Last Full Day in Denali National Park, AK

I slept well and it didn’t rain overnight. Thankfully, but unfortunately, my bedding is still wet. I laid it out during the day, but with no sun and no real warmth, so is still pretty damp.  I did have the heater set overnight, so I stayed toasty cozy here in the middle of July in the middle of Alaska. After the routine I decided to catch the Tek Pass Bus, for the fourth time. The minute I climbed on board I was asked if I had bear spray. No one’s ever asked...I said no, I don’t (I left it in the rv)! I’m planning to stay with the bus. I guess many people get off and hike the river trail at East Fork, needing bear spray, which was not my intention. So I got the last seat at the front of the line for the hour + long drive towards East Fork. We were on the lookout, and fortunately we saw a sighting of a blond grizzly bear, a closer view of the doll sheep, caribou, and of course, the arctic squirrel. I love the clouds today, as there were bright breaks of blue sky, making for quite the dramatic photos. Our driver, Omar seem to have a slight cerebral palette palsy condition. I really think he drove too quickly compared to the other three drivers. I actually felt a slight bit of motion sickness, as he had a real lead foot. When one of the passengers yelled out a sighting of an animal, he’s seriously came to a deadpan jolting stop. It was rough. After I got back, I had lunch and then went to the river behind my camp spot. I found a high spot and sat there for a while, thankful that I had on several layers, including a sweater and my father’s winter jacket, a hat, and scarf. It was quite beautiful, overcast and chilly, but at least it wasn’t terribly windy and thankfully the mosquitoes are not around. That is a biggie. Later on in the day, I actually ran the generator as three days of sitting with absolutely no sun has left a strain on my batteries. I took advantage of this, using the microwave, heating with electric heat and heating up water for a shower. it’s my last night here at Teklanika, and I’m ready to move on hoping for a different view of Denali as I head south.




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