Monday, August 1, 2016

Denali!


 
A red squirrel chattered outside the camper. Wet from three days of rain, the squirrel looked absolutely miserable but went about its daily business. Staring out through the windows of our camper Barb and I watched the rain forming puddles around the truck and listened to the constant drumming on the roof. It had been raining for 18 straight hours and we were starting to get a little stir crazy. Games and books helped but it is only a matter of time before I started looking at Barb out of the corner of my eye like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

That is pretty much how our 5 days in Denali National Park went. Rain, rain and more rain with only several hours of respite between showers.   
Mount McKinley, (renamed Denali last year) at an elevation of 20,320 feet is the highest point in North America. With a towering peak like that you would think you could be able to see it from miles away right? Well on a clear day you can but the truth is that McKinley creates its own weather and it is most often hidden by cloud cover. In fact, only about 1/3rd of the visitors to Denali National Park ever see the mountain. With rain forecasted for most of the time during our visit that was our big question would we see the mountain while we were in the park? 

The park itself covers 6.1 million acres but only has one road which is 92 miles in length. Of which visitors can only drive about 19 miles without a special pass. The remainder of the travel must be done on tour buses which will take you from the visitors center to the end of the road at Kantishna or any combination of points in between depending on what kind of pass you buy.
We had originally planned on staying 5 days at the Teklanika (Tek) Campground at mile 29 and buying a tour bus pass ($34 each) which would allow us to explore the park. But here’s the thing about staying at Teklanika, once you pass the checkpoint at mile 19 and park your vehicle at the campground you cannot drive your vehicle at all during your stay and have to stay a minimum of 3 days relying solely on the bus for transportation. We were okay with that part of the equation but after friends Les and Sue stayed there and told us how long the bus rides were we knew we were in trouble. They said that the bus ride to end of the road was about 6 hours one way even without any hikes, the 12 hour round trip would be way too long to leave Daisy in the camper. Even the shortest trip is 2 ½ hours one way, throw in a three hour hike and again we were pushing Daisy’s limits. So we changed our reservations from 5 nights at Tek to 2 nights at the Savage River Campground at mile 12 and the remaining 3 nights at Tek.
 
At Savage River we could drive the roads, hike the trails and manage our own time. We were still vacillating on whether or not to do the bus pass but after checking the forecast which called for 5 straight days of rain so we held off and took it day by day.
Be warned.... there is no diesel in Nenana Gulch right outside the park. You choices are Cantwell 30 miles south of the park ($3.20/gallan) or the town of Healy 10 miles north of the park ($2.85/gallon). You can guess which one we chose right? The one next door to the 49th State Brewing Company of course!
 
 
Arriving at the park, we checked in, paid for our sites, dumped and filled our water at Riley Creek Mercantile (free if you are staying in the park) and headed to Savage River. It was overcast as we passed the spot where we should be able to see the mountain…. all we saw were clouds. We found a nice spot, got settled and headed out for a hike only to find out the trails in and around Savage River were closed due to a grizzly bear that had attacked a couple of hikers and would remain closed until they got the bear.

Feeding on Hikers!
What we did learn during our stay at both Savage River and Teklanika is that the beauty of Denali is not confined to bright sunny days. There is mystique and beauty on even the foggiest and overcast days. We got out between and during lighter rains to hike and explore the areas surrounding our campgrounds.

 
 
We were amazed by the number of different sizes and types of mushrooms and other flora growing around the Savage River area. Barb went on a mushroom photo spree!
 
 





 
During our stay at Savage River, we explored the Visitors Center, walking the displays and watching the 18 minute in-house movie on the park. We also made a stop at the park headquarters to check out the dog sled kennels and surrounding buildings.


 
On our last evening at Savage River we found out they got the bear and had opened the Savage River trails so we took a hike down to the river to check it out.


