So my sister Kristen and her husband Spencer flew up to Alaska and we decided to go on an epic backpacking trip into Denali National Park. We got up early and drove the whole 200 miles up there only to find that the only areas open were on the far side of the park. 90 miles 10 hours on a bus. We went for it. The bus ride turned out to be very awesome. We saw about everything the park has to offer starting with at least most of... "the mountain" elevation 20320 ft.
Spencer was all tuckered out. decided to catch some z's on the ride. Luckily my camera was ready for the drool action shot.
The first rest stop. My sis and I.
Once again. Spencer in action.
Some pretty awesome scenery and not to mention... a wolf.
Into Denali
Some Dall sheep.
A pretty epic photo. If I do say so myself.
Tourists (head shake)
So we finally made it to our destination with a couple hours of daylight left. The appeal and challenge of hiking in Denali is that there are no trails. It is strait up and dirty wilderness as far as the eye can see. We had to make it a few miles before dark so with a quick glance at a map and a compass... we set off.
First off... a river crossing.
Having a good time despite dwindling daylight and no place in sight to camp. The first night was slightly sketchy. It ended up getting dark shortly after this photo was taken and we were forced to put up camp on the side of a mountain. But... when all was said and done we actually slept pretty well probably due to exhaustion. Also... the tundra is very soft and makes for a comfortable matress.
As many blueberries as you could ever want.
Kristen and Spencer.
As you can see, the fog set in soon after we hit the non-trail the following morning. With the fog came the rain, and with the rain came the cold.
We didn't let it get us down.
Kristen and myself. Brother and sister. And with matching rain covers, how precious.
a little romance on the tundra.
Kristen and Spencer were very good sports. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into upon embarkation and it turned out to be pretty intense. But they just kept on smilin'.
Ashley and I.
A stop for water.
Our campsite for our second and final night in Denali. And the rain finally let up.
The lichen froze to the bottom of our fuel canister.
Making a feast. Potatoes, gravy, and even stuffing. These two know how to rough it.
As we went to sleep we heard the soft pitter patter of rain on the tent, and we awoke to find that it had not ceased.
We packed up camp in the rain and set out to find the Wonder Lake campground, where we would pick up the bus back to civilization. We came upon this Carribou shed. Notice Spencer's look of disgust.
Alas after hiking through miles and miles of soggy, lumpy tundra, and thick brush, in the pouring rain, we finally get a sign of relief. This folks, was a glorious moment.
We ended up hiking probably about thirty miles or so through some pretty rough bush. It was very demanding especially with the rain and fog. Luckily we made it unscathed and without bear encounter. Special thanks to Kristen and Spencer. Had a great time and it meant a lot that you guys came.
As you can see, the fog set in soon after we hit the non-trail the following morning. With the fog came the rain, and with the rain came the cold.
We didn't let it get us down.
Kristen and myself. Brother and sister. And with matching rain covers, how precious.
a little romance on the tundra.
Kristen and Spencer were very good sports. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into upon embarkation and it turned out to be pretty intense. But they just kept on smilin'.
Ashley and I.
A stop for water.
Our campsite for our second and final night in Denali. And the rain finally let up.
The lichen froze to the bottom of our fuel canister.
Making a feast. Potatoes, gravy, and even stuffing. These two know how to rough it.
As we went to sleep we heard the soft pitter patter of rain on the tent, and we awoke to find that it had not ceased.
We packed up camp in the rain and set out to find the Wonder Lake campground, where we would pick up the bus back to civilization. We came upon this Carribou shed. Notice Spencer's look of disgust.
Alas after hiking through miles and miles of soggy, lumpy tundra, and thick brush, in the pouring rain, we finally get a sign of relief. This folks, was a glorious moment.
We ended up hiking probably about thirty miles or so through some pretty rough bush. It was very demanding especially with the rain and fog. Luckily we made it unscathed and without bear encounter. Special thanks to Kristen and Spencer. Had a great time and it meant a lot that you guys came.
This is a great look into how it really was. I tried hard to be a the skeptic/comic relief. But seriously I think these pictures do an awesome job telling the story. Thank you Josh and Ashley for the adventure. We look forward to many more in the future.
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