The Great One!

Greetings All,

It's not often that we return to the same place years later in fear that fond memories may be replaced by disappointment.  We decided to take a chance and return to Camp Denali in the heart of Alaska's Denali National Park after 27 years!  This time we were to rendezvous with VT friends Chuck and Judy on July 3 who had driven their Sprinter Van GAX all the way from VT.  We were relieved to see GAX parked at the Denali train station when we arrived.  After warm greetings with Chuck and Judy we headed off in search of the bus that would take us to Camp Denali nearly 90 miles inside the park.



Denali National Park Map

 

We found our Bluebird bus named Kingfisher and hauled our stuff over for the 7-hour drive to Camp Denali.

 

Meeting Chuck & Judy at the Denali Park Entrance

We loaded into the bus with about 20 other passengers and headed into the park around 1:00.  The first 15 miles of the Park Road is paved and private vehicles are allowed.  At Savage River, only park buses and private buses carrying guests staying in lodges at the end of the road are allowed to proceed.  The road turned to gravel and wound its way through boreal forest.  I spotted a lone male caribou about 300 yards from the road.

Lone Male Caribou

We continued anxious to see more wildlife.  We spotted another caribou in a river but noticed two buses parked further up the road.  "What are they looking at?  we wondered.  We left the poor caribou and as we approached the other buses we could see a Grizzly bear lying in the scrubs.  As we came closer a second Grizzly bear appeared from the willows and roused the first!

Grizzly Bear!

Simon, our driver who runs Camp Denali with his wife Jenna, tells two German cyclists nearby to get into the bus!  The sleeping Grizzly, the larger of the two, gave chase to the smaller.

The Chase is On!

We couldn't tell if it's a dominance battle between two males or a female chasing off a male.  They disappeared over a ridge and as we climbed over the top in the bus we saw the two bears again.  The smaller of the two panted as he approached our bus.  Did he want us to protect him?  The larger bear lost interest and ambled off.

Protect me, Please!

 

With the show over we proceeded to Camp Denali.  We saw a third Grizzly but he was distant.  However a nearby caribou did not see the Grizzly until it was within 200 feet and fled.

Griz, What Griz?

We arrived around 8:00 and saw that the camp had undergone some changes.  A larger dining room and kitchen had been built but the cabins were pretty much as we remembered.  We settled into our rustic but comfortable cabin named Stampede and joined Chuck and Judy at their cabin next door for a glass of wine.  The clouds parted and we were treated to spectacular views of Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America!  Some things, the best things, don't change even after 27 years!

View of Denali from our Cabins

 

We were up early the following morning to ride mountain bikes to Wonder Lake with Chuck and Judy.  I spotted a big bull moose browsing in the forest about 100 feet from the road!

Mr. Moose

Chuck did not see him and rode on.  We took loads of photos of the moose and Chuck returned to see what was holding us up.  The moose ambled off and we continued to Wonder Lake.

So Long Mr. Moose

The lake was perfectly calm and the reflection of Denali was mirrored on the surface.  We drank in the scene in the cool morning solitude before the park buses began to arrive.  Ducks paddled along the shore mindful of our presence as they swam further away.

Denali Reflected in Wonder Lake

 

We returned to Camp Denali for breakfast and joined guide Annie after for a hike along the ridge above camp.  We climbed steeply through the boreal forest admiring the wildflowers along the way until we reached the ridge.

Climbing Through the Boreal Forest

The views of Denali and the Alaska Range across the valley about 30 miles away were somewhat subdued by smoke from nearby wildfires but stunning nonetheless.

View of Wonder Lake & Denali Beyond

 

We stopped for lunch and an opportunistic arctic ground squirrel approached us looking for a handout. "Sorry buddy, no food for you, you have to forage for yourself." we politely informed him.

Where's my Lunch?

We continued along the ridge startling a female Willow Ptarmigan and her chicks and gave them a wide berth as we continued on.

Willow Ptarmigan and Chicks

 

We returned to the Camp for a Fourth of July Celebration complete with a good old-fashioned barbecue. The next morning we headed out in one of the Camp Denali buses for the Eielson Visitor Center.  As we passed Wonder Lake Mr. Moose was feeding on the aquatic vegetation thrilling all that ventured this far into the park.

Mr. Moose

 

We were dropped off for today's hike near the Visitor's Center.  We were led by our guide Mark and joined by 6 others including Chuck and Judy.  We crossed the spongy tundra not sure if we should hop from tussock to tussock or push through the willows that grew in between.

Crossing the Tundra

We climbed steeply up a ridge where Chuck abruptly stopped.  A caribou calf was lying in a shallow depression.  "Where was Mom?" we wondered as the calf got up and loped up the ridge.

