DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2025

DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2025

Fall colors near the Savage River in Denali National Park.

DAY 1:  (September 2, 2025)

     We lit out from Anchorage bound for lunch at Denali Brewing, which is just a few miles down the Talkeetna Spur Road.  After enjoying a mushroom pizza we returned to the road and drove to K'esugi Ken Campground whee we had secured the Denali Cabin.  Arriving at 1:34 PM we had plenty of time for a hike around the campground trails and a game of cribbage.  The cabin is large with several rooms and even has electricity.  Later in the evening we enjoyed listening to a concert on my camo JBL speaker which included Liz's playlist.  The following songs were included:

Times Like These  (Foo Fighters)

Closer to Fine  (Indigo Girls)

Tiny Dancer  (Elton John)

Zombie  (The Cranberries)

Jim Dndy  (La Vern Baker)

Tweedle Dee  (La Vern Baker)

For What It's Worth  (Sawyer Fredericks)

Your Song  (Elton John)

Voodoo Voodoo  (La Vern Baker)

The Room Where It Happens  (Leslie Odem, Jr. and Lin-Manuel-Miranda)

Who'll Stand With Us  (Dropkick Murphy's)

Least Complicated  (Indigo Girls)

DAY 2:  (September 3, 2025)

   After a restful night in the cabin we awoke to more cloudy skies and light rain.  After a quick breakfast and a morning stroll we returned to the cabin for another game of cribbage, which Liz won handily.  Then we loaded everything in the truck and took off for Denali National Park.We made our way to the Mountain Vista area where we had a picnic and walked around the Mountain Vista Trail.  There were lots of people hiking with us.  Everyone seemed happy to be there and appreciating the scenery.

     Back in the truck we drove to the Savage River Campground in hopes of finding Janette Cadieux and her sister Mary.  It so happened they were just returning from a morning hike and we sat down at their picnic table for a good visit.  We also made plans to pick them up later in the evening for Moose Patrol.  After that we returned to the park entrance and Grizzly Bear Cabins where we checked in.  It was good to be back at the Cheechako Cabin.

     After dinner at the Thai Food Truck we went back to get Janette and Mary for the evening's main event.  We drove out to Savage River where we got photos of the fall colors with rocks and sky.  It was beautiful.  

     Back on the road we spotted a Northern Hawk Owl and before long our first moose jam.  A cow and calf stood near the edge of the road staring at the commotion of vehicles they were causing.  After getting a good look we pressed on.  Just a few miles later we saw flashing lights, busses, RV's, and various other vehicles stopped in the road.  We knew it had to be something good.  And, it was.

      When we got near the action we saw a good sized bull practically standing on the pavement.  He was nonchalantly browsing on twigs while a major cluster of people watched and took photos.  Janette especially took photos.  Fifty-eight of them in fact.  Everyone was happy and single-mindedly focused on the bull.  It was as fun to watch the people as it was to watch the moose.

     All-in-all we saw 10 moose and a Northern Hawk Owl, so it was a good evening.  After returning Janette and Mary to their campsite it was back to the cabin for some rest because we were renting bikes the next day.

A bull moose partially hidden by vegetation at the edge of the park road.

DAY 3:  (September 4, 2025)

     We had been watching the weather forecast and decided today would be our best bet for favorable bike riding conditions.  So, we made our way to Bike Denali and rented some ebikes.  In short order we were pedaling the park road bound for Mountain Vista.  It took us about and hour-and-a-half to get there under mostly sunny skies.  We took a break there and had a picnic.  Then it was back on the road for the downhill trip back to the park entrance.  It was fun as we cruised along rather effortlessly.  After returning the bikes we went back to the cabin and made plans for dinner at Creekside where Liz had fish-n-chip and I had halibut tacos.

     Moose Patrol was very good and we lost count of the number of moose we saw.  There were many moose jams and the wildlife officer was working at a frenzied pace to keep the road passable.  At one point we saw two bills sparring at the edge of the road almost directly in front of us!

Sunrise in Denali country.

Taking a break at the edge of the park road during our bike ride.

