Back on the Denali Park Road

Friday, June 29

Today was much like yesterday, though our bus ride into the park was eight hours.  There’s only one road in the park, so we decided to go for it again today; yesterday’s wildlife viewing was so great that we wanted to see more.

We rode out to the Eielson Visitors Center and were rewarded with many grizzly bear sightings en route, including one of a mamma and her two cubs. They were close by and the cubs seemed to be curious about us, so they kept standing up to check us out; it was fabulous! Jim and Donna went for an afternoon hike while Tom and Mel headed back to the park entry area.  En route, we saw more bears and lots of caribou, in small groups, a large herd, and a couple up close and personal.  This is the way we like our wildlife experiences -- close, but safely cocooned in a large bus!

Denali is huge, but almost all of it is backcountry -- true wilderness – and the emphasis is definitely on letting the wildlife be wild.  The feeling is that, if the animals do not think of  humans as either dangerous or as sources of food, they will not see us as threatening or attractive, and will pretty much live and let live. It seems to be working; no human has ever been killed by a bear in Denali.  Nevertheless, it still felt pretty good to have all that bus around us!

Denali National Park

Thursday, June 28

We were up early today to pick up our tickets for our 7:15 departure on the park bus to Wonder Lake.  The highlight of the eleven-hour round trip was the variety of wildlife we were able to see – up close, personal, and from the safety of our bus! Moose, caribou, Dall sheep, ptarmigan, golden eagles, and grizzly bears of every size and family configuration had us calling out to our bus driver for frequent stops and lots of photos. 

The bus also made frequent rest stops and we were especially struck by the views and short trails at Polychrome Pass (reached by a one-lane road that switchbacked – no guard rails, of course -- up and down a mountain) and high in the tundra at the Eileson Visitor Center.  The weather changed throughout the day, from low clouds and fog, to periods of sun, then light rain. As a result of that, and of the varieties of ecosystems on the Park Road, the views were dramatic and constantly changing.

By the end of this long day of mostly sitting, we couldn’t figure out why we were so tired!  We have bus tickets for a shorter trip tomorrow, too, and are not sure whether or how we’ll use them. There is only one road into the park, and private vehicle traffic is restricted to its first fifteen miles, so it’s pretty much the only game in town, or in this wilderness, anyway! We’ll see what the morning brings…

Flying High!

Wednesday, June 27

After having had two flights cancelled due to bad weather yesterday, all our hopes were pinned on an 8:30 reservation this morning.  Things looked semi-promising when we awoke, and an early morning call to Talkeetna Air Taxi was encouraging, if not completely positive. We arrived at the small airport with hopes high, and this time our expectations were exceeded.  We’d been upgraded to a glacier landing flight, in addition to the air-only tour of Denali and the Alaska Range that we’d originally booked!

We had a fabulous flight over rivers, deep green forests, lakes, isolated backwoods cabins, and gold mining operations before beginning to climb as we followed the Kahiltna Glacier’s path toward the highest peaks, including Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter, and Mt. McKinley (Denali).  Our young pilot, Jonathan, was a wonderful tour guide to the area, its history and geography, as he skillfully wove the plane between and around the peaks.  The crevasses and clear aquamarine-blue glacial lakes below were every bit as interesting as the ridges and peaks above and alongside us.

We landed on the Kahiltna Glacier at the site of the base camp where hikers are ferried to begin their three-week treks to the summit.  It was an other-worldly place, and we felt as if we were in the middle of a National Geographic special.  Everywhere we looked – the peaks, the brilliant sun, the planes, the landing strips in the middle of the snow, the hikers with their gear-laden sleds and small tents – had us pinching ourselves, grinning like fools, and snapping hundreds of photos.  When Jonathan herded us all back on board, we attempted to head back to Talkeetna, but our first takeoff was aborted, due to the “sticky” conditions caused by yesterday’s fresh snow on the glacier.  We hiked back to our original landing strip, and Jonathan flew the plane back and attempted to tamp down the runway a bit.  As we were boarding again, another TAT plane was about to return to town empty, so Tom and Mel flew back with another (even younger!) pilot, Will.  Though he looked as if he belonged rollerblading in Venice Beach, he, too, was capable and very experienced; we were in wonderful hands all the way with TAT!

When we returned to Talkeetna Air Taxi’s office, we were rewarded with our choice of hat or t-shirt as reward for our short hike after the initial return takeoff was aborted. (We didn’t tell them that we were just thrilled that our planned hour and a half flight turned into a three and a half hour “peak experience!”)  TAT is a wonderful operation, from their focus on safety to their skilled pilots, and great customer service would be hard to beat.

(Mel admits to having her life-long aversion to [OK, terror of!] small planes debunked, but also to scanning the interiors of both [small and smaller] aircraft for evidence of duct tape repairs!!)  Finding none, she put her life into the hands of two boy-pilots and thoroughly enjoyed the flights; what a trip!

We departed Talkeetna -- in our car, but still flying high after this morning’s experience  -- and headed north on the Parks Highway to yet another great cabin with a view.  Our “base camp” for exploring Denali National Park (on the ground) is the almost-town of Healy, where we’ll spend three nights.  Despite the severe limitations of the local grocery store, Donna (once again) produced a great dinner at home and we settled in to plan tomorrow’s trip to Wonder Lake, at the end of the park road.

Waiting in Talkeetna

Tuesday, June 26

Rain and dark gray skies made this a good morning for hanging around with a second cup of coffee in our mountaintop perch.  We have a straight shot look at Denali, when Denali is visible, but the clouds were thick between us and The High One. 

