“When I come back to Denali…”
I can’t believe I heard myself saying these words only minutes after entering the Visitor Center. This place is so big! Too big, actually. 6 million acres big. How do you experience this massive park in two and a half days?
Well, this is how we tried.
Day 1
We checked out the Visitor Center with all its massive displays and 18-minute film of all the things we could’ve been seeing in the park if we weren’t in the Visitor Center.
Then we shuttled out to see the sled dogs. Since the 1920s, the park has maintained a kennel of about 30 dogs—all Alaskan huskies—that aid in winter patrols. The dogs are worked hard during the snowy months, 6-7 days a week, pulling patrol officers, supplies to researchers and campers, and breaking trails for winter recreaters.
In the summer, the dogs are worked far less, performing a few demonstrations a day and taking walks every night. The dogs are so socialized they bear our company with resignation. Some completely ignore us, their great fluffy tails curled over their noses as they sleep on the roofs of their houses. Others lope to the ends of their chains or the doors of their kennels to give us a sniff before offering their backs for a scratch.
After a quick hot chocolate we were ready to conquer Mt. Healy, a 3-4 hour strenuous hike that climbs 1600 feet. The trail was well-maintained, but the switchbacks and hefty inclines were a little more than we were expecting. We reached the lookout, huffing and puffing, looked around and saw… more climbing. The trail looked well-established and there were two other hikers off on a distant peak; how hard could it be? So we set off along the stony backbone of the mountain, following the exact slope of the ridge (no switchbacks this time). The ground squirrels followed us with precocious curiosity, skittering within feet of us for a closer look. We rejoiced with many photos and jokes when we reached the crag at the top. And then we remembered that we had to go back down again…
5 comments:
Where did you find that picture of Nikima? Its very similar to her don't you think. And no you can't bring a puppy home even though those dogs were cute. Ali and I want to know if you got a Christmas ornament for us.
Welcome aboard, Mom! You want to hear something sad? I can't remember Nikima's face very well! I was thinking about that the whole time I was with these dogs. And that's a negative on the Christmas ornament. I looked around North Pole but was only coming up with crap so I skipped it. But if you're interested in crap, maybe I can find you a moose turd on a hook.
Couz: I have been keeping up with you... keep up the good work- maybe you can get funded to do this type of thing in the future!
Wonderful experiences... like the ground squirrel picture... he looks way cuter than the sled dogs. Nikima was much smaller than these dogs and not as much black in the face or anywhere. Stay safe and travel on
JTYaple
Thanks for keeping up, Jason! Do you know how much I would LOVE to be paid to just wander around and photo and write about what I see?! Too bad I'm not a writer or a photographer.... I'll have to work on that.
And about Nikima... These dogs were a type. The Alaskan husky isn't a breed, but a mix of several sled dog breeds. Niki was half Siberian Husky and half Alaskan Malamute, two distinct and massive breeds of sled dog. The Denali dogs ranged quite a bit in size and weight, and of course, in my 9-year old mind, NO DOG will ever be bigger or stronger than Niki!
That squirrel looks very Dinero, "You talking to me!?!" ha ha ha...sounds like a wonderful day friend!
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