Denali Alaska, 9/2/05

Denali, AK 9/2/05

I’m not sure what to write; not a block on ideas but rather an abundance of them. I have too many thoughts and events to write about I don’t know where to start and I only have about 30 minutes before my shuttle for the train station picks me up. After that it’s on to Fairbanks by rail.

The last 4 days have been the best of the trip and will leave me very excited about Alaska when I head back to WPB in 2 days. Hell the high I’m on right now will probably last me a month.

This morning I checked out of my room at about 8 a.m... I hit a great local coffee shop across the street from the large corporate lodge that I was staying. After a fantastic mocha and egg sandwich from the Black Bear coffee shop I walked next door to Denali’s Outfitters.

I had been in the store the night before but the sales person told me they started their end of the season sale today; if I waited 12 hours I could save 20% on everything. Well I love a good camping store, complete with a dog lying by the door, so coming back was not a problem. Plus my Grandma Lucille would be so proud of me for finding a sale even though I was only technically looking for a pair of long socks.

So this morning in the true sprit of my late Grandmother I also bought a new pair of hiking pants and a Patagonia fleece, oh and the socks I needed too. I don’t think of my extras as impulse buys though. I had wanted/needed both for awhile and I even went hunting for both items in WPB before leaving but we don’t have any good camping stores around me. Sadly all we have in my home area is the camping section at the Sports Authority and I’m sure dogs aren’t allowed in the store. Anyway, there is no need to justify these purchases to myself. I am on vacation and both items will be used for many years to come on many more adventures. And now I am done justifying.

Now any day that starts off at a unique local coffee shop and then is followed by shopping at a great camping store usually is enough of a base for a good day no matter what happens the rest of the day but that alone would not fill me with the high I have right now. It’s merely a good start. So 20 minutes after buying my new socks and fleece I had them both on and I was heading into the Denali National Park (I’m saving the clean pants for when I'm done with my great day)

The shuttle dropped me off at one of the parks visitor centers. I was pretty familiar with the area after I went for a run through this section of the park yesterday. That run included the Taiga Trail and Horse Shoe Lake Trail; great run by the way, part of that amazing 4 days I mentioned at the start of this entry. So from the trail guide that I picked up on that run I knew exactly which way I wanted to go today; The Mount Healy Overlook Trail. It’s described as a 4.5 mile roundtrip hike with an elevation increase of 1,700 feet to the overlook. Sold!

It’s a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky; chilly now and down right cold this morning. There was heavy frost on everything when I ventured to the Black Bear coffee shop and Denali Outfitters. When I hit the general store to load up my day pack with water and snacks for the hike the owner pointed out his thermometer outside read 22 degrees.

“Oh good, I’m from Florida and I just thought I was being a baby.” I said.
“Oh no, it’s cold even for us locals.”

Of course the winters get much colder here as we both knew but the first day when Fall switches from being the end of Summer and starts being the beginning of Winter, well that hits you as a wake up call no mater where you live.

I started my accent like I start marathons. The mind saying "pace yourself" and also thinking I was when in reality the adrenalin is pumping and so are the legs. The Sun was bright on my back without much tree cover which helped heat things up too and soon I had a good sweat going.

About 20 minuets into the hike I passed a man and woman heading up too. Based on the looks on their faces I realized I was probably going a little fast. Here it was a beautiful quiet morning, out for a nice hike, and out of nowhere comes a guy sweating and huffing that blows by you and is up and out of site while the "excuse me" and "good morning" that he said was still floating in the air. I hope my excitement doesn’t make me a rude hiker.

At the first clearing I stripped off a layer of clothes, hit the water bottle, checked out the view, and smiled. You could clearly see the overlook above and I giggled to myself. I still had a long way to go and the trail must wrap around the side because soon it will be to steep to go straight up.

I passed the tree line and now wanted to stop for photos at every cutback of the steep winding trail. I know the photos are always better the longer you wait but I couldn't resist at some points. Thank God for digital cameras! Close to the top I passed a German couple doing the exact same things I was; stopping for photos too soon.

When I got to the overlook I was very excited for two reasons.
1) The view was great!
2) The overlook was only the end of the ridge that ran farther North. I had more tail to go and even better, higher points to reach!

After a few solo timer photos with my camera balanced on rocks the chilly wind and freezing sweat reminded me that I was in Alaska no matter how sunny it was. The fleece layer went back on and the gloves and ear band layer were added too. Oh and in case Jillian ever reads this I also put sun block on too! I’m always preaching to her to put on sun block…to not much success mind you.)

