Denali by Bus

In Denali between buses, wildlife and large spaces

Wake up at 4.30 with a frugal but abundant breakfast in the room to go and take the shuttle that runs along the only road in the Denali National Park. The Parks Hwy is a single, 91-mile-long winding road that runs through the heart of the park and only official buses can travel on it. The shuttles are school buses which in summer are used for this function, with the possibility of going up and down at one's discretion. Traveling the entire route means 13 hours to the end of the road, return. We instead booked the tour to the stop before the terminus, namely Wonder Lake.

As indicated, we choose the seats on the bus that face south because the view is better on that side. The driver, Mike, cannot be considered very friendly, but this is precisely where his interest lies. He is an enigmatic and spiritual person, typical of the far west which here would be far north. He is very educated and practices his profession with a spirit of attachment to the natural environment that surrounds us.

Thanks to a microphone he provides useful information to that mass of amorphous, impalpable and often disinterested tourists, rightly unworthy of such a paradise. He on the other hand, with a warm voice, which almost seems like a whisper so as not to disturb the environment we are entering, explains with great passion the life of the park, stopping every time we find ourselves in front of some animal or landscape worthy of note. He is a person with great attention and care for life in the park, as if he moved on tiptoe.

The tourists, on the other hand, continue to eat their snacks to further thicken the wall of their arteries, careful only to photograph the animals when the opportunity arises. Sometimes it feels like taking part in a trip to a zoo safari, with the only difference that the environment that surrounds us is Nature in its superlative state and that what we see around us enjoys all its freedom. On the return journey he even circulates an album of photographs taken during excursions in the area, a sign of how comfortable he is in his environment.

Our photographic hunt ends with a haul of 3 brown bears, 3 moose, two foxes and a wolf. The latter accompanies us, or rather guides us on the way back for about twenty minutes in a scene that is incredible: he appears along the road and walks along it in front of us at a small trot while we astonishedly observe the unscheduled event following him with the bus, aware that he has priority. In the distance they can be seen clearly Dall's white sheep, while they look for salt while appearing to hang on the cliffs.

The day is basically beautiful, from time to time high clouds appear which create some disturbance only for the camera lenses. The surrounding peaks can be seen clearly, with the exception of McKinley who is still angry with us for the unfairness played against him two days ago.

From Polychrome Pass to Wonder Lake

The route winds with frequent descents, at the bottom of which they are usually found rivers with vast riverbeds that flow impetuously. The background is dotted with glaciers and high peaks. You pass through Sable Pass to get to Mi. 47 al Polychrome Pass Overlook, where a great variety of colors is given by the minerals of the rocks.

You can enjoy a vast panorama of theAlaska Range. To mi. 66 is locatedEielson Visitor Center, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of McKinley (33 mi away) but, as mentioned, we are only allowed to see the lower half. The Center was recently built, taking advantage of all the ecological and environmental measures that technology can offer. There is a nice model that allows you to locate the various points visited and the stretches that lead to McKinley. We take advantage of the stop to stretch our legs and go up to a panoramic observation point about a mile away. In order not to miss Mike's shuttle and have to wait for another one, we make a quick run both up and down.

We continue to what will be our terminus and place for a frugal snack, the Wonder Lake to mi. 84 and only 5 mi. from where the road ends at Kantishna. The view of the lake is certainly interesting but does not have a priority compared to other natural delights seen so far.

Overall it's impressive to find faced with such large spaces in succession, huge valleys which descend from looming mountains rich in sinuous glaciers, until they are lost in lush rivers gray in color due to glacial melting. They don't have much scope yet but it's their impetus that makes them majestic.

In this regard, we also note the Muldrow Glacier, over 30 miles long, whose terminal part is so covered with earth and debris that it carries above and with it a thick layer of vegetation rich in conifers moving on the glacier. In the late afternoon some showers come down which alternate with flashes of sunshine and leave space for excellent shots. We are not yet tired enough when we return just before 6pm and go to see an interesting 20 minute film on the construction of the Denali Road.

Evening between Glitter Gulch and Healy

Tonight we have dinner in the village that serves as a service center for the park, Glitter Gulch. In fact, there are restaurants, rental companies of all kinds of vehicles (kayaks, quads, planes, etc.) and shops offering junk as a souvenir of the park for careless visitors who have not been able to appreciate the real souvenirs left in the mind by what surrounds us. The libations are of a fish nature, in particular it is a grilled salmon Salmon on the Bake, the name of the restaurant already says a lot about what the local specialties are.

As we head back towards Healy we see the wreck of an old city bus that we seem to recognize. In fact, that's exactly what's on the cover of the Into the Wild book.

It starts to rain when we return to our log cabin on the Ridgetop. Talking to the lady who hosts us we learn further details about their isolated but not desolate daily life. Coming to the subject of the moose, he talks to us about the female who lives in the area almost in terms of neighborhood, it seems that when she gave birth she went near their house almost to introduce them to the new creatures. However, he is keen to underline the danger of the animal in certain conditions and how they defend their territory. Curiously, the area has always been inhabited by females. They have a beautiful vegetable garden protected from animal intrusions by fences, where raspberries, potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables grow.

She didn't know that the school bus that made Healy famous had been brought back to town and she's convinced it was the right thing to do. Last year he had some guests who wanted at all costs to take a "trip" to the place with their seventeen-year-old son, without knowing the risks they would face. A clear sign of how the mass media knows how to influence weak minds. He speaks in quite positive terms of the unfortunate boy, even if the townspeople thought he was half-crazy who wanted to challenge an environment without the necessary experience and preparation. Both theses probably contain many truths.