Denali

Last weekend, Jeff and I were lucky enough to score a road lottery pass into Denali. A pass to drive into the park is precious, as they only allow a limited number of vehicles per day. The park has a dirt road that stretches 90 miles across the park, and it's meant to feel very secluded. 

Denali (or Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain peak in North America. It's simply incredible. 

We woke up very early on Saturday morning, and drove about 4 hours to Denali. It was a glorious fall drive. The colors were changing, the sun was shining, and Oscar and I were napping on and off while listening to "This American Life" pod casts. Oscar preferred napping on my backpack. 

Please. Give me something nice to look at. 

We saw seven bears, loads of sheep and mountain goats, caribou, and a baby and mama moose running on the side of the road. Don't you worry, I'm putting together two separate posts about our awesome bear shows. Wait for it...

I had a couple of Into the Wild moments. I never want to be alone in this vast, wild space.

The most spectacular views of the actual mountain were supposed to be at the end of the road at Wonder Lake. It was too late in the day as we approached Wonder Lake, so the mountain was covered in clouds. 

We spent the night with some fantastic company at the Teklanika River campsite. We ate beer-battered halibut for dinner, and our friend Joe quoted a scene from "The Three Amigos." His accuracy was almost as incredible as the Mountain. Almost.

I was a little bit cold as we slept in the tent, but I put Oscar inside my sleeping bag. He slept on my feet.  He was happy. I was happy. 

As we drove out of the park the next morning, we scored this view of the Mountain. It's not totally clear, but those wispy clouds make me shiver. 

Obligatory picture of us. Notice our down jackets? Yes. It was very cold. 

As we drove back to Anchorage, we were met with even more sunshine. I am excited to plan another, longer trip to the park. Maybe backpacking in the back country. 

Maybe.

xo

Alli

ps-Stay tuned for the bear posts. Will post today and tomorrow.