When I was planning this trip I was following along the blog of friends who were here last year. They stayed at a beautiful state park just south of Denali, where good views of the mountain can be seen. When you’re up in Denali National Park it’s hard to see the summit, especially now that the road is closed from a washout at 43 miles in. So we booked a spot at a relatively new campground in Denali State Park called K’esugi Ken. It was one of the nicest campgrounds we’ve seen all summer. K’esugi Ken is an Athabascan word that literally means “Base of the Ancient One.”
So many visitors come to Alaska intent on viewing Denali, but only a third actually have the opportunity to see this beauty. The low pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska move northward from the ocean, hit the mountain and condense into clouds as the air rises over the peak. We got lucky the first two nights as the clouds burned off and the “Mountain Was Out”!
We went on a 6.5 mile hike to the top of a ridge behind the campground on a relatively clear day. The elevation gain was 900 feet, but the switchbacks were long so the climb was gradual over a long distance. It was an excellent hike, except the top of the mountain was hidden behind the clouds once again.
The trail was in great shape and we really enjoyed the long hike. The trip down was a little harder when we were pretty tired, but we’re both glad we made it to our destination.
There was a 360 degree view from the top of a knoll, where we stopped for lunch and hoped the clouds would burn off the top of the mountain. We enjoyed the beautiful panoramas, then slowly started down and watched as the clouds moved around and we could see small glimpses of mountain.
That night once again the sky was clear so we drove outside the campground to get an unobstructed view of the mountain. It was fun watching the shadow line rise up the mountain as the sun set behind a neighboring peak.
The next day we drove back south on the Parks highway and around to the town of Talkeetna. This is purely a tourist destination where the train stops to disgorge passengers. But like Bainbridge, the town is filled with great restaurants and arts and crafts shops that the tourists support.
After we left K’esugi Ken we made a quick stop in Healy, right outside the park entrance. We knew the five days in Denali National Park would be without hookups, so we needed a stop to empty tanks, fill tanks, and wash laundry. My friend Debby Waugaman’s brother Ed happens to own an RV park in Healy, so we stayed there. And lucky for us, Debby was delayed an extra day bringing the horses into her hunting camp (she starts the ride at Ed’s house in Healy), so we got to help pack them up and see them off.
I’ve never written a blog post about travels into Wood River, so this next winter I’ll take some time and write about it. I have tons of pictures on our other website Here which document six of the years that I’ve been either riding in or out, or coming into camp to visit. This year we’ll fly into camp for a 4 day visit with Debs and Chris, and that will be the subject of a blog posting here. This pic above is Debs, Lori and Addie leaving for their four day ride. I was wishing very much to be on one of those horses that day.
More pix from this time are Here