We really didn’t intend to make another big trip just 6 months after our epic journey to India and Bhutan last fall. Then Martha McPheeters made us an offer we couldn’t refuse.
Rick met Martha during his first work quarter at Antioch College. They were teaching outdoor education in New Hampshire, during the winter of 1972.
40 years later, Rick and Anne were guests of Martha’s at Camp Denali – a seasonal lodge near the end of the only road that goes into Denali National Park. We would be there as PVs (personal visitors).
Day One and Two
On the way to Denali we visited our friend Tanya and her son Eleven in Fairbanks. We explored the tundra on Murphy Dome and ate ice cream cones.
Day Three
We met the Camp Denali bus near the Park entrance. Matt, our naturalist guide/driver then took us 90 miles into the park, explaining the extreme geography and habitats.
Along the way we saw moose, bear with cubs, caribou, sheep (think mountain goats), a red fox and numerous birds, including a short-eared owl. The 7-hour drive went by too quickly.
Upon arrival at the lodge we were greeted by our friend Martha, who is a year-round manager there. During the season she also serves as a naturalist guide. As staff guests, we stayed in staff housing, but otherwise had the same food and privileges as paying guests, including the daily guided hikes.
Day Four
We went on a hike in the “strenuous” category, that took us 2200 feet up through small trees and shrubs that make up the boreal forest here –which is locally known as Taiga – and on to Camp Ridge.
We could see Wonder Lake, but the mountains were socked-in. It poured rain on our way down. But not-to-worry: we’d be back here on day seven.
Day Five
We got to see Martha in action as we joined her moderate hike up an alpine canyon and over a ridge near Stony Creek. We learned much about the local flora and fauna, and got to watch a band of caribou traverse a high ridge as we enjoyed our lunch. Early in the hike it snowed, and we learned a new word: Graupel, snow that comes down in pellets that form like a soft hail.
In explaining how the Alaska range (including Denali) was formed, Martha also did the best explanation of plate tectonics that we’ve ever heard. We also forded Stony Creek, where the water was higher than the boots of most folks in our group.
Day Six
During the day, we hiked on our own, which tested our fear of bears. There have been no bad encounters with bears for groups of 4 or more, but we were just two. In the evening, we packed a picnic dinner and joined Martha and other staff people for a canoe trip from one end of Wonder Lake to the other. To avoid mosquitos, we ate offshore.
Day Seven and Eight
Martha planned a special treat for her days off. At 6:45 am, we left the lodge on the bus that, twice a week, takes guests to and from the park entrance. On top of the bus we loaded three mountain bikes. At the Eielson Visitor Center, where the bus makes its first rest stop, we said goodbye to the group and mounted our bicycles. The three of us then enjoyed a 24-mile, mostly downhill adventure back to camp on the gravel park road. Along the way we stopped at the kettle ponds to view Swans, Loons, Horned Grebes, Widgeons, Yellowlegs (a shore bird) and various ducks.
After lunch, a nap, repacking our gear and packing some dinner, the three of us hiked up to the ridge behind camp. Camp Denali owns a hut atop the ridge that staff and friends (not paying guests) get to reserve for overnight visits.
We had not been to this section of the ridge on our day-two hike, and this time the weather was clear. The evening views were stunning. Rick stayed up until sunset (12:45 am) and got up again at sunrise (3:00 am) to take pictures.
Martha hiked down at 6 am to get ready for work, while we slept in and enjoyed a leisurely hike along the ridge and down into camp in time for a late lunch.
Day Nine
We joined Matt’s strenuous hike into the high country, and saw Dall Sheep, a Golden Eagle and a Pipit nest in the alpine tundra. A scary thunderstorm passed nearby. You don’t want to be high on a ridge during a thunderstorm. We took the fast mode on our way down, sliding down big snow fields on our bottoms.
Day Ten and Eleven
We said goodbye to Martha and Camp Denali and enjoyed the early bus ride out to the park entrance, again seeing moose, bear, Dall sheep, Northern Harrier (a hawk) and a Red Fox. We then rode back to Fairbanks and joined Tanya and Eleven for a sunny dinner outdoors along the Chena River.
We left Alaska feeling like we had really gotten a feel for the place. While we can’t say we adjusted to the midnight sun and 24-hour daylight, we could see why people are drawn to this extreme place, and the beauty of it.
» View the Slideshow: See our best photos, fullscreen.
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