Posing with bikes at the park entrance sign.

DAY 4 :  (September 5, 2025)

     We caught the 10:00 AM bus bound for the East Fork which was loaded with pleasant and excited people speaking many different languages.  Most significantly, we came to realize our driver, Rex, had been our driver on a previous bus many years ago.  We thought it was funny because he continued his legacy of of providing misinformation. 

     As he drove along he explained the Congressional closure of Sable Pass was was done so "late risers have a chance to see the wildlife before it gets scared away by early busses and hikers."  We had a good laugh over that.  That aside, the ride was genuinely good and we were lucky enough to spot the Big Four--Dall sheep, caribou, moose, and grizzly bear.  My favorite was the group of seven caribou that crossed the road in front of our bus at the Teklanika River flats.

     Back at the park entrance we made a brief stop at the gift shop then hiked a portion of the Triple Lakes trail.  We made it across the suspension bridge before turning back.  As we were walking along we heard a train whistle from a distance and saw it pass over a trestle above Riley Creek.We were too far away and the foliage was too dense for photos.  But, we ran into a railroad employee that got some good images which he shared with us as we walked along.  He was a very friendly guy and told us he was getting ready to move back to Ohio after the season was over here in Alaska.

     The weather became more beautiful as the day progressed and conditions were perfect when it was Moose Patrol time.  Once again, there were lots of moose and several jams as we made our first pass.  At one particular sighting we got out of the truck and watched as a large bull meandered along the edge of the road.  

     As we stood there a lady and her daughter came up behind us loudly complaining about the wildlife officer whom had evidently told her that all four wheels of her vehicle had to be parked off the pavement.  The disconcerted lady said that in all her previous years only two wheels had to be off the road.  This new rule was extremely troubling for her and she continued on about it ad nauseam.  We finally went back to our truck and she followed us complaining the entire way.  She even knocked on our window and wanted us to to listen to her repeat her four wheel/two wheel lamentation.  I told her I didn't care and rolled up the window. Then slowly drove away thinking it was over.

     We drove to Mountain Vista and along the way Liz said, "The mountain is out!"  Sure enough, the clouds had cleared and there it was in all its grandeur.  It was the only time we saw it on this trip.  We got plenty of photos before turning back for a final pass through now what could be termed "Moose Alley"  due to the significant numbers of moose on this section of the road.

     Continuing to drive along we entered the previous moose jam and saw a guy with a camera walking deeply into the brush.We crept along in the truck before parking-all four wheels off the pavement-and walked down the road.  That's when once again we heard the lady and she was still complaining about the wildlife officer and the parking problems.  

     She was still going on when a minor confrontation began to escalate between the man from the bushes and other moose viewers along the edge of the road.  The moose viewers were upset at the man because he had scared the moose away and nobody could watch it anymore.  The man countered saying he had "every right to go into the bushes," and he "didn't scare it away."  

     Suddenly, the lady who was complaining about the parking situation shows up in defense of the bush walker guy, who, as it turns out, was her husband.  You can probably imagine how this compounded the entire situation.  Insults were hurled back and forth at an increasingly rapid pace.  Soon the lady was exclaiming that she and her husband were "from here" and could do whatever they wanted because they've "been here for 21-years," and so on.

     We left the scene to finish our final Moose Patrol of the trip in hopes of getting away from the fiasco which continued to unfold in front of us.  In that we were successful.

     Putting the drama behind us we went back to the cabin where we would get another good night of rest. The next morning we got up and packed our gear.  Our trip wasn't over because we were continuing on to Fairbanks, but we were already making plans for our next foray to Denali National Park.  

TRIP STATS:

Miles driven:  1122.5 (that included driving from Anchorage>Denali National Park>Fairbanks and return via Richardson Highway)

Cribbage Tournament Winner:  Mrs. Huffy (it should be noted she had two 24 point hands as well)

Ebike miles ridden:  Approximately 29

Moose:  Approximately 25

Caribou:  7

Grizzly bear:  1

Dall Sheep:  10

Northern Hawk Owl:  2

Ptarmigan:  Approximately 20

Caribou at the Teklanika River flats.

