Advertisement
Published: December 3rd 2012
A Glimpse of Denali
On the way into the park on the bus system, we got a fleeting look at Denali as the clouds parted for a couple of minutes.The computer systems management for the whole process of visiting Denali National Park may be screwed up, but the actual visit to the park is quite easy. Voytek and I made our way to the transportation centre for our 9:00 shuttle bus that was to go up to the visitor centre at Eielson, some 66 miles into the park. It left a bit late, but that wasn't a problem.
Our driver was JJ. He wasn't an interpreter or a ranger. He was just more or less the driver. But he knew a great deal about the park and the animals and was able to answer everyone's questions. He also clearly loved his job and being able to be out in the park everyday.
One of the interesting things about the Denali National Park and Preserve is that people are not allowed to take their own vehicles into the park farther than fifteen miles. In fact, the only vehicles that are allowed in the park, beyond Mile 15, most of the time are the shuttle buses that are run by the park management. It is a bit annoying that they charge so much to be able
Denali National Park
Because there is only limited access, using the park's own bus system, the views of the national park are unspoiled and spectacular. to take those buses (my trip to Eielson Visitor Centre and back was 34 dollars), but I guess there is some maintenance and upkeep necessary for the buses, as well as fuel. And as they hold all the cards on that one, I guess they can bloody well charge what they want. If people want in, they will pay. And in the end, it is an innovative and fairly strong response to protecting the park, its ecosystems and its wildlife.
This was not entirely true, of course. I saw plenty of what appeared to be private vehicles plying the road, but I don't know the story behind them and I would imagine there is a good explanation.
There were several spots where one could end up as a turn around point using the park shuttles. The first was about 45 or 50 miles into the park, and the spot was called Toklat. The second was Eielson Visitor Centre at 66 miles. The next was Wonder Lake at about 90 miles and the last was a little former, and continuing (due to grandfather clauses in their agreements with the park service), mining operation at Kantishna,
Dall Sheep
There are five large mammals in Denali, the "Big Five." Dall sheep are one of those mammals. The others are grizzly bears, moose, caribou, and wolves. This day, we actually saw all five of them, but the wolf and the moose left too quickly to get a photo. which was about 98 miles in, and at the end of the road. There is only one road in the park. These trips take about 6, 8, 11, and 12 hours round trip respectively. And that is if people get on the bus, ride out, and then get right back on and ride back in. It was actually surprising how many people did just that, when they had buses until quite late. And my bus left at 9 in the morning, getting in to Eielson Visitor Centre at around 1 in the afternoon. With all that time they could have spent out at Eielson, with little hikes available, the opportunity to just sit and experience the grandeur of the park, and the silence, with the chance that Denali would put in an appearance (and it flirted with the possibility all afternoon), most people still got right back on the bus and headed back to the entrance. (Of course, I had more or less planned to hop on a bus fairly quickly so that I could hop off somewhere on the way back and have a hike closer in, so I can't really speak too loudly about them. They could have
Grizzly Bear Mother
This grizzly bear with two cubs was grazing in the same area all day. We saw her on the way in and also on the way back out. been about to do some hike somewhere else themselves.)
Another cool part about the shuttle bus system was that, once a person has gotten into the park, they can hop on or hop off as much as they want, as long as they can prove they had paid for the farthest point they were planning to go. There were set bus stops, but that didn't even mean much. One could holler stop to the bus driver and get off at a creek bed that looked inviting and go for a hike. When they were done, they could go back to the road and wave madly at the next bus coming along in the direction they wished and get on. It's quite a good system. At least it is as long as the computers don't crash and make it all grind to a halt.
The day before, on my arrival at the park, I was joined in my frustration at waiting for the computers to start working again. I met a guy named Voytek (I hope that's how to spell his name), a Chicagoan of Polish origin. He was interesting and we ended up buddying
Lounging Caribou
Another of the big five, this caribou was laying in the grass a fair distance from the road. up for the trip to Eielson. I was kind of glad for that because when hiking in wilderness, it really is best not to go alone. There were plenty of people where I would be going, but you can never tell.
On that note, it should be pointed that Denali National Park and Preserve has had several incarnations. In the beginning, there was a guy out in the area who studied the Dall sheep of the mountain. Initially they were to be hunted for game and to feed the miners of the Kantishna area. This man found that they Dall sheep population was falling precipitously and he campaigned for the protection of the area in a national park. He was successful, and it became the Mt. McKinley National Park. It was roughly 2 million acres that became protected. And the Dall sheep made a recovery.
In the 1940's the park was enlarged to include more area. But it was in 1978 that Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill that greatly increased the national parks in the US and Mt. McKinley National Park was altered again. It was enlarged to include over 6 million
What a View!
At Eielson Visitor Centre, a climb to the top of a nearby ridge afforded an amazing view, and the irresistable impulse to just sit and gaze out at it. acres, protecting a number of fragile ecosystems. The original 2 million acres was designated as federal wilderness and all development in that area was prohibited. This is also when the most strict guidelines came into force about what had to be packed out of the park, particularly by climbers of Denali. The name of the park was also changed to what it is now, Denali National Park and Preserve.
