We spent a few days in Denali National Park (home of North America’s tallest peak, Mt McKinley/Denali). The National Park has an interesting system for hiking. The park is divided into 43 units of land, each with a quota to determine how many people can tent each night dependant on the size and shape of the block. On arrival at Denali you visit the Back Country office, decide which unit you would like (we chose 33, which had a quota of 4 people), pick up your bear can and topographic maps, book your bus, and think about where you want to hike (there are no tracks or trails so you are completely responsible for where you walk and where you camp).
The National Park is massive (6 million acres or 9500 square miles) so to get to unit 33 we had a 5 hour bus ride stopping to view moose, caribou, elk, grizzly bears, golden eagles and wolves! We randomly met the other couple who had booked unit 33 on the bus, which was great as they were lovely people and doubled the number of eyes looking for grizzlies! Our unit had a pretty stream running through it so we stuck to walking down the canyon and found a great place to set up camp a few miles in. Camping in bear country is a little different as you need to think about the golden triangle there must be 100m between each of your tent, the storage of all food and scented items, and all cooking and eating. We found a low ridge overlooking the river valley and with a view of Mt McKinley. Introduced to bear cans (bear proof containers for food and scented items) in Yosemite in 2005 we knew the space was pretty limited so we carried de-hi food (Pad Thai just add boiling water) and fresh fruit, adding toothpaste and antiseptic cream from the first aid kit before bedding down for the night.
Still in the land of the midnight sun we had taken to using Keryns silk liner as a curtain to block the light. Having a good 12 hours of day light after lunch took the pressure off early starts and it was the morning heat that drove us out of the tent the next morning. Brunch, pack up and a 2 hour walk up stream back to the road.
Our original plan was to bus to another back country block, closer to the park entrance – over night there and bus out early the next morning however the many nights already spent in our tent, a forecast of thunder showers and the 6 hour drive back to Anchorage persuaded us to head out a little early. The bus ride out was littered with even more wild animals. The bus stopped so we could watch a large grizzly male following a smaller female alongside the road. Finally the she-bear sat down to rest and the male sat a respectful distance away with his back feet draped out behind and his big pads and claws visible ferocious and cute all at the same time they really do look like teddy bears! We found a spot to camp an hour south of the park.
To get to Seward (sue ard) and the start of our kayaking we boarded the Alaska Railroad for a 4 hour train ride south. The train winds its way through the coastal inlets before climbing into the hills. Skirting alpine lakes and the face of glaciers, pushing through tunnels and rounding switchbacks the train afforded us amazing views of the area and a glimpse of our first moose.
Arriving in Seward we walked 3 km to the campground, put up our tent then headed for the kayak company to pick up gear and finalise our plans. With the help of Wendy, one of the company owners we developed an itinerary and made plans for the next morning…
Our 8 days sea kayaking in Kenai National Park were perfect the scenery was beautiful and the wildlife incredible!
It was a 2 hour water taxi ride out to Aialik Bay (i elle ick), the first fjord and then on day 6 we were transferred to the even more remote North Western Fjord. Deciding to rent a double kayak and gear on our own (rather than doing a guided trip) was a great decision and we loved that we never shared a camp with any humans and barely even saw anyone else for the entire trip. It was definitely just about us and the wilderness.
We had encounters with humpback whales, orcas, harbor porpoises, harbor seals, Stellar seal lions, sea otters, black bears, bald eagles, puffins, jellyfish, and many sea birds and underwater life. Wow! So special!
The highlights were definitely a humpback surfacing right beside us (close enough to be struck by the smell!), the porpoises swimming under our kayak, and a bear wandering through our camp it was very humbling as a human to have another, more powerful, animal completely disregard you. It is a credit to the people who live, work and play in this area that the bears do not see us as a source of food (or a food source!).
It was a real treat to be kayaking (and briefly swimming) amongst icebergs, surrounded by snowy peaks and waterfalls. Watching the glaciers carve into the sea and hearing the resulting thunderous roar from our kayak was an awesome experience.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather and most days were gorgeous hot sunshine and totally flat seas. Even the couple of days it was cloudy and the partial day of rain were still glorious paddling conditions (and a bit of a relief from the sun).
Enjoy the photos and movies it will definitely be one of our lifes truly incredible experiences!