A bull moose near the park road.

Sign at the East Fork where the busses turn around.

Caribou in follow-the-leader formation.

The bus we rode in to the East Fork.

Grizzly bear near Sable Pass.

Evening light near Mountain Vista.

Fall colors.

The suspension bridge across Riley Creek on the Triple Lakes trail.

Moose jam.

Denali came out the last evening we were there.

The Cheechako cabin.

 

MARSH FORK/CANNING RIVER PACKRAFT TRIP, ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, JUNE 25-JULY 7, 2025

MARSH FORK/CANNING RIVER, ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, JUNE 25-JULY 7, 2025

PARTICIPANTS:

Doug Armstrong

Barry Benko

Wally Hufford

Irene Lindquist

DETAILS:

Days on the river-12

River miles paddled-105

Fauna-musk ox, caribou, arctic fox, numerous birds

Flora-flowers galore!

Groups we saw-two guys in a canoe, a commercial rafting group, a group of three packrafters

Favorite campsite-X mountain

Weather-hot, sun, wind, one major thunderstorm

Mosquitoes-annoying, but not bad for this part of the world

DAY 1: (June 25, 2025)

     We were at Coyote Air and ready to go at 7:00 AM.  After weighing all our gear and people we loaded the plane and departed Coldfoot for the Upper Strip on the Marsh Fork/Canning River.  It was a spectacular flight thru the Brooks Range.  Soon we were hauling our gear from the strip to the river which was about a half mile.  

     We prepped everything and started floating...and scooting.  The water was very shallow making it difficult to paddle getting caught on the many gravel and sand bars.  At one point we got separated in different channels and had to reconnect by dragging a boat across the various terrain.  Once reunited we took off again.  

     Eventually we stopped and made camp just upriver from the Bench Creek Strip.  As we were setting up camp my tent blew away as I had my back turned.  Irene yelled to alert me and I took off chasing it.  I barely caught up with it and took it back where I solidly staked it to the ground.

This plane is named Pumpkin.  It's the same one we took to the Hula Hula River last year.

We weighed ourselves and all out gear in the Weight Shed.  All told we weighed 1086 pounds.  We took every pound down the river in our packrafts.

Our group just about ready to board the plane for the flight to the Upper Strip on the Marsh Fork.

Irene was in the co-pilot seat for the flight to the put-in.

A view from the air as we flew through the Brooks Range.

About to land at the Upper Strip.

Irene afloat on the Marsh Fork.

DAY 2:  (June 26, 2025)

     We spent the day hiking and resting since the previous day was a workout.  At breakfast Irene surprised all of us by bringing out a huge box of chocolates.  She got them for her birthday in May and had saved them for this trip.  We all got a bag of nine which we enjoyed throughout the remainder of the trip.

     The rest of the day was spent hiking around the area.  Doug and Irene hiked to the Bench landing strip and visited with the people there.  Two guys were assembling a folding canoe and a group of commercial rafters were preparing for their float down the river.  

     In the afternoon a huge thunderstorm rolled in and we stayed in our tents during the heavy rain and wind.  After a couple hours it cleared up again.

Irene with her solar panel positioned on her legs.

Irene's birthday was in May.  She saved a box of chocolates so we could share them on the river.

DAY 3:  (June 27, 2025)

     After breakfast we packed our gear and began paddling around 10:00 AM.  We passed the commercial rafting group as they were getting ready to float.  A little while later we passed the canoeists camp which was just a few miles downriver.  The paddling was much better than the first day and we enjoyed floating along.  

     Stopping for lunch we ate at the side of the river and some of us even took a quick nap.  The weather was beautiful and very warm.  We marveled at the scenery as the mountains and valleys passed by.  In the early afternoon we found a campsite at the edge of the river.  There were jagged peaks behind it and a huge valley that looked like a good place to spend a day hiking.  After setting up the tents we waited until it was time for dinner which we enjoyed in the beauty of the surroundings.

