Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs

On the departure from Denali National Park we once again showered unlimited for $4.00 and washed clothes.  In route to Fairbanks a traveler in the van (anonymity will be used to protect the innocent) realized she was unable to locate her favorite pair of knickers.  In order to locate them we asked for a description.  This came rather slow with an umm, well...they are pink and green....with HOT BOTTOMS written on them.  That provided enough entertainment for the rest of the trip!  Luckily, they were located and found their rightful bottoms! In search of real food we stopped at The Chowder House, which turned out to be a perfect stop and true Alaskan experience.  Our next stop was Chena Hot Springs, a natural spring with water around 100 degrees.  It was a nice, relaxing stop after hiking 4-6 hours everyday!  We hiked Angel Rock Trail where we came across an old carcass, happy to discover it after the kill and meal! When returning to Anchorage we took the George Parks scenic highway, where we saw Mt. McKinnley, a spectacular view!  Along this highway was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, an amazing human endeavor.  We did make a quick stop to view the University of Alaska and stayed on Bureau of Land Management for our last night.  The sign was too funny as we entered the campsite! 

Denali National Park

In route to Denali National Park (DNP) we stayed one night in Denali State Park.  Although a primitive camping area it was beautiful and offered us a break in driving from Seward.  As you can see one of biggest challenges was packing/unpacking the van each night.  Before entering the park we hiked 9 miles to the top of Exit Glacier, which proved to be a beautiful hike, but very challenging.  The views at the top were spectacular with one viewing overlooking mountains and the other snow.  The next hike was at the visitor's center in DNP.  Mt. Healy was an overlook hike with great views of the National Park.  A few of us felt risky and took pictures off a large hanging boulder.  The last mile of this hike was wet and cold with rain falling.  We decided to take a hot shower at the visitor center before driving to our campsite.  We were happy to discover for $4.00 we could take an unlimited shower and get a towel!  Other campsites charged that for 2 minutes of water, which takes careful planning before putting in the tokens!  We camped in DNP at the furthest campsite you can drive to, Teklanika River Campground.  Once in the campground you have to stay for a minimum of three nights and cannot move your car.  You travel through the park on a dirt/gravel road via green school bus.  This visitor experience was unique for us.  The concessionaire running the service was Aramark and the drivers where tenured wildlife guides, who did a great job educating the visitors. The bus ride takes you to the end point, Wonder Lake at mile 85, a round trip of 11 hours from the visitor center. Along the ride the wildlife viewing was magnificent!  We spotted fox, wolves, grizzly, caribou, a swimming moose, and many other small creatures.  Due to the lack of hiking trails in the park, the animals are not habituated.  The picture of the grizzly was taken as he walked right by the bus down the road.  I could have held Stephanie out the window by her heals and she could have pet him! (An idea thought of, but never spoken).  On the last day Lisa, Becki, and I trekked backcountry for 5 hours using a compass.  Since there are technically are no trails in the park, the terrain varied from rock shimming (my most favorite thing-NOT), river beeds, chin tall grass, and bush, usually covered with blueberry bear skat.  The trek was fabulous; however, stressful.  At one point we realized we were between two moose very interested in us. They are often the most dangerous creature in the park, so we put our head down hike fast out of their territory! The constant awareness of hiking in wilderness with true predators, in combination of marshmallow type ground, makes for a long days work! A wilderness experience I will never forget! On our last day we stopped at the dog sled area for a visit.  During the winter mushers are the best way to travel in the snowy park. You can certainly understand from the pictures the meaning of the "dogs day of summer!"

Seward, AK

We arrived in Anchorage at home base, Carin’s house Tuesday night.  Wednesday morning we loaded the mini van, stopped at the grocery store, and headed down the scenic highway to Seward on the Southern coast of Alaska.  We stayed at a commercial campground called Miller’s Landing, where our kayak trip left from, and enjoyed a nice salmon dinner.  It was a beautiful sunny day for our kayak trip.  We rode a water taxi further into the bay and was dropped off.  Right as we got into the water a hump back whale emerged, perhaps with a calf, and swam around us for about 15 minutes.  After that we saw sea otters, jellyfish, loon’s,  bald eagles and starfish as we made our way around the bay.  That evening we were recommended to eat at the Showcase Club, a well known restaurant in downtown Seward.  As we walked in the cigarette smoke filtered out onto the sidewalk.  After a brief group discussion, we decided to eat there anyway.  The food and service was fabulous!  We also ran into some travelers a group member knew from Wisconsin.  Small world!  After dinner we meandered around town and hit the tents around 10pm (remember it doesn’t get dark until after 11pm, but darkness is a relative term.)  The next day we drove to Denali State Park, making our way close to Denali National Park.  On the way we went on a beautiful hike that was straight up and straight down!  The beginning to our hiking journeys.