...Denali 2009 (cont)

July 14, 2009
Teklanika Campground #18
Denali National Park (cont)

Laura tries out the caribou headgear. These antlers at the Toklat rest stop have to be the most photographed antlers in the world. Everyone has their picture taken with them above their heads.

I woke up early this morning (like 4:00 AM early) and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to take an early morning hike so I took off determined to make it as far as I could before the first bus of the day passed me. I was almost at Igloo Campground before I heard rumbling behind me and the first bus drove by in a cloud of dust. I turned around and by the time I got back to Teklanika I had walked over eight miles. The winds had also changed direction during the night and the air smelled of smoke. It was extremely hazy due to the wildfires burning throughout Interior Alaska. I told Liz and Laura about my little adventure and they decided to ride their bikes to Igloo where they once again soaked their feet in the cold water of Igloo Creek.
Later in the afternoon we caught the bus to Toklat. By this time the smoke/haze was so dense that visibility was extremely reduced. But, the bus was full of friendly people and the driver had lots of anecdotes and stories about Denali, so we sat back and enjoyed the ride. We didn't see any animals on our way out so we had plenty of time at the Toklat rest stop to take photos of the caribou and moose antlers they have there and to visit the small bookstore which is operated by the Alaska Natural History Association.
On the way back to Teklanika we made the only wildlife sighting of the afternoon trip. A lone Dall sheep was spotted very high on Cathedral Mountain. If you had powerful binoculars you could see him, but many passengers were certain it was nothing more than a "patch of snow."
It was late when we got back and everyone was tired from all the walking, biking, and bus riding we had done so it was off to bed. Then, at about 3:00 AM it began to rain--heavily.
When we took a photo at this same location on Polychrome Pass yesterday. At that time we could see the mountains on the other side of the valley (see previous blog entry). Smoke from nearby wildfires reduced visibility significantly.

This semi-permanent structure is located at the Toklat rest stop. If you look closely you can see the silhouette of Divide Mountain in the background. It was a very hazy day.

Laura and Liz pose in front of the bus we rode to Toklat.