Alaska forum We are finally on our way to denali.The weather has been sunny
again, and the mountain is in full view.The drive to denali is fairly easy as
the roads are in good condition.The scenery has changed again, and it isn as
pretty as some that we have seen.Of course the view of denali kind of makes up
for it all. We made only one stop on the way at denali view north to take some
photographs.This is a very picturesque spot, and makes for some fantastic
photos.Make sure to walk to the top of the trail,(Short walk)To photograph the
mountain. We arrived at the park early, and had lunch at the entrance to the
park.We are going to spend 3 nights inside denali national park at the north
face lodge. Our bus left the station at 1:30pm and we were on our way.Not too
far into the trip we saw our first bull caribu.Halfway through the trip we
stopped at the east fork river for lunch.North face lodge puts out a very nice
picnic spread for this stop. Back on the bus, we continued to see more
wildlife.We saw a golden eagle, and a grizzly ichaelordicont bear with her three
cubs.Along with the wonderful wildlife, are the unsurpassed mountain
views.Polychrome pass did make me a little nervous however, since the drop off
was quite steep, and we were literally at the edge of the road with no
guardrails.I was at the window seat. We were nearing the end of the 90 mile
journey, and our destination was in sight.I had just put away my camera when we
rounded a bend and a moose and her calf came into view.Unreal!It couldn get any
better than this. We arrived at the lodge at around 8:30 and were warmly greeted
by the staff.They had some refreshments for us.As we relaxed with our coffee
etc.We were given our room assignments.We decided to retire early ichaeloronlinehop for tomorrow was
a new day. Up early today, for the lodge serves breakfast at 7:30am.A bell rings
and you are summoned to breakfast.We met the rest of the staff today.Everyone
here is extremely nice.All the folks here are from different backgrounds, and
have settled in alaska and at the lodge for different reasons.At breakfast we
were told of the different activities available for the day.We chose
the"Moderate"Hike.Our naturalis guide was named tayler. We started out behind
the lodge, and were soon lost to the wilderness.We hiked along and were
introduced to the plants that were growing along the wayside.Our guide was very
informative and kept up a running commentary on the plants, and on alaska
history.Along the path, in a boggy area we saw the tracks of a moose and her
calf.We also saw some caribu tracks, and some wolf scat. The wildfloweres here
are abundant, and varied.It was very interesting to learn their names and their
growth habits. A ground frog was spotted along the path, and we learned that
they are a rare sight here in alaska. Walking on the tundra was a unique
experience.It is very spongy and wet beneath your feet.It feels like you a
walking on a soft matress.We had to climb up a steep hill, throught this tundra,
in order to continue our hike. Finally at the top, and out of breath, we got to
feel the permafrost beneath our feet.This was another unique alaskan experience.
We continued our journey to our lunch destination, which was at wonder lake.We
all agreed not to climb another mountain(Really a large hill)To picnic on the
summit overlooking the lake.By this time, the entire group was pretty well
tuckered out.Lunch at the lake was very nice.Wonder lake is very beautiful.It
sits in the valley and is surrounded by mountains that are covered with various
leves of vegetation.Lunch here was a very nice respite from the hike. Alas!Lunch
was over, and the walk back to the lodge began.We did take the easy route back,
and walked along the gravel path to our destination.Along the way we got to see
a beaver at work, and some very beautiful wild irises. Back at the cabin we took
a rest before our dinner bell rings at 6pm.The dinner tonight was very good.We
dined on steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and broccoli.Most of michael kors
uk sale the vegetables that are served here are grown in a greenhouse
that is located on the property.From the salad that preceeded dinner, to the
flourless chocolate cake for dessert, all was enjoyed. We did not attend the
naturalist talk tonight, because we were tired from the hike.The naturalist was
presenting a slide show on the life of the caribu. Resting for the night was our
pick of the evening.All in all another magical day here in alaska. We opted to
take the naturalist foray today.This was to be a little less strenuous than
yesterday.We will also get to spend some time at eilson visttors center which i
am looking foward to. The naturalist foray today was unbelievable.We saw some
fantastic plants and animals.Some of the animals that we saw were moose,
muskrat, beaver and fox.We also saw anothe grizzly bear. Some of the birds were
the american wigeon, ring neck duck, willow ptarmigan(The alaska state bird)And
a trumpeter swan. We walked along a short social trail to find a spot for lunch,
when someone spotted a bear den.The guide led my husband and i, up the hill to
view the den up close.All the others decided not to do the climb.Never in my
lifetime did i ever think that i could see and experience this.What a perfect
spot for a lunch break. After lunch we went to the eileson visitors center.Here
we saw the bear.The bear was walking on the trail that people were using.The
park ranges went into action and got everyone safely off the trail. After
leaving the visitors center we walked along the tundra to look for
wildflowers.The wildflowers grow abundantly in alaska, even though the growing
season is very short.We saw 23 different wildflowers in a very short
distance.The flowers are of various colors and sizes, and are extremely
beautiful. Back at the lodge we readied ourselves for dinner, which tonight was
salmon.I opted for the vegetarian dish which was tofu.The dinner was preceeded
by a black bean soup, and dessert was a mango orange custard with sauce on top.
We did not attend the naturalist lecture series this evening either.The lecture
was to be about hunting and trapping in denali national park.We decided to relax
and get ready for our 5am wakeup call.Tomorrow we say goodby to the north face
lodge and denali national park. Camp denali, and north face lodge are the only
accommodations in denali national park with views of mt mckinley.It is 90 miles
into the park and is on a gravel road.The lodge is small and can hold about 36
guests. Staying here was like a dream come true.The staff here made everyone
feel very much at home.Being able to go out into the alaska wilderness with a
trained naturalist was beyond my wildest dreams.The sights, the sounds, and the
smells, will forever be imprinted on my mind.This is the real alaska.
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