Denali

The mountain is always present, but sometimes it hides.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and clear, but yesterday it snowed and today clouds hang low.  Only these few fuzzy shots give some idea of what this majestic peak must be like on a sunny day in winter.  

Many hotels flank the entrance to the park, and they stay full in summer.  Only the Totem Inn and one other are open in winter, and the Totem is less than half full.  For me, it’s the beast time to come. 

The Princess Hotel serves Princess Cruise passengers coming up the inside passage in summer, as part of a package, but it is closed for the winter.  

Creatures of the snow—who are they?  Do they understand impermanence?   

The crow fluffs his feathers and settles in on a limb. Tomorrow, I’ll fluff mine for a hike to Mount Healy Overlook.  Moderately steep, through forest, which gives way to tundra.  Trees turn to shrubs, and the landscape opens wide. Three to four hours round trip, they say.  

The Nenana River is crusted with ice all winter, but in the spring, the ice will suddenly break up.  

You can submit a date and time for when you think the breakup will happen.  It costs $2.50 to enter, and last year the winner got $225,000. The deadline to mail your guesses is April 5th, 2019    https://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/      

Here they are setting up a tripod out on the river.  It will collapse when the ice breaks up, and the time will be marked to the nearest minute.  No, this huge tripod will not be lost in the river; they have cables attached with which to haul it ashore.    

Michael Angerman has kept a map during this long trip, showing all of the places where I spent the night.  Please view his map at:     Michael's Map  You can pan zoom to see more detail or more area as you choose.