Postmortem

July 27, 5:30AM: We were doing quite alot on this trip. Backpacking in Denali National Park (DNP) was only one segment. This was our first time in Alaska and we wanted to see as much as we could. The plan was to spend 12 days living out of a car, hiking or backpacking along the way. We did not need any technical gear, just the usual hiking stuff. We landed in Anchorage, grabbed the rental car, and were on our way! We planned to visit DNP at the front of our trip in case weather turned sour so we would have some time to recover. But we had a decent weather window so went for it.

July 28, 5:36PM: The drive from Anchorage to DNP is quite nice and not too far. 4 to 5 hours depending on how much you stop. Classic Alaskan mountains surrounded by lush forest and popping flowers. Along the way is the town of Talkeetna. A fun little spot that's worth walking around in and grabbing a bite to eat. The whole area just felt relaxing. By 10:40PM we had made it to the DNP sign - it's got to be one of the best ones out there! The summer light is crazy in Alaska. No need for a headlamp, it's kinda weird until you get used to it. We found a parking lot outside the park and crashed there for the night.

July 29, 8:46AM: The next morning was our final planning and permit day. Well, to be clear we had done plenty of research in advance to understand the permit system and where we wanted to backpack. Remember that the backpacking in Denali is all wilderness. There are no trails, just units. And each unit has a cap on the number of allowed hikers each day. So it's best to have a few backups. The ranger we worked with was super nice and helpful. We made use of their awesome wall map and summary book to agree on unit 10. What we liked: wildlife are normally present, navigation was straightforward, plenty of options for scramble peaks all around us, glacier at the end of the zone. We got the "bear safety lecture", watched some videos, and secured our 3 night permit starting tomorrow. The remainder of the day was used to explore some accessible hikes close to the park headquarters and say hello to the winter sled dog team! Highly recommend.

July 30, 10:30AM: We were finally in motion, headed down the valley. This unit is primarily characterized by a glacially fed stream that cuts right down the middle of it. It's a great water source for the wildlife, and you can see clear animal tracks all around it (bear, moose, and deer). We both carried bear spray and made a strong effort to talk or even sing the entire time. If there is one thing I don't want to surprise, it's a grizzly bear. Off in the distance we saw a lone reindeer just minding its own business. Later we saw an entire herd but they were too far for a good picture. We continued to follow the stream, occasionally needing to cross it as it split in multiple directions. The goal was to go about 10 miles today at a leisurely pace, set up camp, and chill. Tomorrow we would bag a peak.

July 30, 3:05PM: We stopped multiple times along the way to admire the rad rock colors and mineral formations. I assume the white crystal structure is a calcium deposit (calcite) but I am not 100% sure.

July 30, 6:47PM: Camp was setup and we were straight chilling. We opted to climb a small hill for better views of the surrounding area. Dinner that evening was one of those dehydrated backpacking meals. It was our first time trying those. Honestly, never again. They are so expensive, not very tasty, and not filling. You're better off getting some frozen meatballs and pasta for day 1. Other days can be dried fruits, nuts, and bars. Having good food makes a big difference. We went about 10 miles and climbed 1000ft or so. We could keep going but were in prime area for some fun climbing the next day. We set our sights on a peak which looked to be a few miles off in the distance which a prominent ridge line that would give us direct access. We did not see any immediately obvious hazards along the way.

July 31, 10:05AM: After a solid night's sleep we were off and moving before 10AM. The sky was a little overcast but chance of rain was close to 10% (I was able to check on my Garmin inReach). We scrambled across the stream and were headed to the base of the mountain. We did not know it at the time but the peak we had selected was "Green Dome" - peak elevation 6,302ft or roughly 2,000ft above us. So not a big climb, but wilderness adventuring is always a bit slower. The base was actually very steep and slippery from the wet grass. But it was short and soft dirt made for good foot holds.