We did drive into town and attended a Ranger program and film, each of which focused on what the climb is like.  After a walk around this funky town, full of hikers waiting for flights to the glacier base camp and tourists waiting for flightseeing trips, we checked in at Talkeetna Air Taxi. 

As we’d assumed, our planned 1:30 flight had been cancelled but, ever the optimists, we re-booked for 6:30 and returned to our snug cabin for a low-key afternoon of reading, napping, and watching the weather and the distant vistas, hoping for a view and improved chances of flying.  Alas, the 6:30 flight was also cancelled, so we proceeded with happy hour and dinner, with a reservation for tomorrow morning before we head north to Denali National Park.

We were happy to have a comfortable place to wait out the weather.  There are many in town who have to be available at a moment’s notice, so they must check out of their lodgings and stay close to the airport. 

{From Tom}

The picture below was taken at 4AM looking toward Denali. You cannot see the mountain but you will notice how light the sky is around sunrise.The sky does not get dark at this latitude at this time of year.

Anchorage to Talkeetna

Monday, June 25

This overcast day didn’t bode well for Denali-sightings as we headed north out of Anchorage on the Glenn and Parks Highways, but we’ll be in the vicinity of The High One for five nights, so we have hope for the future on that score. 

We stopped at Thunderbird Falls for a short hike this morning, 

and then in Wasilla, Anchorage’s last suburban outpost, for groceries and headed to Talkeetna, the staging area for Denali hikers and flightseers.  We arrived in the late afternoon at our wonderful cabin, perched on a mountain above town and offering the promise of Denali views from our windows.  Not yet, though, as the clouds have persisted…

We’ve been in touch with our friend April throughout the day and she and her husband, Bobby, are still waiting the all-clear for their flight to the glacier to begin their ascent of the mountain.  Tom and Mel left our mountaintop digs and ventured into the small town to meet them for drinks.  We had a wonderful reunion with April, whom we’ve known since she was five years old, and were delighted to meet Bobby for the first time. 

They amazed us with tales of their planned three-week trek and we were just thrilled to have this unexpected reunion in this remote part of the world.  Who would have guessed?!? If the weather doesn’t cooperate tomorrow, we’ll probably see them again, as they’ll have nothing to do but wait!

We, too, have flight plans for tomorrow!  Even the one among us (guess who??) who has said she’d never get in a small plane has a reservation for an hour and a half flightseeing tour of Denali and the surrounding glaciers and peaks.  Somehow, it just seems like the thing to do but, if bad weather forces a cancellation, at least one of us will be smiling!

Anchorage 2

Sunday, June 24

We woke up to wind, rain, and a bit of rain this morning, and decidedly cooler temperatures, as well.  We’d anticipated this change in the weather and planned to explore a couple of Anchorage’s museums today, and it proved to be a good plan.

We drove downtown, parked at the Anchorage Museum and bought combination tickets for it and the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  We rode a shuttle out to the latter and spent several enjoyable hours learning about Alaska’s eleven native cultures in a very impressive facility. 

We attended a performance of traditional music and dance, toured examples of each culture’s homes and villages, saw artists and traditional craftsmen at work, and viewed a variety of exhibits, both artistic and historical.  This would be a must-see for any Anchorage visitor.

After returning downtown, we spent a short while focusing on a photographic exhibit and a few other things at the large Anchorage Museum before walking around the small city center and heading back “home” for dinner.

Yesterday, Mel learned (via Facebook) that the daughter of a dear friend in Connecticut is currently in Alaska, awaiting good enough weather to fly to a glacier to begin an ascent of Denali!  We spoke by phone and, if she and her husband are unable to fly out tomorrow, we plan to see them in Talkeetna, their staging area and our stop for the next two nights.  We’re all marveling at the coincidence that brought us here at the same time!

Anchorage

Saturday, June 23

We bade farewell to Girdwood and Connie, our garrulous hostess at Glacierview B and B (and her fabulous breakfasts!) and headed north along the Turnagain Arm to Anchorage.  The day was warm (low 70's) and the thirty-mile trip passed quickly; Girdwood is considered an Anchorage exurb, and the funky folk in the skiing community seem to have a variety of feelings about being so close to “town.”

Jim and Donna decided to join the many hikers heading up Flattop Mountain to take in the 360-degree views of Anchorage and around.  Tom and Mel opted for a more urban experience and headed downtown.  We enjoyed the downtown street fair celebrating the Solstice and the large Saturday Market nearby, along with lots of others out to take advantage of the sun and temperatures in the mid-70’s; they seem to know that such conditions don’t last long here! We picked up the keys to our apartment and moved some of our gear in before returning to the trailhead to pick up the tired but happy hikers.  After a stop at Alaska’s largest liquor store (first things first!), we headed back to our digs for showers and some R and R.

Speaking of “Alaska’s largest”, there is a thriving industry producing t-shirts crowing about the comparative sizes of Alaska and Texas.  A sampling: “If we split Alaska in half, then Texas would be the third largest state”; “Alaska: Pissing off Texas since 1959” (1959 was the year of Alaska’s admission to the Union.); “Texas, isn’t it cute?” with a map of Texas superimposed on one of Alaska.  You get the idea…

After dinner chez nous, we drove around downtown hoping that the Solstice celebration was still open, but they seemed to have rolled up the sidewalks pretty early, especially considering the fact that it’s a Saturday, sun shining at 11 PM and solstice weekend.  We also tried to find access to the salmon fish ladder viewing platform, but to no avail.  By then, we were all too tired to walk much, so headed “home” and called it a day.