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Published: August 6th 2007
June 15th: Anchorage is no more my favorite place in Alaska. I had no clue that the city was so crowded. Traffic bottlenecks everywhere. We were so glad that we were only passing by to get to Parks highway(highway 3). And did I mention it was hot? Boy, it was unbearable.
Parks Highway(Highway 3) :
Wasilla is a major city & you can find everything from a Home Depot to a Walmart here.
The road is pretty much straight with grades here & there.
Hatcher pass road is mostly unpaved & has good hiking trails/ATV riding & para gliding options, but was closed today.
Still very hot! We hunted for shade for our picnic lunch & finally managed a small piece near a creek. We could see the gas prices hike up further we were from Anchorage. We are heading to Talkeetna for the night. "tna" means river. Not one, but 3 rivers meet here, Talkeetna, Susitna & Chulitna. Just before the railroad crossing to get into Talkeetna, we stopped for a photo oppurtunity. I was so immersed in the shot when all of a sudden I heard a splash in the water. Turned out, it was a beaver doing
what it does best, building. It was gathering twigs to build or probably repair its dam. We waited for it to come back to get a closer shot. Maybe we made too much noise. He did not feel like coming back! We checked into our private room at Talkeetna Hostel. The town ends in the river park, from where you get amazing views of Mt.Mckinley, Mt.Foraker & Mt. Summit. Denali(or Mt.McKinley) is the closest from Talkeetna(59 miles).
A flight tour around Mt.Mckinley was highy recommended by friends & locals. We booked our services through TAT. It is a 2 hr tour from Talkeetna, around Mt.Mckinley & a glacier landing on Ruth Glacier.
We were given snow boots to walk on the snow. We boarded the 10 seater plane. Its amazing how the weather changes in just a couple of miles. We took off from sunny Talkeetna & saw shaft clouds a little further. Of course, our pilot did not want to get in there. We could not go around Denali as some winds were picking up on the north side. We got up close to a mile from Denali & despite the clouds, I would say we got a
pretty good view. The glacier landing on Ruth Glacier(supposedly 4000ft deep) was amazing! So smooth.
We felt like we were on the moon. Fresh snow. Tall granite mountains everywhere. No one but the 10 of us for a couple of miles surrounded by the Alaskan giants on all sides. We could feel the adrenaline rush. It was quite an experience!
We had a good 15-20 minutes there to take pictures & just feel the place. It got even better when I was offered to co-pilot the plane on our way back. Well, not technically. I could just sit in the co-pilot's seat & do nothing. But I got to the cockpit & had amazing first-hand views. Yay, me!
Back at the hostel(2 minutes walk from the airport), we had dinner & went to the river park again. This time we managed to get some slow exposure shots with our neutral density filter. Just in time, we saw the Alaskan train hit the bridge across the river. Almost midnight, the Sun just set. We had to get back to our room. Ganesh stayed up late, I hit the bed almost immediately.
Talkeetna Attractions: Flightseeing Mt.Mckinley, downtown & the river
view.
June 16th: Off to Denali National Park. We planned the trip based on the availability at this place. It is probably the only one in the area(of its kind) & gets filled up fast. Our cabin was near a creek in front of huge snow covered mountains. We checked in & left for Denali National Park almost immediately. We saw a mama moose with 2 calves from Wilderness Access Center. We drove the 15 paved miles & got to see a caribou. Shot(with the camera) a couple of snowshoe hares in the Salvage creek area. It was evening & we did make some noise while hiking. Not in the mood to startle a bear or a moose. It was drizzling a bit & we got to see a rainbow too What a day! There, we saw a neon blue light hit one of the tall mountains - Lightning!!!
We did a couple of hikes near the visitor center & did some souvenir shopping too! No bears, no Moose!
Back at the hostel, the scenery changed. The kitchen/lounge was filled with people. So many of them.
It was busy & lively but we felt so much at home.
Ganesh got back to his laptop & photos & the internet. I picked up a book from their collection.
Some people who had taken the shuttle into the park were sharing the wildlife they saw. We were excited. We did not hit the bed until 1:00 am. It was still cool & not dark.
