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Can this holiday get any better?
Today started with a lovely lie-in. First time we have slept until 7.00am. We took the shuttle bus down to the town to get, breakfast and browse the boardwalk.
We were collected from our hotel to embark on our Tundra Wilderness Tour. We were given a little lunch box and George, our guide proceeded to give us the 'does and don'ts' in the wilderness. I suspect that George may have been a teacher in a past life as he used all the familiar strategies. 'Please don't put your hands out of the windows', 'please keep very quiet if we see an animal', 'if you don't follow the rules, we will just drive on'. He did just drive on, but he only had to do it once!
We were instructed to eat the contents of our lunch boxes in the bus.
There is one road through Denali National Park and it is only travelled by authorised coaches and a few other exceptions. When I say National Park, I must point out that it is 6 million acres of National Park. It is all totally untouched and uninterfered with. The animals hunt and kill, live and die and fend for themselves. It is a very hostile environment where only the strong survive. We are travelling about two thirds of the road which will bring us to about 20 miles of Mount Denali (McKinley).
The scenery is both dramatic and awe-inspiring, wide open plains, spruce forests, towering mountains covered in snow, glaciers and winding braided rivers. It is like nothing I have ever experienced before.
George's rule is that if you spot something moving, shout 'STOP'! We shouted stop a lot! We were thrilled to spot caribou grazing in the bushes, sometimes only their antlers visible above the vegetation. The highlight for us was seeing the grizzly bears. We spotted a beautiful blonde family, mother and 2 cubs. We later saw a solitary female climbing up the mountain side. Later we spotted a huge male plodding along. George was very concerned as he was in the vicinity of the family and he told us that if he found the cubs, he would kill and eat them.
I forgot to mention that people are allowed to wander this amazing wild world, to camp, cycle etc. now I know what to do if I meet a bear. I talk to it nicely, saying 'hey bear', while slowly backing away without making eye contact. Oh, and waving my arms above my head also helps. That is unless it is a black bear, in which case I should fight vigorously as he just wants to eat me.
We saw Dall sheep high on an impossibly steep slope trying to keep cool in the blazing summer sun. We saw the national bird of Alaska, the Ptarmigan with a cute collection of fluffy chicks struggling to keep up with the mother. I couldn't help wondering about their chances of survival, they looked so small and vulnerable.
The clouds had started to gather and George doubted whether we would get to see any of THE mountain. We made several stops along the way to take photographs that could never capture the wonder of it all. When we reached our turning point, the clouds that had been hiding the most magnificent of mountains parted tantalisingly to allow us to piece together enough of the jigsaw to appreciate the scale of it.
I just don't have the vocabulary to adequately describe today's experience. Any attempt would simply not do it justice so , if you get the chance, you should add this to your 'bucket list'. I feel very lucky and privileged to have had this opportunity.
Today started with a lovely lie-in. First time we have slept until 7.00am. We took the shuttle bus down to the town to get, breakfast and browse the boardwalk.
We were collected from our hotel to embark on our Tundra Wilderness Tour. We were given a little lunch box and George, our guide proceeded to give us the 'does and don'ts' in the wilderness. I suspect that George may have been a teacher in a past life as he used all the familiar strategies. 'Please don't put your hands out of the windows', 'please keep very quiet if we see an animal', 'if you don't follow the rules, we will just drive on'. He did just drive on, but he only had to do it once!
We were instructed to eat the contents of our lunch boxes in the bus.
There is one road through Denali National Park and it is only travelled by authorised coaches and a few other exceptions. When I say National Park, I must point out that it is 6 million acres of National Park. It is all totally untouched and uninterfered with. The animals hunt and kill, live and die and fend for themselves. It is a very hostile environment where only the strong survive. We are travelling about two thirds of the road which will bring us to about 20 miles of Mount Denali (McKinley).
The scenery is both dramatic and awe-inspiring, wide open plains, spruce forests, towering mountains covered in snow, glaciers and winding braided rivers. It is like nothing I have ever experienced before.
George's rule is that if you spot something moving, shout 'STOP'! We shouted stop a lot! We were thrilled to spot caribou grazing in the bushes, sometimes only their antlers visible above the vegetation. The highlight for us was seeing the grizzly bears. We spotted a beautiful blonde family, mother and 2 cubs. We later saw a solitary female climbing up the mountain side. Later we spotted a huge male plodding along. George was very concerned as he was in the vicinity of the family and he told us that if he found the cubs, he would kill and eat them.
I forgot to mention that people are allowed to wander this amazing wild world, to camp, cycle etc. now I know what to do if I meet a bear. I talk to it nicely, saying 'hey bear', while slowly backing away without making eye contact. Oh, and waving my arms above my head also helps. That is unless it is a black bear, in which case I should fight vigorously as he just wants to eat me.
We saw Dall sheep high on an impossibly steep slope trying to keep cool in the blazing summer sun. We saw the national bird of Alaska, the Ptarmigan with a cute collection of fluffy chicks struggling to keep up with the mother. I couldn't help wondering about their chances of survival, they looked so small and vulnerable.
The clouds had started to gather and George doubted whether we would get to see any of THE mountain. We made several stops along the way to take photographs that could never capture the wonder of it all. When we reached our turning point, the clouds that had been hiding the most magnificent of mountains parted tantalisingly to allow us to piece together enough of the jigsaw to appreciate the scale of it.
I just don't have the vocabulary to adequately describe today's experience. Any attempt would simply not do it justice so , if you get the chance, you should add this to your 'bucket list'. I feel very lucky and privileged to have had this opportunity.
- comments
Hickster The visit to the National Park sounds like the trip of a life time. I would love to see bears. I can't get the pictures to come up today. The internet seems to be playing up. Glad you are really enjoying it. R
Jackie Your vocabulary is fantastic Chris, have you ever thought of writing for a travel company or similar? x I really want to do this, this could be our goal when Sophie has left school :-) x