DAY 4:  (June 28, 2025)

     About 4:00 AM I heard an animal walk past my tent.  At breakfast all the others mentioned they had heard it, too.  We decided it must've been a caribou even though none of us actually saw it.  

     A few hours later Doug and Barry took off on a hike.  They crossed a huge alluvial plain and went up a big valley into the mountains.  Irene spent the morning doing chores and I walked for a while around the area.  Later Irene took a big hike toward the valley.  The canoeists stopped by around noon and we had a pleasant chat in the warm sun.  

Barry's a geologist.  He knows all about rocks.

This was a valley behind one of our camps.  Look closely and you can see Doug and Barry as they set off to hike it.

Irene looks at our location on a map.

DAY 5:  (June 29, 2025)

     We were on the river by 9:30 AM.  The paddling was easy at the start but grew more boisterous as we traveled downstream.  Rock gardens and rapids became more common and Irene took a swim at one point.  She said she was under water but looked up to see her paddle and packraft which she grabbed immediately.  Barry was there to help and all ended well.  A couple hours later we passed the commercial group just before paddling thru a cool little canyon.  Once thru the canyon we set up camp at a site Doug said he had camped at two years previous.

Irene hauls her gear to the edge of the river.

Doug hauls his gear to the edge of the river.

DAY 6:  (June 30, 2025)

     We got an early start and ended up paddling 18.7 miles on this day.  We saw an arctic fox running along the edge of a mountain as we neared the confluence of the Marsh Fork and Canning Rivers.  We passed the commercial group again as they had only gone about four miles since their previous camp.  We had some good fun paddling thru a rock garden just before the confluence  Then it was down the Canning, past Plunge Creek, and to a campsite we named X Mountain.  This was our favorite camp because the flowers were so aromatic and the scenery exquisite.  It was also very hot and we estimated the temperature to be 85 degrees.  

     Later in the evening I decided I was going to stay awake to get a photo of the sun at midnight.  Everyone else had gone to bed.  At 10:50 PM I could hear rocks clattering on the other side of the river.  I looked over to see a musk ox walking along the bottom of X Mountain.  I woke everyone up and we enjoyed a musk ox viewing for the next 45 minutes.  It was great.  At midnight I finally got a picture of the sun on the horizon and went to sleep.

My packraft near the confluence of the Marsh Fork and Canning Rivers.

We camped across the river from X Mountain.

Irene uses binoculars to watch a musk ox travel along the base of X Mountain.

That black dot is the musk ox we watched.

Nice light.

Wolf print in the mud near our camp.

DAY 7:  (July 1, 2025)

     We spent this day at camp doing chores.  I used the solar panel to charge my cell phone and inReach device.  I also did some laundry and even washed up in the very cold water, which was okay because the sun was extremely warm.  The others did the same and also went hiking.  Barry spent some time fishing as well.

DAY 8:  (July 2, 2025)

     We got an early start and took off down the Canning River toward the edge of the mountains.  Along the way we had pulled over for a break when three other packrafters stopped for a visit.  We found out they were hiking/packrafting from the Dalton Highway to Kaktovik.  In a few miles they were getting off the Canning and hiking to the Sadlerochit and Hula Hula Rivers toward their final destination.  It was an impressive trip!

  As we paddled along we saw a caribou at the edge of the river just before we finally stopped to make camp in the hot sun.  Later that night a ptarmigan walked thru our camp.

DAY 9:  (July 3, 2025)

     We were paddling by 9:00 AM and made 10 miles by noon.  Along the way we passed more aufeis and ultimately stopped on an aufeis field to camp  It was extremely hot and windy.  

     I checked the weather forecast on my inReach and couldn't believe it when I saw snowflakes were predicted in a few days.  I looked again and sure enough, snow was expected on our final day of the trip.  When I told the group everyone was in disbelief.  It was and had been so hot.  But, we all decided it would be best to get to the Lower Strip a day early and hope we could get picked up before the storm blew in.

There was still some aufeis along the edge of the river.

