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Alaska Range/Denali Fly By, AK
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| no partners | | I was fortunate to spend two glorious weeks in Alaska in July 2014 with my high-school friend Robin who moved to Fairbanks in 1982 from Connecticut. And after 32 years in Alaska, I think I can conclusively say she is a native. Given that aspect my trip in this region was not going to be the usual, run of the mill, touristy glacier boat ride with 500 other people that I want to push overboard or spending a week in tourist shops in Healy or at the “Million Dollar Thruway” at the entrance to Denali National Park on the Parks Highway at overpriced hotels. This was a journey that just blew my mind. It’s the real deal folks and off the beaten path….way off the beaten path and more like at the end of the road. That suited me just fine.
July 3rd we left Fairbanks and headed down the Parks Highway (AK 3) toward Denali National Park which is about 125 miles or a two hour drive. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies! We passed through the towns of Nenana and Healy and just north of Healy is Stampede Road. For any of you who read the book “Into the Wild” about Chris McCandless and his untimely death in interior Alaska, this was the road that he took, crossed the Savage River and eventually hiked on the Stampede Trail to his final destination at the “Magic Bus No 142”.
There are a few choices when visiting Denali NP. You cannot simply drive in, pay a fee and drive the 92 miles on the Park Road. I think they offer a lottery every September and if you win, you can drive the road as far as road conditions allow…but this is July so no lottery. You are allowed to drive 15 miles in to the Savage River trailhead but no farther than that. The other options are #1 Book a flight in a puddle-jumper prop plane and take the bus out 92 miles, #2 take the bus in and take the puddle jumper flight out, #3 take the bus in and take the bus out or #4 hike in/bike in out and hope to get a ride on the bus (if there is room). Robin and I decided on option #1 and we had made reservations with KatAir for a flight to Kantishna at the Skyline Lodge. We did a fly-by of the Alaska Range leaving out of Denali Airport with our pilot Andy who pointed out the different glaciers and peaks. It was the most outstanding, amazing, spectacular, beauteous thing I have ever seen in my life and when we came up on Denali itself, I thought to myself….”how can you see something like this and not believe in God?” We landed at the Kantishna airstrip and were taken via ATVs to our lodging at Skyline Lodge but not before mosquitoes the size of B-52’s descended upon us. We got out the bug juice which is a necessity in Alaska. Kantishna is the “end of the road”at mile 92 on Denali Park Road…..anything further you need to do on foot. Skyline Lodge is the base for the KatAir pilots that ferry peeps back and forth from Denali airstrip, it is also self-sufficient in terms of solar power, composting and all around earth friendly. The rooms are bare basic with a bed and a loft area….no wifi, no tv, no cell phone. There are no bathrooms in the rooms but in the main facility there are common areas with bathrooms and showers. In my journal I noted that it was 11 PM and still light out, then became what’s known as “civil twilight” until 1 AM, then light again at 3 AM.
katair.com/skyline. ... html |
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Trish-Kabob
"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds" Ed Abbey |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
County Line-- 
It was very slow moving for me through the boulders and I managed to torque my ankle numerous times, fell once and got pinned by a cholla. We finally got to the intersection of Boulder Canyon trail and I was already exhausted but elated that we were on a trail! I looked at hanks and said "WHO picked this hike?" Oh yeah, it was me. 
Let me mention that it was unseasonably warm today with temps in the 80's. We took off up Boulder Canyon Trail and started hiking out. This was such an off day for me and I could barely hike a quarter mile and had to stop. I was sweating profusely, drinking tons of water but not feeling hydrated, had a racing heartbeat and felt weak and lightheaded. I knew I was experiencing signs of dehydration and the beginnings of heat exhaustion which kind of scared me. 
This gave me cause for pause and I recall some of them being deep......which ones were they? HMMMMM.... I negotiate them slow and steady since I am a 2WD high clearance and get mud splattered all over the place. I arrive at camp at 4:30 and see Hank and Larry already back from their daily adventure. They remark on my mud-splattered X-Terra and then tell me it has rained almost two inches since Wed night and it appears another monsoon storm is on its way as dark clouds move in quickly and thunder reverberates amidst the pines. No time to get my tent set up because not 20 minutes after my arrival the skies open up and we scatter for cover. Thunder, lightning and hail OH MY! Look boys! I brought more rain!!!!! 
After a while it subsides and we sit down for a quick dinner of yummy "Grasshopper Goulash", shoot the breeze and then head off to our respective shelters for sleep. I decide to just sleep in the X-terra.
Not 50 yards from me is a small-ish black bear who sees me and high-tails it out of there in the opposite direction. I'm not sure if it was heading toward me and our camp or was heading into the canyon but as soon as it saw me it bolted and all I saw was a large black backside lumbering away into the mist....FAST (In MHO the best side to see is the backside) I'm speechless......and slowly back up until I'm in view of the covered camp kitchen and realize I still have to go...but I ain't going out there!!! I could tell it wasn't a full grown bear but wasn't sure if was an older cub and then worried about where mama bear was or if it was a first year. After all it was just two weeks ago that Todd saw a Mama and older cubs over at Buck Springs. Who knows how far these bears travel? Hank and Larry finally got up and I relayed my story...... "you didn't scream or anything" they said.......I told them I was speechless but would have screamed silly if the bear came at me instead of running away from me. OK, Saturday is turning into an interesting day. We think Richard (matzatal), his wife and possibly a few other HAZ'ers may show up around 9AM. Hank and Larry leave at 10 AM for their day hiking trip into a previously unexplored draw and I decide to be a slug and just have RnR at the camp. I read, I nap, I enjoy. 
Richard and Sarah arrive around 2PM......Hor's Devourves and a little bit of happy hour are in order. They are delightful, personable people and I'm happy we were able to meet. We have green chile enchiladas and Charro beans for dinner.
I'm thinking it's either insane HAZ'ers out for a night hike, people lost on Cabin Loop trail or hunters. I watch the lights for an hour and eventually they are at the bottom of Barbershop and there is a glow. It's just creepy. We determine the next morning it was probably hunters scoping out the territory.
Tracy is bit taller than me and has rock climbed so she managed to scramble up it and I decided that I would take the trail up the left side and try to drop in from the top/back side. Bud & Linda are also looking for a way into Peekaboo so the 3 of us trek off together. We get to the top and I try to drop in from above but again it is very smooth and slippery slickrock with a significant drop into the slot. I'm sure I can do it and then look at my new trail companions and think they will try to follow me so I tell them I'm not attempting it from above either. BUMMER. So we trekked back down the hill. Bud & Linda decide to hike out and I head on to Spooky looking for Tracy. I hike about 1/4 mile up the wash and just past a large sand dune head on a trail which eventually leads me to Spooky......no sign of Tracy but then I see her heading up the trail. She said Peekaboo was very slippery sandstone and convoluted so it was a lot of maneuvering. We head into Spooky. Bud had told me that Spooky was very narrow and I might have problems "no offense but your breasts will probably get in the way"....he was trying really hard not to insult me and I wasn't offended at all and just laughed it off. Once we started into Spooky I got quite a way back and dropped my pack.....then started to squeeze myself past the narrow section but eventually knew I can't go in farther. The quote of the day came from 12 y/o Gwen who said to her mother Eva who was waiting at the slot canyon entrance....."Mom, even Ms. Trish with her big boobies got really far into that slot, you can do it too!" We all had a good laugh. 
