28 July 2006
Day 12: Denali National Park
Today had an easy morning drive from Talkeetna to Denali, with several stops at Denali State Park. It was another partly cloudy day, with Denali visible most of the day.
Upon arrival at Denali National Park, I took 5 seconds to figure out a game plan, then went to the Wilderness Access Center to reserve a campsite and two shuttle bus tickets (private vechicles are not permitted in most of the park). I set up camp, ate a really early dinner, then returned to the WAC to take the evening shuttle to Polychrome Overlook.
A bus is really not the best place for photography. At least the windows came down, but the engine, when running, sent bone-rattling vibrations through the frame of the bus, and every time someone moved in their seat to take a closer look at something, the bus lurched. I used my 400mm f/5.6 lens, and tried to compensate with higher shutter speeds; the results varied.
Spotted:
• Dall sheep (many)
• caribou (a few)
• snowshow hares (many)
• Arctic ground squirrels
• a lynx (! it passed within 20 feet; no photos, nonetheless)
• Denali near sunset (magic hour)
Departed Talkeetna about 9:30 AM AKDTArrived Denali National Park (63°44'N, 148°54'W) about 1:30 PM AKDT
Sun: 4:54 AM - 11:09 PM
Distance to Seattle: 1,503 miles
Distance to the arctic circle: 205 miles
Distance to the north pole: 1,816 milesDistance driven: 162 miles
Total driven: 4,221 miles
28 July 9:00 PM AKDT