Alaska by Land for 7 Days DAY 4 & 5: Thursday & Friday - Anchorage/Talkeetna/Denali

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Alaska by Land for 7 Days DAY 4 & 5: Thursday & Friday - Anchorage/Talkeetna/Denali



Today we boarded your motorcoach and travel north to the rail depot of Talkeetna. The train arrived on time from Seward (11.00am) where we all loaded into the top level of the carriage. We really enjoy traveling along the rails of the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park while taking in the 360-degree views from our deluxe dome railcar seat. We saw incredible mountain views, spruce, pine and birch forests and spectacular river crossings. It certainly competed with the Canadian Rockies.



On the train, as the gorgeous scenery of Alaska rolled past, be watched for wildlife and glimpses of Mt. McKinley (now converted back to the native name of Mt Denali), or, as local Alaskans and the Athabascan Indians call it, “The Great One.” It is the highest peak in North America with a north and south peak topping out at 6,900m. It is however the highest rise as a chunk of rock, in the world. This means that from its physical local base to its top, its highest in the world. All mountain’s height measurements are based from sea level to the summit. The actual physical base of a mountain starts many metres higher that sea level.



Full bar and meal service was available during our rail journey so we had lunch on board.



Our bus was waiting for us at the Denali Train Station to take us to our wilderness lodge.



We had an open evening in Denali after checking into our Park Lodge. It was unfortunately laundry day which took up a bit of time waiting for washing machines to become available.



For many years I have had the Denali National Park on my must-see list and it didn’t disappoint. It became a national park since 1917 under President Roosevelt, second to Yellowstone. The aim was to protect the magnificent wild animals that embroidered it, the grizzlies, caribou, wolves, moose, Dall sheep and others that moved over the 6 million acres of land.



The Alaska Range was the main bank of mountains that went through the Park. This is what we admired the following day during our 10-hour bus trip into the Alaskan tundra. We saw glaciers in the distance and the results of past glaciers with big U-shaped based valleys which had been gouged out years ago. The rivers were very wide and shallow with a rock base being bought down by melting ice.



On this trip we saw 5 grizzly bears including 2 cubs, many caribou, several of which were walking on the road, 2 moose, many ground squirrel, and lots of Doll sheep which were on the high mountain peaks.



The bus we travelled on also had a camera which was attached to monitors so for those animal siting which were far away, he could pick the animals up on his camera and project the images through the monitors.



Along the way, we enjoyed a fully narrated ride from and incredibly knowledgeable guide Tom, from whom we learned about the flora and fauna of the area while looking out for the wild animals. Tom reminded us to set aside time to experience the solitude and tranquillity this vast wilderness provided us. During our Tundra Wilderness tour, we travelled 63 miles into Denali National Park, coming back along the same road. Because lighting was different in each direction, the mountains also changed colour.



The mountains were spectacular with their multi colours of browns, greens, blues and purples. It was an “oohh”and “aahhh” day for sure. The weather was beautiful with a few fluffy white clouds in the brilliant blue sky. We even saw Mt Denali. By the time our trip finished, there were no clouds covering this high mountain peak. Being able to view the mountain peak does not happen very often. Again we were lucky.



We didn’t get back to our hotel until 10.00pm but we didn’t mind the number of times we stopped to watch the animals and gaze at the scenery. Just magic!



In the morning we visited a dog kennel that bred and trained husky dogs, mainly for the annual 100mile Iditarod Race which is held in the 1^st week of March. The dogs are also used extensively for transport and moving around the countryside in winter. Jeff King was the owner of the kennels. As soon as we arrived, we were given a puppy to cuddle and have our photos taken. It was a fun morning.



Jeffand several of his staff did various presentations on breeding, training and then told us the story of the big race. They also showed us how they trained the dogs. They have a long treadmill as well as a running track where they attach 10 harnessed dogs in front of an ATV. As soon as all the dogs saw the harnessed come out the noise of their barking was deafening. They were all saying ‘pick me, pick me’. They just loved it. Once a team of dogs was harnessed up and left for their run, peace was heard again. All dogs had a strict training and dietary regime and were certainly powerful long-range athletes. They loved being cuddled and human contact. Our cuddling of the puppies contributed to the dogs training, which was nice to hear. Perhaps we might have cuddled a future champion. One thing was clear from Bill’s presentation; it was all about the dogs as they were the real champions.



We were amazed about this fascinating sport of dog mushing, the musher, the dogs, and having an opportunity to perhaps hold a future champion puppy in your arms.



By the way, Jeff King’s stories and description of the race was incredible. If you are interested, google him as he has also written a book on his experiences.

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