 
 
Day three…. If we were going to buy a bus pass it had to be today before we headed to Teklanika Campground as once you are there, you are there. We drove to the building where you buy the passes and could get Wi-Fi (no cell service at the campgrounds) to see about the forecast. Rain the next three days……we decided not to get the passes. The main reason being leaving Daisy for so long but also another friend who recently blogged about her visit said you can’t really see too well out the bus windows in the rain.
So off to Teklanika we went! At the checkpoint the volunteer asked to make sure had enough food, our waste tanks were empty and fresh water full. The road from the checkpoint to the campground is all gravel but in pretty good shape.


 
 


 
Arriving at the campground we drove the loops looking for a good site when we spotted the rig of friends of ours, George and Nancy, who we had met in B.C. When we last saw then we were comparing travel notes and thought we might cross paths for one day here at Tek! After finding a spot and getting settled we walked over with cocktails in hand to say hi to find out they had made dinner as well! We spent the night comparing notes about our adventures over a great meal.
 
The rain continued off and on during our entire stay but we did get out to explore the area. Again the area was beautiful even in the rain.



We had hoped to see some more wildlife while on the hikes. Moose, caribou, wolf and bear signs were abundant on each of our walks. Yet on each of our hikes we only saw signs, no actual live animals.
Glad we did not run into the Griz that made this pile!

Bears love Soap Berries!
 

After one hike we returned to our campsite wet and cold to find a Park Ranger and Wildlife Officer parked in front of our rig. We approached them to find out that two grizzly bears just past through within feet of our camper. Of course they did…. We just walked miles looking for them and they came to see us but we weren’t there!
The park officials stayed for about an hour then walked the area with a shotgun and paintball gun before heading off. Barb and I had changed into try clothes, had a Baileys/hot chocolate and were laying on the bed reading with Daisy snoring contently between us. All of sudden Daisy wakes up and starts going crazy…..barking (as much as she can bark), smelling out the window and the hair was up on her back. I looked out the window and sure enough the bears had returned! I quietly snuck out the camper and got some pictures of them. The smaller one (~300#'s) was about 70 yards away while the mother stayed in the brush about 100 yards out. They stuck around for about 20 minutes eating Soap Berries and digging up the ground before they wandered off. It was interesting to see how they ate the berries. They would grab the bush with their front feet, bring the braches to their mouth and peel the entire branch of its berries while leaving the leaves intact.  Very cool to see that close!

Striping the berries off the bush


Mama hiding in the brush
We never did see the mountain but in the end it really did not matter. The area received over 6" of rain this week which also caused a mudslide stranding tour bus passengers and employees. Glad we were not on that bus! Because of the slide the buses were not going to be able to go any further than the Eielson Visitor Center at mile marker 66 for the next couple weeks.  Despite the rain we had a great time, saw some stunning scenery and had an incredible encounter with the grizzlies!

28 comments:

  1. Unbelievable wildlife sightings. I would say you did well! I was in Denali in 1993, and to be honest, without digging up the photo album, I can't remember if I saw the mountain either. But I do remember the wonderful wildlife. What great memories you are making!

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    1. Would you believe this was our first caribou sighting on our entire trip? Love seeing the wildlife, it is was we really look forward to seeing in the parks.

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  2. Sorry you had bad weather like we did! Thanks for the shout-out! VERY glad Daisy didn't become a grizzly snack! It's scary that they were right up on your camper with her inside! You are a nut - there's a momma and baby grizzly nearby and you get out of the camper to take pics! Wow! You did get great shots though! Continued safe travels!

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    1. Barb actually had to hold her back when I went outside to take some pictures. What was she going to do? Probably run out there and roll over on her back......

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  3. I love your attitude with all the rain you've had. Good to know Barb is alive and well despite being cooped up with you for days:) You may not have seen the mountain but the wildlife you've seen...wow! The grizzly at night are beautiful and huge. Glad it doesn't get dark! The caribou are magnificent!

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    1. This was the first time the camper walls started to creep in on us but it was not too bad. The bear and caribou sightings were our highlights. That caribou was huge!

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  4. Awesome to see the Grizzlies! Being in the 2/3s Club isn't so bad. At least you're THERE! Good thing they didn't open your camper up like a can!

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    1. I guess you have a point there.... I kept thinking about your grizzly encounter you guys had when you were in Glacier!

