Barb's Photos: Denali -- Mount McKinley, AK July 12, 2013

Part 2: Denali National Park, The High One, as the Koyukon Athabascan people gave the massive peak that crowns the 600-mile-long Alaska Range. It uses to be called Mount McKinley National Park at 6 million acres. The park is larger than New Hampshire. Mount McKinley or Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,320 feet above sea level. At some 18,000 feet, the base to peak rise is considered the largest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level. Mount McKinley is large enough to create its own localized weather. It is the greatest frontier for wilderness adventure and remains largely wild and unspoiled. The glacially-fed rivers are so young and so laden with pulverized rock, called rock flour; they can wander across their broad flat valley’s to set new channels in a matter of days.

Mount McKinley is only visible about 30% of the time in the summer. We were lucky that we saw the mountain, because it is usually in a cloud, it created it’s own weather. We found a place we could have our picture taken with Mount McKinley behind us.

It sure is big.

Another small glacier beside Mount McKinley.

Different view of Mount McKinley.

Can’t find any more words to explain how big and the sheer beauty?

It is even bigger on this side.

Smaller glacier in the valleys.

Found some more caribou.

Info on the Road to the Wildness built between 1922 and 1938. This was the main artery road thru the park.

Info on the parks cabin system made for the park rangers.

This showed how you can access the wild side of Denali Park in the winter time. Sled dog teams or skies.

How they made the cabins systems for the rangers.

Savage Cabin is still used today by the rangers in the winter. They patrol the park during the winter for poachers etc.

A journey into history as recalled by Ranger Grant Pearson. He told all the new recruit that they lacked experience and he would send them on a week trip into the wildness. Then he would tell them, that if they did not come back, then he would come looking for them, but they had better go look for a new job.

How did they live in the wildness? Front of Savage Cabin.

The back of Savage Cabin.

Side view of Savage cabin.

Bear deterrent (nails put on all the window frames and window).

Another great view of Mount McKinley.

Isn’t she grand?

It got be a lady. Can a guy look this good?

Smaller snow areas.

Lodge on the top of a hill in the town of Denali.

The lodge was called “Grande Denali”.

Covering is made for loading and unloading of people at the lodge dining room.

The native of Alaska would stack rock as direction, message center or just migration routes.

When you look at a stack of stone you are seeing more than a sign, you are seeing the thoughts of another person.

The Nenana River is great for rafting.

This is how they launch the rafts.

. A group of rafters are getting ready to leave.

The first raft is ready to go.

Now they are all getting ready.

This sure looks like a fun.

The railroad bridge that connects Fairbank to Anchorage. They do freight, but they also do passenger trains and they call it the “Princess Express” after the Princess Ship Line.

There is a passenger train that is leaving Denali and going to Fairbanks.

Ancient Dust is a layer of silt blown was blown here many during the glacial age and was cut by the river, as was in the bank on the next pic.

Across the bridge is the ancient dust.

Milepost 238 (most major road has mile markers and sign post like this one. There is a book called “The Mile Post”, with information about almost all the mile in Alaska.