Double Whammy in Denali – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 8:  Our next step in Denali –  the limit.  We moved Ferd into the Teklanika Campground at Mile 29 and left the Jeep at the designated parking area.  There’s no private driving on the Park Road to that distance except into the campground and out, once only for each camping trip.  We wanted to get the feel of the interior of the park by actually making our home there for four days.  To complete the package we scheduled a bus trip to the end of the road, Mile 93, the town of Kantishna.  

It was fun to drive the motorhome up the Park Road watching for wildlife and nature on our own.  We counted eight snowshoe hare that crossed our path on the way.  We learned earlier that the snowshoe hare population is at its ten-year explosion and is eating all the willow in the park. Also exploding are the lynx, the predators of the hares. Soon the hares will decline as they eat all of the willow food supply. The lynx will decline as there are less hares for food, allowing the willow to replenish.  Studies how this happens about every ten years.  It’s another interesting natural cycle.  Anyway, counting the numerous hares as we went, we reached our spot in Tek campground, a peaceful place surrounded by mountains and bordered by the river. We were ready for the next phase of our Denali experience.

What could add to our maiden trip in the park when we saw the majestic Mt. McKinley?  This time we would begin from Teklanika Campground, nine hours round trip.  The end of the road is Kantishna, a former gold mining town where a couple of folks hit pay dirt. Most of those who made the difficult move in the early 1900s did not find their fortune. Today there are a few remote luxury lodges reachable by bus or air only.  

We weren’t sure how the day would go when it rained all night.  A nine-hour bus trip could be a bit much on a dreary day, right?!  But we were ready at our 8:55 a.m. boarding time, with our rain gear and our lunch and our binoculars and our camera and our high hopes.  Other friendly campers were boarding with us from Dallas and Las Vegas, all of us hoping to see wildlife and soak up more nature.  The result? By the end of the day, we decided that this second bus trip could be appropriately dubbed “a double whammy!”

Getting started, we wound through the portion of the road we’d viewed two days earlier in sunshine. Right away we noticed how different things appeared.  The colors seemed deeper in some cases. Sometimes, with the low-hanging clouds cutting off the tops, we could see more of the weeping creases in the mountains formed by the glaciers.  The rivers were so much more pronounced from the rainfall, making wider cuts as they braided in and out through the valleys.  It didn’t take long to decide that we made the right choice.  We were happy to have the contrasting perspectives of the weather in the park.  We had another great driver, another view of the terrain, another kind of information provided. For instance:  Did you know that a porcupine can kill large spruce trees in the forest?  Yes, there is a section of Denali where there are dead spruce from the 1920s.  The porcupines climb into the trees, eat all the bark and kill the trees.

As we moved into new territory at higher elevations, we were at eye level with the lower levels of the tundra, the shorter vegetation covering the wavy hills and valleys.  We’re all enthralled with the terrain when suddenly a passenger yelled “stop.”   That’s how it happens. Anybody who thinks they see wildlife calls out to the driver so that he can stop for everyone to get a look.  This was a super spotting! There in our view was a mama grizzly and her cub.  We watched them foraging for roots.  Then the cub would run and play and mama would stand up on her hind legs to locate the cub, and go bounding after her. They actually worked their way over toward us and crossed the road in front of the bus.  What a spectacular sight!

There were interesting bits of wilderness and wildlife happenings scattered throughout the trip.  Caribou were spotted at two or three points, munching away at the grasses along the hillsides.  We had a rare viewing of the Gyr Falcon, the largest in the world.  Jeremy, our driver, who turned out to be a learned bird-watcher, told us that not many people get to see this particular bird. Our group had a good look. The bird perched on the top of a rock outcropping for all to see, although be it by binoculars.  Then we came to the glacier.  But, wait a minute…. it was green and brown and hilly.  Yes, Jeremy explained that this actually is the Muldour Glacier.  You see the ends, or terminus, of any glacier has about two feet of dirt on top where plants grow.  That was news. Not what we think of as anything to do with a glacier.  We’ve had distant views of glaciers on the mountains throughout our trip. But today we learned about the end of the glacier.  It all counts.

But one more event completed our Denali journey. The day’s nine-hour trip was winding down and all passengers were quietly watching the stupendous views. Then…..just a few miles from our campground, we saw another bus stopped along the road.  What was that on the edge of the road?  Wow!!! Right in front of us--  Mama grizzly and her two cubs were casually sitting there.  The next fifteen or twenty minutes were outstanding!  32 of us quietly watched the wildest of animals as they calmly took their time doing whatever they do.  Everyone kept limbs inside the windows.  Everyone was silent.  The bears wandered around, next to and crossed in front of our bus. One cub came over next to our window to take a look at us. As if he was saying, “What are you and why are you holding that machine?”   All three stayed close by without seeming to be concerned about we humans.  There was only the sound of shutters on cameras as we each tried to get the best shots. Then we would just stop the cameras and watch the family of three go about their business.  It was quite an experience being with these wild animals in their own habitat.  The mama bear didn’t seem worried about the cubs’ activity.  We humans were as unthreatening as possible. They slowly walked down the road and we slowly moved along our own way.

