We woke up Monday morning in Talkeetna, which was the first of what would be several firsts for the day. As I mentioned in the previous blog, we have enjoyed visiting Talkeetna several times, but this was our first time staying in the small, laid back community overnight. It was quiet and sleepy on Sunday afternoon. It was really quiet and still asleep on Monday morning at 8:30. There was a small group of men heading out from our hotel for a multi-day "off the grid" experience, and a few other people roaming around, but not many other signs of life.
The two and a half hour drive from Talkeetna to Denali National Park was effortless. On average we probably passed a car every five minutes, so it was a totally stress free and incredibly scenic drive the whole way. Like Talkeetna, we have visited Denali several times in the past and really enjoyed roaming around a very small part of the massive park. When I say "small part" I really mean it, the park is 9,446 square miles in size which makes it larger than the state of New Hampshire!
We're staying at the Denali Bluffs Hotel which was opening for the season the day we were arriving. As we drove along, we jokingly said that maybe we'd be the first guests of the season to check in. As we got close to the hotel, which is conveniently located near the entrance to the national park, we had our second first experience of the day. Off the side of the road we both noticed something stirring in the tall grass. We didn't get a good look at it so we stopped and backed up. We weren't sure at first what we were seeing because it was well camouflaged and illusive but we soon figured out from the pointed ears and no tail that it was an adult lynx. Unfortunately, we only had a few minutes or so to enjoy the sight before it disappeared into the taller grass and bushes. We were not able to get any pictures.
Quite pleased with our lynx sighting we made our way to the hotel. In the parking lot we were greeted by a super friendly young lady who enthusiastically asked if we were checking in. When we said yes, she became even more excited and said we were the first check in of the season! While we were in the process of checking in two other couples arrived, so it was close! It didn't get us a free room or a cup of coffee, but we were very warmly received by everyone and our picture appeared on their Facebook page. Since neither of us have a Facebook account Sarah was kind enough to send us a screenshot. Three firsts of the day and it was just barely noon.
After settling in and enjoying a light lunch on the balcony of the hotel (while the mosquitos were enjoying dining on us) we set off for a drive in the park. The park is open year round, but during the harsh winter access and services are very limited. Once "the season" opens (May 20 this year) private cars are only permitted as far as the Savage River Loop Trailhead. To go deeper into the park you are required to take one of the park service buses. As she so expertly does, Beth planned the adventure so we would be here after the roads were cleared of snow and before the bus service starts. During this window of time cars are permitted to drive 30 miles in, and from there you can hike or bike even deeper if you feel so moved. There were a few other cars exploring the park with us, but just like our drive from Talkeetna, traffic was extremely light.
For as beautiful as Denali National Park is, we have never had much luck spotting animals on previous visits. One time we were on a park service bus when someone claimed to have spotted a bear on a hillside several thousand feet away. Either the bear was sleeping or it was a rock because there was no movement as we sat staring at it for a while. We're pretty sure what we were looking at was a rock!
Beth, being the positive thinker that she is, kept saying today was the day that we were going to see a brown (grizzly) bear. Well she was wrong! Today was the day we were going to see two grizzlies! The first bear sighting happened before we reached the Savage Rail Loop Trailhead. We had been scanning out in front and on both sides of the car, looking carefully both near and far. Suddenly we were sharing the road with a grizzly. Being that there hadn't been much traffic in the park yet this year, he seemed as surprised by us as we were by him. For what seemed like about a minute, we enjoyed staring at him (hopefully he enjoyed staring at us and our car) before he made his was down a small hill and into some thick brush. This definitely wasn't a rock, we officially had our first grizzly bear sighting in Denali!
As we drove the thirty miles into the park we also spotted a moose, caribou, porcupine and a snowshoe rabbit (all firsts for us in Denali). At about the 22 mile mark we saw our second grizzly. This one was about 600 yards away and seemed to be having a good time foraging in an open field. We stopped and watched him for 10-15 minutes on our way in, and again on our way out.
We're planning to make at least two more drives into the park. There probably won't be as many firsts but we're excited to see what lies ahead!
