Alaska

Photographer's Paradise

For years, I dreamed of spending a summer in Alaska.
It always seemed like only that -- a dream. Then my military brother received orders, transferring him and his family to Elmendorf Air Force Base. I had three years to scrimp and save to try to get there.

The trip was worth every sacrifice. Everything pulled together in the end, and it was the best vacation I've ever taken. The only thing I didn't like about it was that two weeks isn't anywhere near long enough.

Next time, and yes, there WILL be a next time, I plan to spend a lot more than 15 days in the Last Great Frontier. (Probably be spending a lot more than just days or weeks or months, too ... I'll probably be spending WAY TOO MUCH MONEY!)

The background image is Mt. McKinley from one of the best viewpoints within Denali National Park. Less than 60 percent of the Park's visitors each year see a ridgeline; even less than that see the whole mountain. I was lucky enough to see the whole mountain for less than half an hour before it went into hiding for the remainder of my trip.

Above is a diamond lupine, or at least it looked like one when the shimmer caught my eye while hiking along the Iditarod Trail. At right is the weather condition along the trail that caused the foliage to sport its best jewelry. Below is one of three sunsets, from McKenzie Point, during the entire two-week period I spent up north. Below the peeking sun are lupine (purple) on the Iditarod Trail and fireweed (magenta) along the roadside on the way to Homer.

We almost didn't go to Denali because the weather had been just plain icky. We assumed a cloudy, overcast trip might be a waste of time. At the last minute, we threw our stuff in my SUV, and we took off, not much on-the-spot advance planning. (We had planned all along, but we kept changing our plans, hoping for sun.)

The "backside" of McKinley from the road to the Park was obscured by thick clouds. Once we arrived inside the Park, we found what I expected: all campgrounds were full. There was one opening at the furthest point inside the Park, for three nights later. I didn't have three days of vacation left.

I wanted to take the early shuttle into the Park, even though it would be hours after sunrise. I thought postdawn would give us a better chance of seeing wildlife than if we traveled during the middle of the day. The shuttles, however, were full until 2 p.m. After debating the prospect of taking one of the last shuttles of the day into the Park, knowing we wouldn't have more than a couple of hours at Eielson Visitor's Center, we went ahead and booked seats. We then went in search of a camping spot outside the Park.

Fortunately, we were able to find a very nice free and legal spot just 7 miles outside the Park. It was a little close to the highway, so we were serenaded to sleep by the long-distance truckers making the trip to Fairbanks all night long. And night is not a word you use often in Denali during the summer. That far north, there is no night.

After Pop Tarts for breakfast, we went returned to the Park to find out if we could trade our shuttle tickets for earlier seats. We arrived at Park headquarters just minutes after it opened, and while in line to change our reservations (which costs $6 per ticket), we found two other ticketholders who wanted to swap their 8 a.m. tickets for something later in the day. We were on the bus 10 minutes later, and we didn’t have to pay the change fee.

As the shuttle topped a pass that would give us our first view of McKinley from inside the park, our tour guide gave us the statistics. Don't expect much, she said, so we would appreciate what we did see. She said the view the day before had been quite good, just the base of the mountain was hidden from view. Low-lying fog hid three quarters of the mountain, but the peak was visible against a white layer of high, thin clouds. Nothing but white, in simpler terms.

You should have heard the gasps as we crested the pass. I had difficulty focussing my camera because tears had welled up in my eyes. Twenty minutes later, the mountain was gone. If we'd taken the later bus, we wouldn't have seen McKinley.

The drive to Denali is long, and the gas gets more expensive every stop. Once you enter the Park, there is no food. And you can refill your water only at Eielson Visitor's Center. The shuttle isn't cheap, and it's bumpy, dust air-conditioned (from the dirt road) and crowded.

This aside, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was a wonderful trip! Worth everything it took to get there.