Denali National Park, as many other
parks, does not allow vehicle traffic deep into the park. Particularly with Denali, since it is also a
Preserve, they want to keep the interior as “wild” as possible. We had decided that since we may only be
here once, we were going in all the way, a 12-hour bus tour to the deepest part
of the park. We now know what prisoners feel like when they are being
transported (those seats after a few hours do not have a lot of cush for the
tush). But, we were not discouraged.
Joy, one of our traveling compadres had
been checking out the weather and picked the best possible day that we could
see Mt. McKinley. She did a great job
and the skies were clear. The temperature was a cool 50 degrees as we departed
with much anticipation; we were on our way to find the crown jewel, Mount
McKinley.
They do not provide any meals or water
for the adventure but there are several stops along the way for potty breaks. The first 14 miles are on paved roads, the
next 20 are on 2-lane gravel, and the remaining is 1-lane gravel and dirt. When you meet another bus, one has to stop to
let the other one pass. The timing has
to be calculated to have a wide spot in the road to allow for each bus to have
enough room. There were a few places
that the mirrors barely missed the side of the bus. You felt like you could reach out and touch
someone or grab them to keep you from going over the edge. There were a few places that were very steep
drop-offs, I mean very steep. All I
could think about was having one last chance to see my family and friends or
this would make a great story and the headlines of FOX or CNN. “Bus Load of adventure seekers tumble a 1000
ft to the bottom of Denali, cameras were clicking away as the bus picked up
speed on its decent to the bottom. One
eyewitness said they have never seen so many folks having so much fun in such a
disaster.”
Well, that never occurred but the excitement was worth every nickel we paid for the trip. Polychrome Mountain and Pass are the most treacherous. That is not its original name. It was originally called Poison Point, one drop and it could kill you. Get it! I believe they decided to change the name so the adventurers would feel more secure. It is very picturesque.
Our bus driver, Wayne Iverson, was very
informative and told us many stories about his encounters over the past 8
years. He shared information regarding
the migration of the animals, stories on how the roads were constructed,
history of the development of the park and many of the events that have taken
place over the years. The total round
trip was 185 miles. We had several animal
sightings, moose, caribou, grizzle bear and a golden eagle. We did not see any wolves or dahl sheep,
though, which was a disappointment for him as well as us.
The most exciting, though, was the view of Mount McKinley. We had several opportunities to view the mountain along the way, both the north and south peaks. Although the north peak appears to be the tallest, it is actually the south peak that reaches the highest elevation of 20,320 ft. The Mountain is not visible all of the time, due to the fact you are traveling at several different elevations, around peaks and through valleys. The highest elevation we reached along the way was 3,980 ft. When you reach the 66 mile marker you reach the Eielson Visitors Center. There (weather permitting) you have the clearest view of the Mountain. We were not disappointed. You are approximately 33 miles from the base of the Mountain. The viewing was spectacular! There were clouds with shadows that caused the mountain to take on many different appearances.
After departing Eielson for the
remaining 30-mile journey west, we were in the preserve area. Near the end of
the trail there are several private lodges where folks can stay for $1,200 plus
a night. At one of the lodges, you can
fly in and forgo the bus ride. The
temperature reached the high 80’s and the mosquitoes were plentiful. We saw many hikers wearing mosquito netting
over their heads to protect themselves. We’re not sure what the attraction was to the
area, hiking with the mosquitoes or the solitude.
We traveled the same trail back (one way
in, one way out) so the trip back was a little trying for Bob. We did get to
see the mountains and valleys in a different light since the sun making its way
across the sky. Ever so slowly that is, remember,
we still have 20 hours of sunlight a day.
When we completed the adventure we all
decided to head to the 49th State Brewery for a few beers and a great comfort meal. Between the 4 of us, we had elk lasagna, buffalo meatloaf, pork chop (from the meat market we'd visited) and baked mac & cheese.
 |
| Is this a huge serving or buffalo meatloaf or what?? |
It really was a fun day and we were thrilled
to have seen Mount McKinley!
For more information on Denali and Mount
McKinley call 1-800-COME SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!
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