The German couple reached the overlook after I bundled up. We chatted for awhile, helped each other with some photos, and then I took off down the ridgeline. They were the last group of hikers I would see until I passed the over look on the way down a few hours later.

The ridge went to the North like a bumpy back with a slight but steady incline with larger humps every hundred yards or so. Each dip after a hump left you higher than the previous and soon the overlook that was my original destination was noticeably below me.

Time was going slow and I was moving fast but I didn’t know that. My watch had gone berserk that morning. In fact I was actually in Denali Outfitters when it died because I noticed it when I reached the register. If they would not have been sold out I would have added a new watch to my list of purchases but I digress….I was talking about time.

Hiking a long ridge, at about 3,000 feet above sea level, on a gorgeous day in the Denali National Park….time should not be a factor. Unfortunately for me it was. My bus was leaving at 3:15 p.m. and my train at 4 p.m.. This damn tour holds me back again!!

The Ridge was pretty wide when I left the overlook but as I went along it became more and more narrow and the angle of the sides became increasingly steep; nothing to make you nervous but it was noticeable. Eventually the ridge stopped at a rocky peak and then the line took a sharp turn West with a much steeper incline and much more narrow ridge to follow.

The trail that I had been following had gotten more and more subtle as I got higher for obvious reason; you don’t need a trail when you are at the top and there are only rocks around. From where the trail turned west there was only one more “hump”; a very steep rocky formation. Crossing it looked challenging. I could see that after that it was a clear shot to the snow dusted summit of what must be Mt. Healy.

I wanted to continue but I didn’t. Doing it alone was probably not a good idea. Doing it alone and in a rush was a very bad idea. In case my hiking buddy MJ ever reads this I was wishing you were with me. In case my other hiking buddy Dave ever reads this you wouldn’t have liked the height. So I stopped my hike there.

There was some slight remnants of snow on the shadowed side of the rocks. I climbed to the top of the rocky peak and stood in the chilly wind looking at the little line of shops in Denali below. The white and gray peak of the low mountain stood behind me. The overlook that went from my end point to my half way point was below me to the right. I smiled and took in several deep breaths. My camera was in my pocket but I left it there and instead just burned the memory into my brain.

Moments like that were why I had wanted to come to Alaska. I “sounded my barbaric yawp” and the sound of my voice and slight echo woke me up; back to reality, a reality that isn’t a bad thing when you are standing all alone on a rocky peak in Alaska.

On the North side of the peak is a weird grassy area. It’s out of the wind but still in the sun which might explain the vegetation since all other vegetation had stopped at least 100 yards back down the ridge.

I took a seat and dug into my snacks; Fig Newtons and some cold water. Yum! I had plans to drag this little book out and document the moment but as I sat there in a euphoric state snacking and staring at the scenery I knew it was to chilly to write for very long and again the unknown time factor crept into my mind. There was probably no time to write even if I could so this book and pen stayed in my backpack.

My descent went quickly and the sweat I had lost while sitting at the top came back quickly too. I shed a layer soon after passing the overlook and again when I reached the bottom. I made it down just in time to catch the shuttle back to the lodge. It was only about 2.5 miles to the lodge but my legs had been through their workout for the day. I could use the ride back and not feel lazy.

When I got back the time mystery was solved; It was 2 p.m. One hour until my departure and I was starving! Very hungry but still giddy because I new exactly where I wanted to go.

After leaving Denali Outfitters this morning I noticed something I didn’t see the night before, a colorfully painted trailer between the Outfitters and the general store. The trailer was called Mosey’s…”New Mexican Food” and on their handwritten menu board, about mid way down, nailed outside the trailer... “Burritos”!

A great coffee shop, a great camping store with a dog, a beautiful hike that included a view, and now a unique burrito shack! “That was a pretty good day! Why couldn’t I have that day to live over and over again?”

Mosey’s was run by a couple from Utah that normally were rafting guides; Grand Canyon, Utah, Alaska, Etc. This summer they told me they decided to haul their little kitchen on wheels up and sell tacos and burritos. Of course they still made time for some rafting. Like most things around here they were about to pack things up for the season but were planning to leave there trailer up there so they could open up next spring for another successful season. They have my vote. It was a damn good burrito! I would have liked for it to be a little bigger but I’m not complaining.

Well now I’m on board the Midnight Sun Express. It’s a 4 hour train ride to Fairbanks and I’m looking forward to just staring out the window the whole time. I’m sure the view will be amazing but I’d be riding high even if it wasn’t.

MJF