Denali

Denali National Park is considered a wilderness park as only one road exists within the park.  This is a private road to Kantishna.  Visitors to the park must use the transportation provided, green school buses, if they wish to see the Park's interior.  Of course, foot travel is always allowed.  The round trip bus ride to Kantishna takes 12 hours!  We were scheduled for the first bus of the day leaving the Wilderness Access Center at 7:45.  With lunches and drinks packed, we braced for the day ahead.

The morning sky treated us to a mosaic of colors.  Our anticipated 92 mile trip would allow us to see only a fraction of the Park's 6 million acres.  And, what everyone really hoped to see was the magnificent mountain herself.  The foggy morning with breaks of sun made us hopeful. 

We were provided with a peek of Denali through the clouds.  There was hope the clouds would lift, but this never happened.  The mountain is visable during the summer months, 30-40 pecent of the time, whatever that figures out to be!  The Athabascan Indians of the region called the mountain Denali, the high one, but in 1896 the mountain was named for William McKinley.  However, in 1980, the mountain's name went back to Denali.  By either name, she is magnificent.  All visitors to the Park are anxious to see Denali but also the many animals that make the park their home.  We were treated to the ones that follow.

Several of the Park's blond grizzlies walked near our long green "blind" as our driver Kim referred to our bus.  We were sure to be quiet and respectful of those taking videos and to raise and lower our windows at the appropriate times for fear of being admonished.  After all, we had become a captive community!

It was at mile 66, the Eielson Visitor Center, when Bill, Judy, Bucky and I decided that we would leave our newly acquired "community" and stretch our legs on a tundra hike.  Dry tundra covers the slopes above the tree line at 3,500 feet.  I was happy that Judy shared my interest in the many tundra flowers that lined our path.  It's my hope to someday learn their names and organize my pictures in a way to allow easy access when my tired mind forgets.

                                                                         Arctic Poppy

 

                               Arctic ground squirrels were amusing companions on our hike.

Not the summit of Denali, but awesome none the less.

 

What better way to end the day than by a warm campfire.  Keep in mind that this is taking place at close to 11pm with plenty of daylight.  The lack of rain and warming temperatures made tomorrow seem like the perfect day for Denali to appear.

And, as if by magic, there she was.  We were offered numerous opportunities to photograph her as we made our way back to Talkeetna, where we feel she looks the most beautiful.