TennesseeBackpacker.com
Denali, Alaska
Denali National Park
Denali
If you truly enjoy the outdoors, Denali National Park is one of the greatest places on Earth. This park is comprised of over 6 million acres of pristine wilderness (larger than the state of Massachusetts). Denali is home to Mt. McKinley (or "Denali" in the native language), the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet.
We spent six days in the backcountry of Denali and another couple of weeks exploring other areas of Alaska. Simply amazing.
Bear and Cub
We were fortunate enough to see each of the "Big 5" animals during our trek: bear, caribou, big-horn sheep, moose and wolves.
Another Bear
A substantial part of the pre-hike orientation at the ranger station was devoted to bear safety and awareness. Bears typically avoid human contact like most wild animals but can be less than friendly if startled at close range or if they think your food container might be a free meal ticket.
Mountain
After a 9 hour day of hiking through thick willows, our hike the next day through this valley looked like a cakewalk from up high. It turned out to be the toughest day of hiking I've ever had. Wet tundra terrain is like hiking on a huge soaked sponge.
Caribou
Sunset
It never got completely dark during our June visit to Alaska. Hiking was possible at all hours. We found ourselves trekking well after midnight on several occasions.
Big Horn Sheep
Denali is one of the few national parks in the U.S. to offer trail-free backpacking. Hikers must rely totally on maps, GPS and hopefully a decent sense of direction.
Home
We typically backpack with our Hennessey Hammocks, but there was no guarantee of having trees or other structures to string them to, so the tent served as home for the week.
Storm
We quickly learned that the weather in Denali has a mind of its own. Dry and warm turned to cold and wet way too quickly on us a few times. Layering and a versatile batch of clothes was a huge help.
Wolf
Campfires are not allowed in Denali's backcountry. I wasn't sure how we'd cope with not having the end-of-the-day campfire ritual I've come to know over the years, but between the never ending daylight and exhaustion after long days of hiking, the fires really weren't missed.
Another Cold Crossing
The glacial runoff streams presented more of an obstacle than we expected. The water was just above freezing (typically about 36 degree F) and was fairly swift in most areas. Although the water was only about thigh high at most crossings, it didn't take long for the cold to start to hurt.
After Alaska, I swore I'd never complain about the mosquitoes in Tennessee again. Alaskan mosquitoes are jokingly referred to as the Alaskan state bird. They're a whole different creature than what we were used to back home. Our long day of hiking through the wet tundra was especially fun with the massive cloud of mosquitoes that followed us all day. And size wise....I had no idea a mosquito could get that big.
