin and I opted to attempt the arduous hike to the top of Mount Margaret, a five thousand foot peak near the river. Our legs and hearts were very willing to complete the trek, but inexperience resulted in finding ourselves at a dead end. The peak was, it turns out, only about two-thirds conquered, but some excellent views and great pictures made the trip worthwhile. After carefully choosing our route back to the trailhead, we said good-bye to Denali, and started home.

A final note on traveling in Alaska...If you travel within sight of an Air Force base, check in at the outpost and let them know you are just a tourist-do not make a u-turn within view of the security checkpoint and continue on your merry way. They are watching you.

All in all, a wonderful weekend, and one that will be hard to top...Wrangell-Elias National Wildlife Preserve has its work cut out next weekend! Thanks for reading, all, sorry if you've been bored, I just type my thoughts, Erin will handle the editing.

A Week Apart

Last week Justin went on a moose hunt with David, Ted, Troy, and Walt down the Tanana River to Nenana. Although they saw lots of moose tracks, and spent many silent hours waiting for the right moment, unfortunately they did not come home with a moose. He had a great time, with some great company, and enjoyed the time out in the wilderness. No moose steaks, but tons of fried food and bacon was consumed - man food, for sure.

I was still working at the clinic during the week, missing Justin, but my parents made the trip up to Fairbanks for the final part of their Alaskan vacation. We had a beautiful drive down South past a clear view of Denali and down to Seward. After a great seafood meal and a walk through beachfront Seward, my parents and I went on a full-day cruise to see the wildlife, glaciers, and fjords. It was an amazing day - saw tons of wildlife, including humpback whales and black bears, as well as my favorite: the horned puffin. :) After Justin came to join us down in Seward, we were able to make the stop at Portage valley and walk on the Byron glacier. It was a great weekend!!

More to come.... if we stop having troubles with the car!