June 17th: No sleep. We had to get up at 4:30 am to catch the 6:15 am shuttle to Wonder Lake. Ganesh was a little excited, but I was ssssleepy. Couldn't blame anyone but me. If we were not on time, we would have to buy fresh tickets. Pressure! Fortunately, we made it on time(you can never be late if you travel with Ganesh). The Sun was out by 5:00am above the mountains. For a while, we did not see anything, wildlife or Denali itself(low clouds/fog). Heat picked up slowly. We saw Mooses, a red fox carrying a ground squirrel, lots of snowshoe hares, a Ram(not the Dodge one)- male sheep up close, a deer falcon(very rare to spot in the park). The 2 for 1 deal happened when we saw a male grizzly(close to the road) on one side & a herd of
Caribou on the other.
A couple minutes later, we got to see a female grizzly with 2 cubs. They just don't want the grizzlies to get used to humans(be it food or sound) & so they ask you to be very quiet when you are around a grizzly.
Interesting fact: A female grizzly protects its young from predators until 1-2 yrs, the main predator being a male grizzly.
Ganesh wanted to get dropped off at Wonder Lake(85 miles into the park with 70 miles on gravel road). The driver informed us that it was the last place we wanted to hike. It is swarmed with mosquitoes. True to his words, we could not stand comfortably in one place for more than a couple of seconds. Bzz everywhere. You have to wear masks before you get anywhere near. Surprisingly, there is a campground at Wonder Lake. One should be insane to camp in this place! So we thought. The campground was empty too!
We ended up buying a bear bell for our future hikes Why take the risk?
Rivers are wild, so are the mountains & so is the park! We saw so many people hiking off the road!
That's the best part of Denali. There are no trails here. That also means, you need not stick to them. Everywhere is back country & you can hike where your heart feels like.
The journey back was pretty much in rain & cold & sleepy. But people did wake often to spot wildlife here & there. On one such occasion, we saw a bald eagle chasing a raven.
Later in the evening, we headed back to the lodge. More cooking, eating, meeting, greeting & of course internet! I did end up meeting a German couple who had stayed at Wonder Lake campground. Also met a lady who did the 8 mile hike to Harding Icefield in Seward. God! How I miss doing that hike, now! She did say that the hike was amazing & surprised her with terrific views.
Well! after everyone retired to their beds, we spent the time near the Carlos creek(just outside our cabin). I would show you the goose pimples if I could! Such a beautiful place!
June 18th: We had to visit Denali again for the dog sled show. There was no way Ganesh would let me off the
hook on this one. He loves dogs. To my surprise, all these dogs were so friendly & responded to their names. Except for the fiery looking teeth, they are amazing animals. The show was neat! They made the dogs run & boy, they ran! They loved to run & it showed. Shows over. Time to leave Denali. At the entrance, we met another couple who informed us about the discovery cruise in Fairbanks. Well, maybe we could try it!
In just a couple of miles N of Denali, you see this board, "End of Scenic byway". Respect that board, cause it tells the truth!
It is a good 2 hr drive to Fairbanks & we were just on time to catch the 2:00pm cruise. The cruise was filled with people from Holland America & Princess tours(guided tours for people visiting Alaska via Sea). It was a little touristy, but informative too! They have a stop at an Indian village where there were various demonstrations. After 3.5 hrs, back at Fairbanks. Fairbanks is infested with mosquitoes & is way hotter than Anchorage. The downtown is pretty with beautiful Chena river flowing right through it. We were unsure about visiting the Ice
Museum there.
On knowing the $24 entrance fee, we dropped it! There is one other in Chena hot Springs(55 N) where they serve beverages in Ice glasses. No time. Why bother! We had just about time to get to Pioneer park. The Park is huge, but the shops close at 9:00pm. We were hanging around there for like 2 hrs. Being north & all, it had more daylight hrs. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Fairbanks.
June 19th: We had to get up very early to make it in time for our Arctic circle tour. It was a whole day tour that took us to the Artic circle & back. Unlike other bus tours, this one had quite a bit of stops. Of course the highlight of the trip was the Trans Alaska pipeline(running 800 miles from Prudhoe bay oil fields to Valdez, where the oil is transported via ships) & the Arctic circle itself. After a box lunch at the Yukon River with mosquitoes, it was a long drive to the Arctic circle. The route: Elliot highway & then the mostly unpaved Dalton highway all the way to Arctic circle. The ride was bumpy,
obviously, but the Tundra was beautiful.
