Thursday, July 31, 2008

Denali National Park, Post 2 : Late Sun, Mountain Views

By the time we got our dishes washed and were getting ready for bed, late night sun turned on the green glow on a mountain top above us. The rain seemed over. We made it through the night with no rain and there even appeared to be some clear sky to the west. J got off the bus at Polychrome Pass - all the colors glowing in sunlight - where she bonded with a caribou that walked right up next to her.



























Doug and I went on. We rounded a bend - I forget which pass - and there were both peaks of Denali in front of us. By the time we’d gotten to Eilson, there were some little clouds passing by, but the Mountain was mostly visible. [on the way in - the best pics are in the Pentax still]











This next picture is when we got back to Eilson from Wonder Lake. No more Mountain.








And we’d seen caribou, moose, bear, and sheep. Nothing real close to the road, but close enough to see well through the binoculars. As we got closer to Wonder Lake, the Mountain, in her modesty, added more and more clouds to cover up. By the time we got back to Eilson it was as though there was no mountain there. We’d added beaver, fox, common goldeneye, and white fronted goose to our sightings. And nearing Igloo campground we watched as a nearby golden eagle repeatedly dove after snowshoe hares that scattered below.We also saw a grizzly digging after ground squirrels. One ran off without the bear seeing. The bear's head is in the hole he'd just dug.

By the time we got dinner dishes washed, it was starting to drizzle. During the night the rain was a steady rhythm. Doug knocked on the camper about 7:15 am when the rain had stopped. Whoops, my alarm hadn’t gone off.

1 comment:

  1. My nerves are already shot. I am about to take my children camping for the first time EVER. We've done day hikes but nothing overnight because I either had really little babies or was pregnant. With the youngest being almost potty trained and the older kids being able to do a lot more, I think we are ready.

    Your sense of adventure over the summer,especially with the other large family has solidified my resolve to do this.

    Great pictures of your trip! I wonder if I will be able to appreciate this as we go out!

    ReplyDelete

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