Caribou Calf

 

We continued climbing with stunning views of Denali and the Alaska Range to the south.  I had to keep on reminding myself that we were hiking with a view of the tallest mountain in North America, a peak that sometimes does not reveal itself for days.

Hiking up the Ridge with Denali in the Background

 

We broke for lunch before continuing up the ridge pausing at a snowfield.

Passing a Snowfield

Mark explained that caribou often use these snowfields in the summer to cool off and escape biting insects that torment them.  Artifacts from early caribou hunters were often found preserved in the ice.  Climate change is causing many of these snowfields to melt, exposing the artifacts to the elements and losing them for good.  As we approached a tiny pass, three caribou ran off but one remained on guard at the top.

King of the Pass 

 

I desperately wanted to climb to the summit but did not want to displace the caribou so I reluctantly followed the rest of the group down another ridge.

Heading Down

As I scanned some snowfields in a bowl, I spotted a herd of 32 caribou seeking refuge here just as Mark explained earlier.

Seeking Refuge

 

We continued down the ridge with Mark running ahead to find the best route.  We reached a creek flowing through a narrow canyon and followed it to the road where our bus was waiting to bring us back to Camp Denali.  We were treated to another delicious meal before retiring to our cabin.  It was tough falling asleep knowing that Denali was looming just outside our window.  Denali means "the Great One" in the Athabaskan language of the native people. I couldn't take it anymore and got up around midnight.  Denali was awash in pink alpenglow.  "Marc, you have to get up to see this!" I called in a hushed tone.

The Great One!

 

The next morning we had to leave early to get back to the park entrance for some to catch the train to Anchorage.  We saw a few more grizzlies, caribou, moose and the ever-present Arctic Ground Squirrels darting across the road on our return journey.  I was happy to find that Camp Denali was just as special today as it was 27 years ago and sharing it with good friends makes for new memories that will last a lifetime!

We hope all is well back home.

Peggy and Marc

Along the Boreal Byway

Greetings All,

We are a week into our next adventure in the Yukon and Alaska.  We left home on June 11 and flew to Whitehorse in the Yukon by way of Chicago and Vancouver.  We rented a SUV in Whitehorse for the 1000-mile or so drive to Fairbanks, Alaska.  Here is a scene taken along the way to whet your appetite.



Boreal Forest

 

From Whitehorse, a city of with a population of about 30,000 and the capital of the Canadian province of the Yukon Territories, we headed north along a short stretch of the Alaska Highway before veering onto the North Klondike Highway.  Here is a map showing our route:

Our Route Shown in Yellow

 

Not far from Whitehorse is the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.  We stopped in to view some of the wildlife we were likely to encounter on this trip.  The Preserve is home to Wood Bison, Thinhorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Canada Lynx, Arctic Fox and several more species.  We were able to spot all the wildlife species in the Preserve as they are confined in large enclosures.

Wood Bison

 

We also had some nice waterfowl viewing in ponds along our walk in the Preserve.

Horned Grebe

 

Now that we had seen the animals that inhabit the boreal forests of the Yukon and Alaska we were eager to seek out them out in the wild.  We spent our second night at Carmacks along the Yukon River and the next day continued our drive north toward Dawson City.  We decided to take a detour and explore a 25-mile stretch of the Robert Campbell Highway and the Tatchun/Frenchman Road.  This gravel road took us 26 miles past 3 lakes: Frenchman, Nuntuk and Tatchun.  We didn't encounter much wildlife but a female Spruce Grouse with 5 tiny chicks tucked under her feathers was a pleasant surprise.

Spruce Grouse with Chicks

 

We also saw 2 Bald Eagles at Tatchun Lake where they may have been nesting.

Bald Eagle

 

We rejoined the Klondike Highway and continued north to Dawson City, the terminus of the highway.  Dawson City was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush.  It began in 1896 and changed a fishing/hunting camp into a thriving city of 40,000 by 1898.  By 1899, the gold rush had ended and the town's population plummeted to 8,000 people.  Today most of Dawson's buildings have the 19th century construction appearance but draw tourists not gold seekers.

 

Dawson City

We had an extra day in Dawson City so we decided to explore part of the Dempster Highway.  This gravel road starts about 25 miles south of Dawson City and covers 457 miles to the village of Inuvik on the Mackenzie River Delta.  The highway traverses Tombstone Territorial Park and we stopped to hike to Mt. Monolith Lookout.  We were the first to arrive at the trailhead and I was a bit apprehensive hiking a trail by ourselves that was named the Grizzly Creek Trail.  We didn't have pepper spray so had to shout along the way to alert bears to our presence.  It was great finally getting into the boreal forest.  The boreal forest also known as the taiga is the worlds largest terrestrial biome and is characterized by coniferous forests of pine, spruce and larch.  