At the Arctic circle, Jeremy, our driver & guide, spread out a red carpet for us & welcomed us to the 'other side' of the Arctic circle. It was a neat little ceremony.. Though we could not go up to the Arctic Ocean(Dalton highway goes all the way up to Arctic Ocean), we were happy we made it at least to the circle. Eskimos do live near the Arctic circle & they get to see 24 hrs sun during their short summer. But again, in winter, they do not see the sun for more than 3 months!
There was no other tour buses that day & it made the drive more eerie. Gladly, we did not have a flat tire.
We reached Fairbanks around 11:00pm where we were given 'certificates' for having crossed the Arctic circle.
Another day well ended.
June 20th: I love museums & of course the Northern Lights. So, we had to stop at the Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They had an hr long movie on Aurora Borrealis. Why do we get the dancing lights? Why so many colors? Apparently, it is no
miracle. All Science!The museum as such is pretty neat & we spent over 2 hrs here.
Adieu Fairbanks!
We start off on the Richardson highway down to Valdez & then the Glen highway back to Anchorage.
Interesting people we met: -TAT pilot, who was from the East coast & ran out here to unwind. He has a happy family & has climbed Denali 6 yrs ago. He has been to India to climb Nanda Devi & reassures Northern India(Himalayas) is a better place to unwind & live life.
-A volunteer ranger from Los Altos hills, bay area. What are the odds of finding a person from bay area? Not many, I would say. A vegetarian by choice, she has traveled a lot & quit an office job to become a Ranger.
-A fellow Asian(Japanese to be precise) brought a rice cooker as well & shared a few thoughts about how rice is indispensable for Asians
-A guy who works for the hostel. He is from England & roams around with a Bandana. He just likes it here & comes back every season to work.
-An American senior citizen who is into Community services who was patient
enough to listen to all my Alaska research. She was curious to know about the food I cooked
-A father & daughter who had pretty much seen most of this world, & still wrote his journal (every night) in this computer world.
Observations: -It takes 15-20 days to climb Denali(& only 3 days to get back to base camp). Typically, climbers get dropped off at base camp(16000ft). They take it slow to get acclimatized; Some days they do not climb at all. Getting back down can be dangerous too with so many huge crevasses.
-So many Europeans(esp from UK) visit Alaska. So also, Australians(with a 17 hr flight).
-People who come on a cruise to Alaska, miss seeing so much of the interior. I have not been on a cruise, so, I don't know what I miss, but people who come on cruise & then take a guided land tour are anything but happy. Long journey can be tiring!(Most of people we saw got out of the bus & the first thing they did was 'stretch')
-We generally associate mosquitoes with tropical countries. It may shock you to see the huge colonies of mosquitoes & other bugs here.
As soon as the ice melts, life immediately springs to life.
-Places in Fairbanks & north, the ground is filled with 'permafrost'-permanently frozen land. If you dig the ground a couple inches, you can see the ice. Only black spruce trees grow in permafrost.
-Alaska must look a whole lot different in Winter.
-Grizzly bears are wild. But they come after you, only if you go after them. I have lost some bear-terror after this trip!
-People are friendly & helpful.
-Irrespective of the time of day, there is ample wildlife viewing opportunity in Denali. You just have to look. The more time you have there, the more you get to see.
-The park's shuttle bus is any day better than the Tundra Wilderness Tour. You can get off anywhere inside the park & get on any other bus that goes in the same direction. It is wise to make use of that option!
Reflections: Our stay at Denali was memorable. We met so many people & the stay itself was an experience. Somewhere around here, I realized that this was not a vacation anymore. It is turning out to be an experience. A life changing experience!
Hostels:
What started off as a relatively inexpensive option, is turning out to be a better option! I got to cook & we ate our food(which is very important to me). Plus, we had company while eating.
We absolutely loved every place we've stayed so far.
Until Richardson & Glen(3rd phase of your journey), au revoir!
-travelbuffs
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Jojo
non-member comment
I'm so jealous of you!
I couldn't think of a better title for this, for I actually am jealous of you both. I, for one, didn't know that Alaska had such a wide range of stuff to offer... Beautiful! Also, your write-up has life in it... Great!