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  5. Enjoyed your blog. We went to Denali a few years ago and spent 3 days. Day 1 saw the mountain in all its glory. Good thing we took a lot of photos because the next day was all fog and the 3rd day was fog and light snow. The date was Sept 9th, I can remember that. Denali is a world unto its own.

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    1. There seems to be so much more to explore in the park. Definitely not a park you want to visit unless you have a dog sitter as almost any adventure is going to take you the better part of a day.

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  6. Too bad about the poor weather but at least you got some great wildlife photos. We did the bus trip all the way to the end and back and loved it. Started off drizzly but cleared up and saw Mt. Denali. I bet Barb wasn't too happy about you leaving the camper for Grizzly pics.
    Safe travels!

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    1. We still had a good time despite the rain. The Bears were pretty occupied with those berries and did not seem to mind me but I never got more than a few steps away from the camper!

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  7. We loved our stay there, our camera lost 251 Denali pictures, but we still got pics of Mt. Denali on three other days. To compensate for the camera's misbehaving I accidently took it for a swim when a bank gave way to the ATV and it, I, camera, GPS, and rifle took a swim in 3 foot of water. Camera was replaced, GPS was still running after 14 hours underwater. Rifle seems okay, but I ordered a bigger better model today! Lucky for me as the ATV tuned over with me under water and Miss Peggy didn't know where I was riding at!

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    1. Now that sounds like quite the adventure! You were lucky that was all that happened, it sounds like it could have been much worse.

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  8. I am being haunted by a squirrel. Yesterday on our way to the Grand Tetons, a Red Squirrel runs out on to the road. It freezes and we drive over the poor critter. I feel bad so at the visitor center in the Grand Tetons I leave a donation in his honor. A squirrel fine so to speak. We go to a gift shop in Jackson and as you walk in they have stuffed squirrels staring at me. And now you bring up the chattering squirrel. I am being tormented by a squirrel ghost. Nice blog by the way. Too much rain. We are going to Florida.

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    1. Those squirrels do stick together. I don't think you have seen the last of their terror!

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  9. What an amazing experience. I am so happy for you guys..although considering how Barb feels about bears I should say I am so happy for you Jim!!

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    1. She was freaking out when we saw them, but it was not from fear, it was from excitement. She always said she wanted to see some but only from the inside of the camper....and she got her wish!

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  10. Wow great pictures. We camped at Savage River 3 years ago, took the bus to the visitor center and looked at tape on the window of the visitor center. They said if we could see Denali that is where it would be. Like you we saw lots of critters.
    Right now we are parked in the rain at walmart in Fairbanks even have an electric hook up. We may try for the arctic circle on the Dalton hwy. Looks like rain just about every where in AK

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    1. Great seeing you guys, what a coincidence that we were in Fairbanks at the same time!

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  11. I would urge you to read the book "Into the Wild" or maybe watch the movie especially that you camped at Tek. This was the story of an adventure that went into Alaska and perhaps did not respect the wild. It's a sad story of course but as you read it you can visualize the area as you were close by. Too bad the weather did not cooperate, Denali is magnificent!

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    1. I remember that movie when it came out. I heard it was near that area and could certainly see how someone could get stranded on the other side of that river!

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  12. We were at Teklanika the third week of July and nothing but rain, rain, rain. We did take the bus and saw tons of wildlife, but I understand leaving your pet for that long would present a problem.

    On the morning we were leaving, we looked in the rearview mirror and lo and behold! Denali. It was like a parting gift.

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    1. If we were to do it again, we would probably see if we could find someone to watch Daisy for the day.

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  13. Glad Daisy was doing her job and alerted you to the bears!! Awesome you got to see them so close!!

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    1. We were amazed how she jumped up and became alert without even seeing them!

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  14. We hope to hike Savage River in the next few days, the mudslide is cleared up and we are heading up the road today. 49th State Brewery is on our radar tomorrow. Nice to have your built in alarm system.

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    1. You should enjoy the hike, I KNOW you will enjoy the brewery! Have fun!

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