This was our double-whammy day in Denali. The scenery was a new kind of breath-taking. In addition,  we had a wildlife extravaganza. We turned another page in our Alaska Adventure. The camera doesn’t capture the immensity and awesomeness.  All I can say is, if you have the opportunity to explore this wilderness, take it.  See you down the road.

Denali National Park – Alaska Adventure 2010

June 4 – 6:  From our first day in Denali National Park we had generous doses of the specialness of this awesome piece of Alaska. We parked at Riley Campground, just inside the entrance, to have an opportunity to get acquainted with the various offerings at the beginning of the park.  The campground is roomy enough for our 36’ motorhome in several spots.  And with our Golden Age Pass, the cost is $14.00 per day, with a dump and water available.  We considered this a bargain considering the convenience and the surroundings.

There’s plenty to keep anyone occupied for a few days in the vicinity of this campground, what the park locals call the “front country.”  There’s the Visitors Center, the Murie Science Center, the Wilderness Access Center, hiking trails, movies, exhibits, hands-on displays and ranger programs. Oh, and there are  free shuttles to the dog sled facility and 17 miles into the Park Road to Savage River.  We sampled it all. The dog sled demo was especially fun.  This friendly and very informative activity includes an ample amount of time for everyone to communicate with the animals as well as the trainers.  The dogs are very loving.  They are the working type, that are used for reaching remote areas of the park in the winter.  We learned here that the “working” dogs are larger than those bred and developed for racing. The rangers who work with the dogs are there to provide answers to any and all questions and to give background on the dogs specifically. Then they harness the dogs so the group can see them in action. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would go back.

Actually, after our three-day introduction to Denali, we concluded that with the availability of portion of the Park Road that is open to public vehicles and all of other programs offered,  anyone could enjoy the park without purchasing the expensive shuttle bus or tour bus passes that take you beyond that point.

But regardless, there is a great deal more and we wanted the full portion. On our second day, we took the shuttle bus tour to Toklat River, mile 53 of the Park Road, a 6 1/2-hour roundtrip. The ride took us 33 miles beyond the restriction for public vehicles. This pass costs $24. There are more formal tours offering food and a guide that cost more. Again, these are choices that we made.

This trip was our first chance to see Mount McKinley (known by Denali, or “The Great One” or “the mountain” to Alaskans). But, mind you, we already knew that not many actually ever see the mountain.  Some say 20% and some 30%.  There is a 30% club for those that are fortunate to be there when “the great one” comes out.  There is so much beauty in Denali National Park that you will be awed even if you aren’t blessed with a clear day over “the high one.”  That morning it was raining so we boarded our bus ready to ride past the first 9-mile viewing area without a glimpse.  Not knowing if we’d have a driver who would offer any narration or how the bus ride would go, we were anxious to get on and get going. We chose a left-side seat near the front, thinking that we’d have better views and could hear if our driver offered words of wisdom.  Marilyn, our driver, turned out to be just right.  She gave us interesting information on nature and history on our trip, but was quiet too.  

We also lucked out as a short time into our trip the clouds filtered out and ole sol peaked out. Then the question came to Marilyn: “Will we see the mountain today?” Of course, she answered, “I don’t know.”  As we approached the 9-mile viewing area, those in the know were pointing or talking to their mates about where “it” should be. And then we came around a corner. The “great one” was out in all its glory.  Mt. McKinley is 20,320 feet high, the highest mountain in North America.   Of course, the mountain is completely covered in snow.  It was shining bright - almost a little unreal.

There are scheduled and unscheduled stops on these bus trips, depending on the mountain and wildlife. We had three opportunities to get photos of Mt. McKinley. The first one above is early in the day at nine miles on the Park Road. The second is later in the afternoon, much further west into the park. Much different aspects. We felt lucky that on our first ever journey into the park we saw Denali. 

The trip to Toklat River was filled with the splendid scenes that just kept coming as we traveled the 53 miles. Every mile is beautiful.  And, of course, an important job for all travelers on the bus is to watch out for wildlife.  We saw fuzzy-antlered caribou and the smaller inhabitants, such as snowshoe hares and numerous waterfowl. There was the swiftly-roaming pair of coyotes searching for a meal.  But there were no bears coming out for us today.  Even so, we were happy with our beautiful day in Denali.

But wait, as we came back to our campsite for the night, we had a visit from this lady and her calf. It turns out she brings her baby to the campground every night lately.  She must feel it is safe from the grizzlies and wolves there.  The majority of the moose calves are taken as prey each year. It’s a part of nature’s plan.  But, for this ugly lady and her young one, the humans at Riley Campground were the best bet.  The last we saw them that evening they were both lying in the center of the campground, just relaxing. 

A good start to our Denali visit –  to be continued.