Denali ... "The High One"

Mt. McKinley, 20320 feet tall, is America's highest peak!

Between Talkeetna and the entrance to Denali National Park, The Milepost noted 8 different places along Park Highway where there is "a view of Mount McKinley (weather permitting)". The key works are "weather permitting".  The day we drove that route it was overcast and we could only see the lower mountains.  How frustrating!

In reading The Milepost I did learn that Denali means "the high one" in the Native language.

Free courtesy buses take you 6 miles into the park.

We stayed in Riley Camp Ground, near the park entrance for a few days in order to get the lay-of-the-land. While we were there we went to the Visitor Center to watch the video about the park, listen to a   Ranger's lecture on wolves, and take advantage of their wonderful displays of wildlife. One day we took

the courtesy shuttle bus out to Savage River to do some easy hiking along the river trail.

The Savage River.

The Arctic ground squirrel..... the guy at the bottom of the food chain!

Savage River is six miles inside the park and anyone going further must have a permit or be on a tour bus. The trail along the river was pretty flat, and we thought it was a good one for David's first hike since his operation. The only wildlife we saw were little Arctic ground squirrels.  They reminded me of praire dogs.  Later I learned that they are about 2,000 calories each.... a good lunch for everything bigger than they are.


Rather than catch the bus back from there, we decided to walk along the road to the next shuttle stop.  This enabled us to soak in the quiet and the majesty of the panoramic views.  Along the way we scanned the landscape for animals and I was excited when I spotted a HUGH bull moose!  Later David saw a pygmy owl.  Both "finds" were exciting.

A "moose pond" near Teklanika Campground...but no moose.

After four days we moved further inside the park to Teklanika Campground.  One day we took the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake, which is almost the end of the park highway. It was an overcast day and we got to see many animals. We saw two grizzly moms with twins.  They ignored us because they were busy eating soapberries.


Most of the animals were far from the road and difficult to photograph, so I usually just used my binoculars.  And now, since my computer is on the fritz, I am writing this Blog using pictures that were taken by David.

Dall sheep along the park highway.

Caribou!

The second day at Teklanika the sun was out and there was a steady breeze.  We went out again with the shuttle bus and stopped at Eielson Visitor Center for some wonderful views of Mt. McKinley.  On the way back to the campsite we got off the bus again in order to walk along the road in silence. It is impossible to grasp the grandeur of the park, but at least we get a feel of it when we are out there alone. 

 Denali from the park road.

When we were camping at Riley Campground there was a red fox that wandered by every day, and when we were camping in Teklanika River Campground there was a lynx that made its rounds each night. Not the usual campsite visitors.

In Teklanika we were reminded of the movie "Into the Wild' because it was the Teklanika River that prevented Chris McCandless from leaving his bus in the wilderness, and thus caused his death by starvation. After being here we want to see that movie again.  

This is wild and wooly country and it is good that Denali National Park and Preserve has been established to preserve the wildness and naturalness. It has been only slightly touched by our modern times.  Denali was originally begun as a game sanctuary to protect wildlife and now its 324,420 acres hold a bit of nature in its pristine state, for us and for generations to come.

Unidentified wild thing.