July 31, 12:14PM: After a few hours we were standing on the ridgeline, and the climb to the top was clear and straightforward. The sharp point sticking out in the back is the peak. The small rocks held pretty well, even on the steeper sections. We have done a lot of hiking in the Sierra mountain range where loose, steep scree fields are just what you have to deal with - so this wasn't out of the ordinary for us. The ridgeline is mostly very wide, no serious exposure or anything. As we gained vertical the great views of the valley and the glacier distracted us.

July 31, 2:07PM: We reached summit! Nothing but silence - not a single sign of human life. We snapped some photos and decided on an alternative route down that would form a loop. We knew that we could always backtrack the way we came but decided that we were still feeling fine and could do a bit more exploring towards the glacier.

July 31, 3:41PM: We found an alternative run down from the eastern side of the mountain. Our target was to drop down close to the base of the glacier, walk as close as we could to it, and then walk back to camp. Our line followed a small trickle of water that turned into a wider and more aggressive stream as we descended. The pictures don't do it justice but it was getting steep and wet. We rounded a corner only to find out we were at the top of a waterfall. I peered over the lip as safely as I could but did not see the bottom. It was not clear how far up we were and if there was a safe way around. We played it safe and made the slog back up. This all and all probably added over an hour of backtracking. I found a trip report from winterbear who also found the waterfall but they were going up, not down. Turns out it was something like 30 feet. Apparently there is a steep scree line around it, but they even make note that some people in their party were quite uncomfortable. With a good visual it would have probably been fine, but we were not in the right place to make a bad call. This is the game you play sometimes.

July 31, 6:50PM: We were down at this point and looking for our bear canister and stove that we had hidden (wind and bears). Upon walking down the ridge we actually noticed a grizzly walking in the direction of our campsite. We snapped a picture pointing the bear out but we were just too far away. I swear though, there's a grizzly out there. This was the first time seeing a bear in the wild, and it definitely increased our heart rates a bit. We never saw another bear after this though.

August 1, 10:03AM: We woke up to a complete downpour. I peaked outside and there was poor visibility from the rainy haze and fog in the mountains. We were hoping to bag another peak today but it would have been miserable, and frankly pointless without any views. Our tent was handling the Alaska storm like a champ and we were perfectly warm and dry. No immediate concern but we discussed our options. I checked weather on my Garmin inReach and it was nothing but rain all day. Tomorrow looked clear. Our permit was good for 1 more night. Our options were to hang out in the tent all day (with some light walking around) to wait out the storm and hike again tomorrow, or just head out today. If we had more time on our vacation I think we would have waited the storm out. But given our time constraints we opted to head back. We didn't want to waste a day and would rather keep on moving to the next thing. We packed up camp and slogged back to the road. We were wet and cold but we knew there was a bus and showers waiting for us on the other side so it was fine. A little bummed we didn't explore some other peaks but we will for sure be back.

August 1, 9:18PM: Beer and yak burgers at 49th State Brewing to close out the day! Definitely recommend. And while we drove back to our go to car camping parking lot spot we found another moose! Great way to officially end the day.

Denali National Park is an absolute must see destination for any outdoors enthusiast. Even just riding the bus and walking around is, in my opinion, a worth while experience. I was really inspired by the area we backpacked in which helped me frame the idea of the Alaskan Slab Project. But Alaska also has an incredible wealth of other amazing spots. It is even a great place to get married in!

This was, without question our best "adventure vacation" we have ever done. The list of stuff we want to go back and see or do is endless. Here is a quick montage of some more of my favorite pictures from along the way.

July 30, 7:00AM: We were on the bus and ready to roll! Visitors are only allowed to drive the first 15 miles. After that you must take the bus (or walk I guess). The road is 92miles long end to end, and you just ask them to drop you off at the appropriate unit. When you are done with your trip, you walk back to the road and wait for a bus to pick you up. Unit 10 is about a 3 hour bus ride so you are pretty far out there.