Wednesday 8/15
We awaken in dense fog. Briefly it looks like the weather will improve, then there’s a meteorological relapse and it begins to rain heavily.
The drive toward Denali continues to be disheartening. Ramshackle residences and retailers line the bumpy road. Traffic is intense: cars, trucks, RVs, and cruise line tour buses. At this moment before he is deposed, Ted Stephens is hard at work with the cruise lines trying to pork barrel “The Great Denali Canal”, the “8th Wonder of the Modern World”, that will let them bring their big ships right to the park entrance. In the meantime, they’re using buses to move the masses to the Denali. As one Princess Cruise Line bus passes, Nancy and I do the “princess” wave—the occupants enthusiastically wave back.
Over the past months, we’ve heard mixed opinions on Denali. We also know that it’s the most popular attraction in the state drawing a million visitors a year. We have done the math. If three quarters of these people visit in the months of June, July, and August; then there will be 8,000 people in the park each day. We’re imagining the wilderness equivalent of Disneyland with snaking lines and 30 minute waits for each attraction.
· DON’T MISS exciting “Moose Mountain” where you’ll spiral down a live volcano in a real-life replica of a mining car.
· BE SURE TO SEE the delightful “Dall World” with its cuddly, cute, and fluffy Dall Sheep.
· BRAVE THE PERIL of “Grizzlies Of The Tundra”—you’ll travel through a dark cave—beware of bears at every turn.
About 100 miles from the park, the sky briefly clears, and we get good views of Mts. Dicky and Huntington and glaciers in the distance. Then the rain and clouds rematerialize, and we lose the view.
We cross the Susitna River. Looks like moose country. There in the pond, MOOSE!, a definite positive turn to the day.
We stop at the Denali North View Point. The sun peeks out, and we get a beautiful panorama of snow-covered mountains with clouds draped around them, but we see none of Denali (Mt. McKinley). The weather’s a big factor around the mountain, and only about 25% of the people who visit the park actually get to see the whole thing.
The sun vanishes, and the heavy rain resumes. While the weather has us down, we wonder about the natives who are approaching the cusp of a very long winter and endless nights. We’re feeling better already.
We surmount the Broad Pass with Eldridge Glacier on our left. Civilization and traffic have thinned, and we’re feeling better about life. I break into a caustic rendition of “Our Day Will Come” by Ruby and the Romantics. We see beaver lodges in ponds along the way.
We pass into “Game Management Unit 20A”. We’ve seen dozens of signs demarking these various Game Management areas. I’ve decided that these are not about animals, but really about games. 20A is “Blindman’s Bluff”. Other’s have been Parchese, Yahtze, Checkers, etc. Nancy named #7 Poker, but we agreed Craps would be better. We’re waiting for Game Management Unit 1—that will be Monopoly.
We arrive at Denali around 4 PM. For the first time on the trip, we have reservations at a campsite. We’re right in the park, and it’s very nice.
Denali is a wilderness park. There’s only one road into the park and most of that road is closed to the general public. The road is 91 miles long. We can take the Jeep on the first 15 miles, but beyond that the only transportation is by park bus (some cruise lines and private tour groups also operate buses in the park). These buses shuttle between the entrance and various checkpoints in the park dropping off wilderness campers and hikers, but they mostly serve as viewing platforms for the majority of visitors. You ride the bus, see the animals along the way (if you’re lucky), get to the end of the line, turn around and ride back. The bus trips range from 6-12 hours, but you can get off whenever you like and return on an earlier bus.
Though we’re not eager to spend the day with a gaggle of ooing and ahing tourists, we’re taking the bus tomorrow. We’ll probably oo and ah right along with the rest of the passengers.
This afternoon we drive the 15 miles of public access road to the Savage River. We are VERY impressed. The 8,000 people must be hiding in the bushes, because it does not feel crowded. The rain has stopped, and the clouds are lifting. We get a compelling view of the lower half of Mt. Denali. We see oodles of snowshoe hares and three moose.
All is right with the world.
