Mt. Mckinley 6/29-7/2/2008

Leaving Denali on such a ‘high’ could have left us open for a disappointment. We weren’t quite sure where our next stop would be as we headed south toward Talkeetna and Anchorage. We wanted to stay in a cozy pull off near a lake, river, or spectacular scenery. We felt we’d know the perfect spot when we found it. Decided to leave Denali early (5am) to see wildlife on the road, to be able to get to any ‘first come first served’ campgrounds, and most important, to have a full day at our new destination. Our thoughts are that we can always sleep when we return to the lower 48!
It was cold, cloudy and gray. I called my mom as soon as we left Denali because I wasn’t sure if we’d have phone service further down the road. Since we’re 4 hours earlier than Florida, there was no problem calling so early. It was a great call! Mom has had a lot of good things happening lately (including an 84th birthday last week) and her health is flourishing. I could ‘hear’ her huge smile across the 4900 mile phone call. What a super way to start my day. As we spoke, the clouds began their now familiar daily dance. The skies are a brilliant blue here and the clouds are always white, puffy and a sharp contrast to the azure background. As the winds up yonder pick up, the clouds meander playfully across the many, many mountain peaks above. This creates a dynamic display of blue and white that changes with each passing moment. So, I reveled in Mom’s upbeat mood, the playful sky and the prospect of a new adventure ahead.
We saw 2 big bull moose, a sow moose and her cub before 7am! We stopped at a few rest stops, thinking they might be where we’d want to spend an evening, but each fizzled out, once we pulled in. When we reached a state park named ‘Denali View North’, we pulled in and hoped the reality lived up to its name. (Mt. McKinley was originally named Denali, and the locals refer to it either as “Denali” or “The Mountain”). Well, we saw a paved parking lot, large sites, a campground host, and a view of the Alaska Mountain Range and decided this was the place to spend the night. We read the display signs that showed a schematic of each peak and immediately got into a big discussion as to which high snow covered peak was The Mountain. There was some dissension among us, but we got our binoculars, cameras and spotting scopes out to find this elusive mountain. We learned that only 1 out of every 5 people that come to see it actually do see it. She’s so high (20,230 feet) that she makes her own weather. She’s often (usually) encased in those big, white, beautiful clouds that don’t really seem so beautiful when they are blocking the highest peak on the continent.
Since we’ve been getting up early (very early) every morning, we decided we needed a down day to just rest and catch up with ourselves and our chores. So, I plunked myself in the driver’s seat, Dominic sat in the other front seat and we quietly watched the cloud/sky/mountain dance right outside our front window. For any of you who wonder how we can live without a house and a yard, I think this might be an answer. Today, our front yard is the mighty Mt. McKinley. Tomorrow it might be a river filled with salmon going upstream in Talkeetna..as they say, “the world is our front yard”.
Back to our search for this elusive hill-we waited, we watched, we speculated where she may be hiding-but, we didn’t see her. The day flew by and we took lots of pictures of another peak (Deception Mountain) in hopes that it might be McKinley. Can you guess why they named this imposter mountain Mt. Deception? We heard it said that when you see McKinley, you’ll know it. Well, the mountain started to show herself somewhere after dinner time. Dominic spotted a small white snow covered piece of mountain behind the clouds. It was hard to distinguish where the clouds ended and where the snow began. Soon, there were less clouds and more mountain appearing. It was awe inspiring. We felt so fortunate to see even the little we were seeing. The clouds came back, covered her up, as if to keep her warm and protected. Then, as if to introduce her beauty to the many who were waiting to see her, she appeared again. This went on for hours.
We stood and watched and oohed and aahed with others who came and went. As I was peering through the binoculars, I was aware of a 5th wheel RV that pulled in. I wasn’t aware, however, of a woman calling out for assistance. It seems that the men in the RV went out and left her and another elderly woman in the RV without pulling out the entrance step for them. It was too high off the ground for her to jump out, and she needed someone to open the step. I went over to help and we started talking about their Alaskan experiences and I also shared some of mine. They were traveling with her daughter and son in law who soon came over to join us. After only a few short moments together, the young couple began telling us of their wedding and how Helena (the bride) honored her deceased father during the wedding ceremony. It was so beautiful to hear her remember her dad, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. I thought of how special it was to her, and also feeling how my Dad was with me in spirit at my wedding also. I felt very honored that they shared this special part of their lives with us, and immediately felt a connection with them. We talked a while more, explaining how we each felt about life and I truly saw a light shining around them. I felt so fortunate to have met them. We exchanged emails and I hope to keep in touch with them. It was a memorable experience for us.
Way back in Toad River, Dominic and Ralph bought T shirts that said “I SURVIVED THE ALASKAN HGHWAY”, but they decided not to wear them until we had the proper ceremony to celebrate the accomplishment. Since we’ve been going, going, going each day, we didn’t have the time to celebrate. Last night seemed like the perfect time. The camp host gave us firewood (although it was still light out, we used it to ward off the mosquitoes), Ralph and Diana broke out the champagne, and we toasted our trip’s accomplishments with The Bubbly and toasted marshmallows.
There were 3 men at the next fire pit a few yards away who came over to ask if we’d like to try some salmon that they caught. Normally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable eating a stranger’s food like that, but for some reason, I grabbed a plastic fork and we all joined in – eating right off the aluminum foil pan it was cooked in.
I chatted with one of the guys, Diana & Ralph spoke with another, and Dominic spoke to the slightly older fellow who was wearing denim overalls. I learned the 2 younger boys were brothers and were traveling with their dad in Alaska. We soon finished the fish, said our thanks and goodbyes. The guys packed their car to leave (they had an early morning tour in Denali National Park) and we walked back to our motor homes. As we did, Dominic told me about his conversation with Daryl (the father). He recently had 70% of his colon removed. His dream was always to come to Alaska, and his sons gave him this incredibly special trip as a gift. As Dominic was telling me this, the clouds began to lift and again The Mountain shone through. I went back to the 3 men and invited them to come see the unveiling through our binoculars and spotting scope. They literally ran over, not knowing how long this gift would linger in front of our eyes. When Dominic handed Daryl the binoculars and he saw Mt. Mckinley for the first time, he said (almost to himself) “I’d never thought I’d ever get to see this”. My heart both broke and flooded at the same time. It was a moment I will never forget-to see how happy he was will always be ingrained in my memory.
After a while, the guys left saying they had to get up early in the morning. We all had huge smiles on our faces and after hugs for everyone they left…it was only moments later that I realized I never got an email address or phone number from them. The only connection I’d have would be that miraculous moment with Daryl that will forever be etched in my memory.
We packed up the equipment and went into the motor home for the night. Only a few minutes later Dominic yelled “There’s a bear in the campground!”. I looked out our dining room window and saw 6-7 feet of black fur on its hind legs standing in front of the garbage can about 10 yards away. After we finished eating Daryl’s salmon, Dominic threw the foil in that can, and I guess the bear could smell it and wanted to sample what we ate. So, we immediately ran out of the coach, camera in hand to get some close ups. We were soon joined by other campers and then by this sow’s cub. So, more pictures, more excitement, more super special memories!
Again, we came into the coach to settle in for the night with huge smiles and thoughts of an incredible day.
We woke up the next morning to a small sheet of paper on the windshield..it was from Daryl and his sons. They decided to drive 40 miles down the road to get a different view of the mountain and wanted to let us know where that view was. They took pictures and gave us their email in case we wanted to write to them and get the pictures! So, now I felt complete-I would be able to stay in touch with this warm and loving family.
Can it get any better than this?