Our Journey

8/20/2024

August 19th, 2024 - Dog Sledding in Denali

Our day started out slow. Yes, we were lazy - LOL!

We decided to get moving after lunch and headed to the Sled Dog Demonstration at 2 PM.

In Denali, Sled Dogs have been an important mode of transportation in the winter for over 100 years. The only exception was during WW2 when the Canine Rangers were drafted into the war.

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/meet-the-sled-dogs.htm

Our ranger:

She told us about the history of the dogs in Denali and a little about the dogs. Then we had a demonstration of a ride. As the dogs were attached, they were so excited:

And away they go!:

When they came back and were tethered, the ranger continued her talk:

One of the things they are taught are to come back home. This was just cool to watch:

And away he goes - notice his trainer in the orange:

He knew where to go to be safe!

After the demo, we were free to walk around. This is the training sled:

From there we stopped at the Sled Shed - interesting information:

From there we went to the puppies - :-):

They were all so cute! Here are a few:

One question I had was "Do they ever roam free" and the answer is yes...when the people are not here - LOL!:

Cute:

More information on the dogs and their breeding:

Lots of info here:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/national-parks/2022/10/29/denali-national-park-sled-dogs-alaska/10525268002/

https://pawsandreflect.blog/denali-national-park-sled-dogs-visiting-the-kennel/

https://www.whatspawsitive.org/home/2023/8/10/denali-dogs-how-alaskan-sled-dogs-help-maintain-and-entertain-at-denali-national-park

https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/climate-change-dog-sledding-denali.htm#:~:text=Today%2C%20park%20rangers%20and%20scientists,for%20other%20visitors%20to%20use.

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=85118750-1DD8-B71C-07CE18ECAA2D7364

So glad we went - what a great time!

From there we decided to take a ride to the end of the road for private vehicles. Yesterday, we saw moose and caribou here. Sadly no animals today.

After the fireweed bloom, their leaves start to turn this beautiful red!:

Our road (sadly, another cloudy, rainy day!):

New snow on the mountain...oh my, time to leave... sad!:

The road continues:

So does the snow - LOL!:

The fall in Alaska - the green turns to reds and browns:

What a wonderful afternoon!

We will be here one more day. I was truly hoping for sunny skies to see Denali in its finest but... May have to be here in the Winter/Early Spring - LOL!

Enjoy today!

August 18th, 2024 The End of the Road in Denali

Today's adventure...The shuttle bus to East Fork!

From yesterday:

"The Denali Park Road goes 92 miles into the park. Near the end is Wonder Lake and at the end is Kantishna. Sadly, there was a landslide at MP 45 and nothing is allowed past MP 43 (East Fork). Private vehicles can only go to MP 14 so a bus is needed to go beyond that."

We were blessed..In 2007 we made the shuttle bus trip to Wonder Lake. Those iconic pictures that you see of Denali and the reflection on a lake is done on a clear day at Wonder Lake. That trip is here:

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2007/07/july-19-2007-denali-and-wildlife.html

In 2009, we were able to take the trip to Kantishna. That trip is here:

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-25-2009-kantishna-experience.html

Sadly, we can only go to MP 43 because of the landslide. BUT!! That is okay since we saw wildlife.

They have a saying that everyone should see the Big 5 Wildlife in Denali: Caribou, Moose, Wolf, Bear, and Dall Sheep. Well, we were blessed to see all but the Wolf!

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The nice thing about taking the shuttle is that you can see a lot.

The not so nice is that you are taking pictures thru the bus windows OR the siting is on the side that you are not sitting on.. LOL

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Our bus stop pickup... (Side note. If you come here in 2027, go to Eielson. Great visitor center, great trails, and if the weather Gods are good.. great view of Denali!). Roaming around the Eielson Center is still on my bucket list!

The mountains are in the clouds:

Our first sighting... CARIBOU! Just losing the velvet from his antlers which is why it is so bloody.

Not too far away, we saw this guy (Sorry the pictures are a little blurry - he was far away1):

Scenes along the way!:

We made a stop at the Teklanika Rest Area. WOW! What a difference from 2009! This is the Teklanika River - a braided river. So what is a braided river?:

"A braided river is a river with a network of channels that branch and merge to create a braided pattern. The channels are separated by small islands called braid bars, aits, or eyots, which are often temporary. The bars form, are consumed, and re-form continuously, making braided channels very dynamic. "

The bridge across the river into the wilderness of Denali:

The Teklanika River:

The Road:

The views and those white spots are Dall Sheep:

If you look close, there are caribou on the ridge:

We made our way to the end of this road at the East Fork of the Toklat River:

Fall is coming!:

So... we were able to get off the bus and take pictures. The shuttle bus is a hop on, hop off bus, meaning that if you want to hike, you can hop off the bus and when you are done, you can hop on another shuttle bus. (Depending on the time of day, they come thru every 20 - 30 minutes.) A few folks left our bus and a few got a ride back.

Heading back: