Dear family and friends,
I will anchor this blog with three quotes:
1. Emerson (or another Transcendental writer) was quoted on one of the Park’s interpretive signs. He said something to the effect that it is futile to try to describe beautiful scenery with words. There will be a prize of my ‘hoped to perfect’ ginger cookies to the person who can discover this quote exactly (where was my notebook???)
2. One of our Ranger interpreters said … “Denali really gets to you”.
3. And while you will think that everyone I meet throws up their arms as our wonderful guide Aurita (Hi Rita!) did in Haines to describe the wonders of the moment ….. But we met a young man in Riley Campground and during our greetings we asked him how he was … and he (truly) threw up his arms and said, “I’m in Denali!”
After these few next words, we think that our photos (in line with quote #1) will do a much better job sharing our time in this utterly amazing National Park.
• We love Denali. We are already plotting to get back.
• We want to thank Becky and Rick Wageman for telling us we must camp at Teklanika Campground (into the Park 29 miles where once you are in you must stay for at least 3 days … we managed 4 because someone left early). The Park is very protected with no cars beyond mile 15 of 103. Buses are the only option.
• One does not really see Denali until past mile 29 so it is imperative that you take the bus at least into the beautiful Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66 (for Hayes … got a LEED platinum certification). This is not a quick trip … took 2.5 hours to go from mile 29 to 66 with a few stops along the way. Including one white knuckle pass where the driver described one of the several hairpin turns as “Poison Pass .. one drop and you are dead”.
• There are few trails in Denali and for us well-trained hikers, it was very hard to not hear “please stay on the trail” in our head at all times.
• On a sad note, our campground was only a couple of miles from where the young man from “Into the Wild” died. Folks visit it like a memorial. A ranger told us that had he just climbed up the ridge, he would have seen Park buses. We totally ‘got’ how powerful the Teklanika River would have been in the spring run-off. It still has some pretty wild channels in mid-summer. And we could also appreciate his confusion as to plants that were edible.
And now for the beauty of Denali. We hope you will get to see this place for yourself because our skills as photographers cannot begin to capture its vastness, wildness and unsurpassed beauty. And even though it is not absolutely necessary in order to be totally enchanted … we did get the icing on the cake by seeing the mountain on our last day! Denali or as it was once called … Mt. McKinley -- in almost all of its 20000 feet of grandeur.
Flora
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| Whitish Gentian |
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| Alpine Hawk's Beard (on the flats of the braided Teklanika River) |
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| Drawf Fireweed |
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| Mountain Forget-Me-Nots (tucked in the tundra!) |
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Monkshood (bluer than in Colorado)
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Fauna
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| Arctic Red Squirrel |
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| Willow Ptarmigan and chick to the left |
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| Snowshoe Hare with summer coloring |
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| Young caribou |
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| Dall sheep -- on the road |
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| Our most thrilling sighting ... a wolf pack ... three of the five pups |
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| Mama Grizzly and spring Cub |
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| The rare yellow arctic grader (bus driver humor!) |
Scenery
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Denali -- our first view of the mountain ... after 7 days! |
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| Beautiful braided Teklanika River (glacial and full of silt) |
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| Eielson Visitor Center (mile 66 on the Parks Rd.) |
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| Eielson area |
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Denali for a few moments of awe
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On the Teklanika River
Thanks to all of you who follow this blog. Hugs to our kids.
Until next time, Tom and JP |