Boreal Forest

 

Once we climbed out of the forest and could see a little further, I relaxed about encountering a bear.  The only wildlife we hadn't scared away with our calls of "humans coming through, don't be alarmed!" were the Hoary Marmots and Arctic Ground Squirrels.

Hoary Marmot

We reached the first viewpoint and decided to continue along the ridge to a saddle from which we could get a view of Grizzly Lake.

 

Grizzly Lake

We turned back at this point and retraced our route back into the forest.  By this time other hikers were making the climb and our chances of scaring a grizzly bear were slim.  We safely returned to our vehicle and continued north along the Dempster Highway.  I spotted a dark black shape on a hillside about a quarter of a mile away.  When we stopped to investigate we saw that it was a Black Bear!

Black Bear

 

We ventured out 140 miles along the highway before turning back.  We needed to make sure we had enough gas to get back to Dawson City.  We didn't encounter much more wildlife except for 4 Dall Sheep spotted by a local family returning home to McPherson (another 5 hours north) and a porcupine ambling across the road.

Dall Sheep

Porcupine

 

We didn't get back to Dawson City until 9:00 PM but with the sun not setting until midnight it didn't really matter.  The next morning we had to cross the Yukon River by ferry.  We were the last to arrive but got on first because we were in a smaller vehicle.

 

Ferry Crossing at Dawson City

We were now on the Top of the World Highway, a gravel road that would take us across the border into Alaska.  We got stuck behind a large RV towing a jeep.  They signaled for us to pass and when we did, a cow moose with twin calves was on the road in front!

Moose and Calves on the Highway!

 

We didn't want to pass them but couldn't stop as the RV was on our tail.  We followed the moose family for about a half mile down the road before they veered off into the forest.  In the distance we could see the border station between Canada and the United States.  Would they confiscate our cheese and lemons?

Border Crossing

 

Our "detour of the day" was to the tiny outpost of Eagle at the end of a narrow, winding 65-mile gravel road called the Taylor Highway.  We dropped from a high ridge and re-entered the boreal forest.  An animal shoots across the road.  "Badger!" Marc shouts.  "No, a wolverine!" I exclaim.  It was too quick for a photo but it was definitely a wolverine, the largest member of the weasel family.  They are highly secretive and rarely seen.  How lucky for one to finally cross our path!  We encountered a second cow moose and a third with a single calf before arriving in Eagle.

 

Another Moose with Calf

Eagle is situated on the Yukon River and during the late 1800's people were drawn to the area by the Klondike Gold Rush.  A United States Army Camp, Fort Egbert was built in 1900.

 

Fort Egbert

A telegraph line between Eagle and Valdez was completed in 1903.  In 1905 Roald Amundsen arrived in Eagle and used the telegraph to tell the rest of the world of his discovery of the Northwest Passage!  We returned to the junction of the Top of the World Highway and Taylor Highway and continued along the Taylor highway to the community of Chicken, a very unusual place where chickens and roosters are the theme.

 

Peggy in Chicken, Alaska

You can pan for gold in the parking lot but we opted for burgers and wine instead.  The next day we left Chicken and drove along the Taylor Highway to Tetlin Junction where we picked up the Alaska Highway.  Just beyond the town of Tok we stopped at a pond to check out 3 Trumpeter Swans.  This was the closest we've been able to get to these birds.  I was checking out my bird book when two of the swans started to make a ruckus with a lot of wing beating and squawking.  I can't say we've ever seen Trumpeter Swans mating before!

Mating Trumpeter Swans

 

We continued along the Alaska Highway to Delta Junction where we spent the night.  The next morning we went in search of a bison herd that lives in the area.  We drove for about 40 miles south of Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway.  We didn't find the bison but had plenty of views of the Alaska Range and Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America! 

First View of Denali

 

We returned to Delta Junction and the Alaska Highway and drove another 95 miles north to Fairbanks.  Traffic along this stretch of the highway is heavier but we managed to spot a Pine Marten crossing the road!  It was another secretive member of the mustelidae family that we were lucky to see.  We are now in the city of Fairbanks, Alaska for a few days before starting a raft trip through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on June 19.  While here we've discovered that Fairbanks is the terminus of the 1000-mile Yukon Quest International Dog sled Race from Whitehorse.

Yukon Quest Route

Our route had pretty much copied the Yukon Quest route with one major difference, we traveled in a comfy SUV during the warm summer months with ample sunshine.  Nonetheless, traveling through the scenic boreal byway from Whitehorse to Fairbanks was an exciting start to our 6-week adventure. We can't wait to see what's in store for us in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!  Stay tuned.

We hope all is well back home,

Peggy and Marc