June 24, 2013 Denali, Kantishna

Monday, June 24

Got up early to have a good breakfast of eggs and reindeer sausage since we will be gone most of the day on the shuttle to Kantishna – the end of the Park Road. Caught bus at 8:55 along with Jim, Margaret, Janice and Dave, Bob and Cindy and Jacqueline and others we didn’t know.

Our bus driver was big on rules and spent a long time telling us bus etiquette, park regulations, etc.  Someone in the back of the bus dubbed her Nurse Ratchett.  She did have some good information as well and history of climbers of Mt McKinley (Denali), etc.   We saw many animals including caribou, dahl sheep, a grizzly, moose, a fox and several kinds of ducks and geese and lots of ground squirrels.  Guess it is true that the squirrels are the “fast food” of the tundra, since bears, wolf, fox, coyotes all enjoy them – see our fox picture.

Near polychrome pass

fox with "fast food"

caribou

Denali in the clouds

Wonder Lake

View from Eilson Visitor's Center

Long and winding road - 92 miles

Bear Tracks near road

Packed a lunch which we ate on the bus.  They are very careful about not leaving any traces outside the bus.

Returned to the campsite about 7:00.  Anne had run our generator, so we were in good shape.  Ate in the screened room.  I went to a ranger talk which was rather philosophical about beauty and inspiration.  Many of our group left because of the mosquitos, so Anne, Jim and Margaret and Tom are all that’s left.  Greg took the screen room down as I did some journaling and pictures.