Denali... Part One

Mount Denali

We arrived in Denali under clear skies... a first for us.  In all our visits to this beautiful park, we have mostly seen grey clouds.  It is particularly significant because only thirty percent of all visitors  see the top of Denali.  Morgan must be our good luck charm!  

Morgan on the bus trip to Wonder Lake

David had made reservations well in advance for us to camp at the almost-always-full Tek campground.  He also reserved a spot for the three of us on the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake.  We set up camp, and the following morning walked to the bus stop.

The bus was full, including several large family groups traveling together.  There were three infants under the age of one and two children under the age of four.  To say the least, it was a very long eleven-hour bus ride.  The babies needed to be strapped in car seats the entire time, so they cried... either one at a time or in chorus.  One of the babies was obviously sick... cute... but extremely cranky.  

The bus was so full that at the first stop, the driver announced that two people would need to transfer to another bus.  We decided to make the change and were delighted with the extra room and much quieter companions.  The new bus driver was also very good at explaining the surrounding geography and information about the animals and park.

We met up with our original bus at the Eielson visitor's center and, since it was the only bus to Wonder Lake, transferred back to it.  In retrospect, it may have been better for us to have skipped Wonder Lake entirely.  We were only at the lake thirty minutes, and the babies only cried more as the day continued.  (Within ten days of the bus trip, first me, then David, and then Morgan all came down with colds.  Thankfully Morgan only had the sniffles.  Several weeks later, David and I, however, are still coughing.) 

The good news was that we were able to see lots of animals during the bus ride, although most were quite a distance away.  We saw caribou... one walked in front of the bus, another was strolling along the river, and we saw hundreds were moving up a mountainside.

Denali caribou strolling among the wildflowers

Hundreds of Denali caribou

We also saw a grizzly bear dozing in a meadow with her twin cubs at her side.  They were quite a distance away, but it was a wonderful sight.

Denali grizzly bear sow and twins

Wonder Lake was lovely.  With Morgan still on crutches, rather than do some hiking, we found a picnic table and had a bit of lunch.  The day was absolutely glorious with only a few clouds in the sky.  Each time we spotted Denali, we could see clouds swirling around its top, middle, or bottom.

Wonder Lake

Denali range near Wonder Lake

On our way back, we stopped again at the Eielson Visitor's Center before making the final three-hour run to our Tek campsite.

David and Morgan at the Eielson Visitor Center

The next day we spent hanging out and resting up at Tek.  When camping at Tek, you must stay at least two nights and can only drive your vehicle in and out.  The rest of the time, you must remain parked in the campground.  With our Tek shuttle pass, we could have taken another bus to drop us off for hikes, etc., but with Morgan on crutches, we decided just to have a lazy day.  It was wonderful.

The following morning, we broke camp and moved to the Savage River campground so that we would have more flexibility in moving around the park.  We continued to relish the amazing weather.

Mount Denali

To be continued...