Moose, Caribou, and Bears, Oh My!

Denali National Park is truly one of our country's finest treasures. It encompasses 9,420 square miles, with its area exceeding the area of the state of New Hampshire. It offers its visitors a wildlife spectacular. The habitat for these creatures is the tundra, described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website as a "treeless ecosystem where winters are long and cold, and summers are short and (usually) chilly." The origin of the word tundra is from the Finnish word "tunturi", meaning treeless heights. Indeed, the landscape changes dramatically as one enters the tundra, changing from forests of aspen, birch, cottonwood, and spruce to vast expanses of lichen mosses, low shrubs, and sedges with mountains, rolling hills, valleys, and few trees.

On the morning of June 3 we ate a large breakfast at the Karsten's Public House, anticipating a long day of touring the park. Just one road winds its way through the park. To preserve the wilderness, private vehicles are not allowed past the Savage River, 15 miles past the entrance. To explore the park, visitors must travel on the park shuttle buses. We left with our group about 9 in the morning and spent the whole day marveling at the views of wildlife and wilderness scenery. Though the shuttles were originally school buses, they had comfortable seats and the ride was smooth.

Along our ride we saw many moose, caribou, reindeer, and white Dall sheep. Our driver slowed or stopped the bus so we could get a good look at the animals and have time to focus our cameras. He offered us his knowledge of the park with excellent narration. One of the moose wandered close to the bus. We also saw grizzly bears and brown bears from a distance.




Of course, the magnificent centerpiece of the park is Mount Denali, towering over the view. While we had seen her under clear skies the two days before, on this day there was a partial cloud cover. Still, we saw the beauty of this mountain many times throughout the day. I was reminded of many verses from the Psalms about how the majesty of mountains can point us to our Creator. One of these is Psalm 36: 6, which reads as follows: "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast."

Though the shuttle buses were comfortable, they had no comfort facilities. Fortunately, there were several rest stops along the way to heed the calls of nature. The driver also planned several breaks for us to disembark the bus to view the beautiful panoramas.
On one of these breaks, we viewed hikers and bicyclists climbing the hill below us. Although the road was not yet open to its terminus at Wonder Lake because the snow had not yet melted in the interior of the park, we were able to travel about 70 of its 85 miles. At times, we held our breath while our driver hugged the edge of the road overlooking a cliff, while making room for another bus going the opposite direction.


We also encountered several vehicles that were not shuttles. Our driver explained that a variety of scientists work in the park conducting important research and monitoring activities. Of course, National Park rangers patrol the park to keep the campgrounds, hiking trails, and viewing spots maintained and to ensure the habitat remains as unspoiled as possible for its wild inhabitants. (Last summer my niece had backpacked with friends to one of these campgrounds for a several day adventure.) We returned to the park headquarters about 5 P.M., in time for a bit of rest. At 6:30, we had reservations at the Golden Nugget Saloon located at the Denali Princess Lodge square, a center with shops, dining, and an artist studio a short distance from our McKinley Chalet building. Here we took part in the Music of Denali Dinner Theater. Our meal was served family style on wooden tables and featured such delights as baked Alaska salmon, BBQ brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, and warm apple crisp. The people at our table included a young couple from North Pole, Alaska, where they work as a fire fighter at the military base and as a geological researcher. The other people at our table were mostly senior citizens like us. Following the meal, we were treated to the song and dance of the theater troupe as they spun the tale of the first people to ascend Mount Denali. This was a perfect ending to a fantastic day.

Comments

  1. Lisa ImigJuly 10, 2017 at 3:37 PM

    Sounds like great views of wildlife, and a great day.

    ReplyDelete

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