Monday, June 27, 2011

Discovery Hike, DNP

From Discovery Hike
Our first bus trip takes us into the park approximately 30 of the road's 92 miles to meet with a group signed up for a discovery hike with one of the park's rangers. We are to walk along the banks of the Teklanika River and "discover" what we find along the way.

From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
Wild flowers and bear prints thus far! I love all the wildflowers, whatever their names. And tracks are fun too.
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
The riverbeds are glacial in Denali NP. This means they are very cold, full of glacial silt, and change direction often, depending on the amount of rocks and silt which have come down. We were expecting to walk down one side, and then the other. But we constantly cross between the many meandering streams of water.

From Discovery Hike
Here the group ponders the white stuff than is sodium or calcium something or other. No conclusion was arrived at other than it was most likely contained in the silt which came down from the glacier.

From Discovery Hike
Lunch break provides a good opportunity for plaster of paris castings. Two were made: one caribou and the other moose.

From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
From Discovery Hike
After 4 hours or so, we hike up to the road (the hard part) and flag down the next westerly bus to take us to the Eielson Visitor Center. But first, for the record, a group photo.

From Discovery Hike

For further information: Denali National Park

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