Denali II

Although Fall is approaching, the weather-gods have seen fit to apologize for all the rain, and have given us an Indian Summer. We took advantage of the sunshine and warmth and went back up to Denali with my parents. This time we took the train, and we had a spectacular trip passing through the Fall landscapes.

Denali was possibly better this time round as Mount McKinley was visible for most of our trip and we captured "The Great One" on film from just about every angle.

The animals were still out and about, and we managed to see four out of the Big Five. We saw the same wolf pack with their seven pups nearly grown up, and lots of bears, including a sow suckling her two cubs. 

The best sighting was two little cubs losing their footing in the river bed and being washed a little way downstream. We managed to get before and after shots of one of them.

On our first day we went for a walk on Horseshoe Lake Trail in search of some beavers. On the way down, a beaver looking like he'd come straight out of Narnia came up onto our path and we had a Mexican stand-off. While we were trying hard not to startle the beaver, he was getting impatient with us for not moving out of his way and he eventually detoured around us. He was on his way to chop down some more wood for his dam and bachelor pad beaver lodge. What a treat!

The Big Five

The Alaskan Big Five doesn't feature the King of the Jungle, but anything that has a sheep at the top of its list definitely beats the African equivalent!

Dall Sheep

Moose Cow

Caribou (Reindeer)

Wolf

Grizzly Bear Cub

Denali

Denali National Park and Preserve is over six million acres of "pure, rugged wilderness", 240 miles north of Alaska. It is home to Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America. This elusive mountain is visible to fewer than 30% of Denali visitors, and we were lucky to get a glimpse of the snowy slopes when the clouds disappeared for a generous few seconds.

Denali is completely different in every way from a South African game reserve. Whereas in the Kruger you can drive your own vehicle along the many park roads and spot wildlife around every corner, in Denali there is only one 90-mile long road in the entire park, and access after mile 15 is only available on tour or shuttle buses.

Another big difference is the lack of wildlife. Very few animals choose to stay in Alaska over the winter, and only a few return for the summer. Thus animal sightings are generally few and far between, but we felt like we had the two luckiest days in the park. We saw the Alaskan Big Five, as well as a red fox, snowshoe hares, Arctic ground squirrels, and lots of birds, including golden eagles, northern harriers, goshawks and shrikes, and even a little short-eared owl.

One of the most impressive aspects of the park was the magnificent views. Two mountain ranges meet in the park, amidst intertwining river and glacial valleys. In the dappled sunlight, the landscapes were extraordinary.

Talkeetna

Daniel booked a surprise weekend away in the quiet town of Talkeetna. It lies 2 1/2 hours north of Anchorage and is famous for its proximity to Denali (Mount McKinley to cheechakos), the highest mountain in North America. Eager climbers catch bush planes to the Base Camp to commence their attempt up the 20,320-foot summit. We were treated to a beautiful view of 'The Great One' as we drove in, but we missed the photo point. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in before we could capture the spectacular mountain on film, but we were awed by its beauty.

The population of Talkeetna is 800, and we saw quite a few of the locals in the Fairview Inn pub on Saturday night. The Denali Brewing Co. operates out of Talkeetna and there were plenty of local beers on tap. Daniel sampled a Chuli Stout, while I enjoyed a nice brown ale of Moose's Drool.

Talkeetna is the place where three rivers meet to form the formidable Susitna River. On our first foray along its banks, we saw great examples of Alaskan break-up. Ice was cracking up along the surface and the glacial waters were crystal clear in the pebble bed. Our second visit was slightly different as two inches of snow had fallen during the night. So much for spring!

Talkeetna is another quiet Alaskan town just waiting for the summer season. If there's nothing to do, the locals have a couple of suggestions...