Voytek and I met up at the transportation centre at close to 9 and waited for the bus. It came, and JJ put us all aboard and we headed off, but not until after we had been given the groundrules. These were mostly about how we would behave around any wildlife. We were to remain quiet, so as not to disturb the animals. We were to remain completely inside the bus. No hand waving, no throwing things, no disturbance. The general rule of thumb is that if the animal's behaviour changes we, the observers, were doing something that we shouldn't be doing. I kind of like that philosophy.
But given those ground rules, we were to call out if we saw anything wildlife-ish.
Atmospheric
As the day wore on, the clouds slowly began to roil and part. Then he told us that rarely did he have many sightings of much wildlife for the first 15 miles or so. This is the part of the road that private vehicles are allowed to drive, so no surprise. However, almost immediately after he told us this, a moose cow wandered into view and someone called out to stop. Even though there are 39 species of mammal, numerous birds and other wildlife in the national park, JJ told us there are what are known as the “Big 5” animals when it came to what people really wanted to see. These were the moose, the bear, the caribou, the wolf, and the Dall sheep. I really didn't know about Dall sheep, I can't imagine being that excited about seeing them. They are sheep! But there are those who think they are special, I suppose. JJ also told us that it was a rare when all five were spotted in one day. Well, we had a moose. It was nice, but I had already seen lots of moose already on this trip, so I wasn't as amazed as I might have been.
Shortly thereafter, still in the 15 miles
Another Glimpse
Denali flirted with us as the clouds slipped away, only to drift back into the way. JJ said animals were scarce, someone spotted a wolf. I turned and saw it heading away from us. JJ tried to back the bus up to get a better look, but the wolf was too fast, or the bus was too slow (particularly in reverse), and we didn't catch up. But that is my second wolf, even though I wasn't able to get a photo of that one. It was much darker, almost black.
And then we came around a rise and Denali was starting to come out of its cloud cover. JJ told us that we must take our opportunities when they come and he stopped the bus so we could get out and take some photos. This turned out to be a good thing, for the mountain soon went back into hiding and we didn't see it again the rest of the way to Eielson Visitor Centre. This was all before we reached the end of the public access part of the road. It was shaping up to be a really good day.
The scenery helped a lot, too. It was every bit as amazing, in its own way, as the scenery
The View
More of the view from the ridge above the Eielson Visitor Centre. on the Dempster Highway. I was very impressed.
We passed on to the park vehicle only access part of the road. Our next wildlife sighting was of Dall sheep. Again, I had seen Dall sheep before, on the Dempster Highway, so I wasn't overly taken. Coupled with these sheep being waaaaaaay up on the mountainside, when the others had been right beside the road, and I was unimpressed. But many were taking lots of photos of these tiny little white dots way up the mountain. I wonder what they actually saw. Certainly, my camera is not a really powerful zoom, but I still only got little dots. It might be a hard sell to convince anyone they are actually sheep.
But then, I got what I really wanted. JJ noticed a bunch of buses stopped on the side of the road. He wanted to get up there to find out why. So he rushed us past something that we were viewing (I forget what). When we got to the other buses, we found a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs browsing the greenery by the side of the road. They were only about
More Glimpses
Denali seemed to want to come out and say hi. We kept waiting. 200 meters away. It was amazing. I took so many photos of that. Now I have seen that last elusive wild animal on my “list.” We stayed there for maybe 15 minutes before moving on. If anyone is counting, that made 4 of the “Big 5.” And we had the good view of Denali as well. It was a good day by all reckonings.
It seemed that the fifth wouldn't put in an appearance. But as we approached the final hill up to the Eielson Visitor Centre, there were some caribou munching on the grass. They were quite far away, but that made all five. Wow!
Instead of turning around and leaving from Eielson fairly quickly, Voytek and I ended up hiking up the nearby hill, which was quite a climb (I am getting out of shape), and sat on top just enjoying the view. It was magnificent. We watched the spot where Denali was supposed to be, but only saw clouds.
But slowly, ever so slowly, the clouds began to part and we had glimpses of the mountain. However, just as it seemed the clouds would slip open and we
Hope...
As the clouds gave way to blue sky at the horizon past the mountain range, we had hope of seeing Denali before we had to leave. would see the whole mountain, another cloud would slip over the surrounding ridges and obscure the view. It was a bit frustrating, even given our previous fairly good view of the Denali. We just wanted a really good look from fairly close by. It just wasn't to be though. We had to content ourselves with the rest of the view. And that was, really, enough.
Eventually, we gave up on Denali and boarded one of the last buses back. There was no need for any other hiking. It had just been too nice at Eielson (despite the chill wind), and I had seen enough. So had Voytek. And then, on the way back, somewhere near the paved public access part of the road, we looked back to see Denali in all of its splendour in the distance. A nice full view of the mountain was our last experience in the park.
It had been quite a day, well worth changing my plans and taking the time to spend in the park.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.084s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 8; qc: 53; dbt: 0.0499s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
