Alaska I: Exploring "The Mountain"

The trip to Alaska involved 5 days of backpacking in Denali, followed by a trip down the scenic Seward Highway to Kenai, where we Kayaked in Aialik Bay and explored some of the islands and glaciers off the southwestern coast.

Day 1: Staying at the 26th Street Hostel.
I highly recommend this place. The people were friendly, you get great kitchen privileges, internet, they are located close to groceries and outdoor stores AND you get a killer breakfast.




Salmon in Alaska is really expensive. We forked out $10 for a tiny UNCOOKED piece of Salmon at Carr's.


Day 2: Driving north to Denali





Our first glimpse of "The Mountain" ... we don't really think this was Denali after all... :(



Peering through the binoculars to catch a glimpse of "The Mountain"









We also found a moose head - that we could not bring back home although I was tempted.



Finally, we reached Denali, scrambled to collect our gear and hopped aboard the last shuttle to Wonder Lake.







We saw several animals in Denali: wolf, bear, caribou, dall sheep and moose. The highlight for me, was climbing upto a strategic vantage point at Polychrome pass and being pleasantly surprised to see a Peregrine falcon dive bomb an unsuspecting swallow.















The Journey

I was able to go on several fun and intense hikes. The next few pictures chronicle my exploration of the Eielson, Stony Dome and Polychrome Pass area which is in the second part of Denali, past the Toklat and Teklanika Rivers. As you can see, the trail was far from easy, but the spectacular views, abundant wildlife, varied foliage and lack of tourists made the journey well worth it.







Tundra Vegetation