DAY 10:  (July 4, 2025)

     Happy Independence Day!  We had another big paddling day and covered 15.8 river miles.  We passed more aufeis and saw some Arctic Loons as we traveled along.  

     When we got to camp Irene said the only way we could celebrate the Fourth of July any better would be if we had bubbles...then she pulled out a vial of bubbles for each of us!  We spent the remainder of the evening having a grand time as we blew bubbles into the wind watching them float across the tundra.

One of our camps along the Canning River.  The Brooks Range is in the background.

This picture was taken exactly at midnight.  The sun was still well above the horizon.

Doug makes a seal entry off the edge of the aufeis.

Floating down the Canning River under the hot sun.

Exploring aufeis along the Canning River

DAY 11:  (July 5, 2025)

     We made it to the Lower Strip a day early hoping we could get an early pick-up.  But, when we heard from Dirk, our pilot, he indicated it wouldn't be possible due his schedule.  No worries, at least we were at the pick-up location and hopefully he would be here before the storm was expected to hit on Monday afternoon.  

     We cleaned our gear and packed the packraft equipment away in duffle bags.  It was another beautiful evening and there were birds everywhere.  We felt good to be at the landing strip and the camping was nice.

DAY 12:  (July 6, 2025)

     We awoke to another warm and sunny day-and a wolf!  At 4:49 AM Irene looked out her tent door and saw a black wolf between Barry's tent and mine.  It was only 20 feet from my door.  The rest of us didn't see it, but Irene got a photo as it it wandered away.  Way cool!

    Doug and Irene spent the day hiking and made it to a small knoll where they watched a herd of 12 musk ox.  They also got cell service on their phones which they used to call and text people.  We later found out the service is from Point Thompson.

   Barry caught three grayling today and he cooked them to share with us.  They were really good.

Barry caught some grayling.

Mosquitoes.

A wolf early in the morning near the Lower Strip.  It had been about 20 feet from our tents.

DAY 13:  (7/7/2025)

     Waking up this morning we could feel the cold front had moved in.  We added some layers and had breakfast before breaking down camp and waiting for the plane to arrive.  Once we were packed up we stood around.  Suddeny I looked up to see Dirk coming in for a landing.  None of us had even heard the plane!

     We loaded our gear and took off for the return trip to Coldfoot which took about two hours.  Back on the south side of the Brooks Range the weather was very warm and the air filled with smoke from the many forest fires around Alaska.  We ate lunch at the Coldfoot Camp and hit the road for Fairbanks.  Another exquisite Arctic trip in the books.

The Lower Strip.

Gear and plane at the Lower Strip.

All loaded up and ready for our flight back to Coldfoot.

KENAI RIVER CANYON PACKRAFT TRIP ( SEASON OPENER), KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, APRIL 18, 2025

KENAI RIVER CANYON PACKRAFT TRIP (SEASON OPENER), KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, APRIL 18, 2025

PARTICIPANTS:

 Doug A.     Laura F.

Jim B.         Stephen F.

Trevor D.    Dylan H.

Jason F.       Wally H.

It was a beautiful day for the first packraft trip of the season.  We took our time paddling through the canyon rapids before stopping at the Picnic Table Campsite.  That's where we ate lunch and examined the wreckage of a drift boat which had probably been there all winter.  Then it was back on the water for a short paddle to Skilak Lake.  We cruised along the edge of the lake for a half mile before landing and packing our gear in backpacks for the hike out Hidden Creek Trail.  It was a fine day indeed.

Jason at the put-in (Jim's Landing).  Ready to paddle.

Laura and Jason in their brand new packrafts.

Doug uses his paddle to push off from shore.

Dylan takes a break while others empty water from their boats.

Jim examines the wreckage of a wooden drift boat.

Packraft hors d'ouvres which consists of a Wheat Thin cracker topped with canned cheese, and a smoked oyster.  Super delicious.

Trevor enjoys a cup of coffee and a good laugh while visiting with Stephen.

The group at the edge of Skilak Lake.  All packed up and ready for the hike out Hidden Creek Trail back to the vehicles.

Hiking out.

On our way back to the vehicles.