Welcome friends and family! The third chunk of our Alaska trip was to Denali National Park. Don't forget, most of the photos can be expanded by clicking on them. Enjoy, Sharon & Dan |
En Route to Camp Denali (July 6)
The next morning at the crack of dawn (which was actually like mid-day since the Alaska sun had come up hours ago) we boarded a bus to Denali. The Park Connection bus picked us up in Anchorage and dropped us off at the entrance to Denali where we met the Camp Denali bus which would take us into the park. It was an adventure. After receiving some fairly bogus information about Alaska from the crazy bus driver, we were dropped off at a turn-around near the park entrance. This turned out to be about a mile and a half from where we were supposed to be let off to meet the Camp Denali bus. This compounded the fact that we were already nearly an hour and a half late because the bus driver missed a previous turnoff and had to back-track a good 15 miles to let some folks off the bus before those of us who were Denali-bound re-traced the same span for the second time. When we realized we got dropped off in the wrong place, Dave and Sharon charged on up the road to try to catch and hold the Camp Denali bus while the rest of the group trudged more slowly with the luggage. Luckily, most Alaskans turned out to be really nice. A good Samaritan picked up the group with the luggage and schlepped them to the Camp Denali bus pick-up, beating Sharon & Dave. |
Despite the other craziness of the Park Connection bus to Denali, we did get to stop in Talkeetna where we had a nice view of the Alaska mountain range to the north of us. Mt. McKinley (a.k.a. Denali) is right behind Sharon's head. |
Dave on the Camp Denali bus. |
Sharon keeps thinking of this as our first time seeing bears "in the wild" only to be reminded by Dan that all the Katmai bears were very much in the wild. |
The signs have nails sticking out to deter the bears from playing with them. |
We saw our first caribou at our supper stop on the Camp Denali bus. |
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Arctic Ground Squirrel at Eielson visitor center. |
These guys were a little stouter than the squirrels we're used to. The Camp Denali staff called them "bear burritos" since they provide a tasty snack for their ursine neighbors. |
White crowned sparrow |
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This Long-tailed Jaeger was going to town on some road-kill trying to tear bites off. |
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Rain, off in the distance, contrasts with the nearby sunny field. |
Camp Denali (July 6-9)
There is one 90 mile road into the park and at the end of that road past Wonder Lake are two places to stay that are owned by the same company but slightly different in amenities. The lodge is like a little hotel while Camp Denali is individual cabins. Dan originally booked rooms in the lodge, because he assumed Sharon's folks would opt for a little more comfort. But they soundly refuted that idea and requested a change to the more rustic cabins. The cabins each have their own outhouse. They have oil lamps and a burner for heating water, but the heat comes from a wood stove and the water comes from a spigot outside. Each cabin and outhouse has a view of Mt. McKinley. |
Ridge Hike (July 7)
For our first full day in Denali, our family split up. Sharon's folks went on the "moderate" hike, David went off on his own on a trail, and we went on the "strenuous" hike. It was not too bad, but a bit like a stairmaster at the gym! We hiked a very steep path up to the nearest ridge, then hiked along the ridge and stopped at a cabin for lunch before descending again. We also have several nice pictures of wildflowers from this day, but we consolidated those onto our Wildflowers & Plants page. |
Family Hike (July 8)
The next day we decided to stick together. For Sharon's birthday, she requested a moose sighting from our hike guide, Jan. We didn't get to see a moose that day, but we did see a lot of other wildlife, beautiful wildflowers and mountain vistas, and Sharon got to throw a snowball at her brother! How often can you do that in July?! The wildflowers pictures from this hike can be found on our Wildflowers & Plants page. |
Mount McKinley (July 9)
If your bathroom is an outhouse, you avoid going for as long as possible, but when it gets chilly in the cabin, sometimes you just have to get up. So at 4 AM on our last morning, Sharon was rewarded for her small bladder with a beautiful clear view of Mt. McKinley. She woke the family who all briefly took a peak and then promptly went back to bed. Sharon stayed up, and hiked up the hill to catch some stunning views of the sunrise slowly lighting up the mountain. In case you weren't aware, the park is called Denali, which is the Native American name for the mountain, but official park service name for the mountain is still Mount McKinley. The mountain is usually shrouded in clouds, so this clear view was a real treat. |
Bus Out of Denali (July 9)
Another early morning. We had to be at breakfast by 5:45 to get on the bus for the morning ride out of the park. |
Train from Denali to Anchorage (July 9)
After our bus ride out of Denali, we boarded a glass-topped train for the trip from Denali to Anchorage. The double-decker train car we were in had dining on the bottom level, seats under a bubble dome on the top level, and a small outdoor platform at the back. |
Anchorage (July 10)
While Sharon's folks flew back on the morning of the 10th, we hung out with Dave in Anchorage and flew home that evening. |