Grizzly bear, Denali National Park
Grizzly bear, Denali National Park
Ground squirrel on side of road, Denali National Park
Our green bus, Denali National Park
Caribou, Denali National Park
Caribou, Denali National Park
Tundra, Eielson, Denali National Park
After hot showers and a hearty breakfast we drove (minus the trailer) into the DNP Visitors’ Centre and were very impressed with their excellently presented exhibits and their twenty minute informational video. In drizzling rain we then climbed on a park-operated bus and headed off for the next eight hours on a leisurely journey into the park. The road was only accessible by the DNP buses which move in and out of the park as a shuttle service, one in either direction about every ten minutes. This restriction on private vehicles is to maintain greater control of interaction between the public and the wildlife of the park. We were informed that bears, moose and caribou are not frightened by the buses but as soon as people are sighted they are likely to scamper. Along the journey we’d typically stop when interesting animals were observed and all photos had to be taken from inside the bus with minimal noise. Our driver was a humorous character with a dry wit and many amusing anecdotes to tell along the way. He would relate stories involving the history of the park and the lives of many characters prominent in its establishment. The first large animals sighted were caribou (reindeer). This was a herd of about twenty, several hundred metres away. Many photos were taken and then later deleted when we managed to photograph caribou very close to the road. During the day we also saw numerous small rodent like furry creatures including marmot, squirrels, chipmunks(?) and a piker which is a large mouse that looks like a mini-rabbit! Of course the prize sighting would be a bear and we were becoming despondent as one had been reported as viewed earlier but when we arrived at the location it had moved on. However on our return journey we were lucky enough to get quite close to a big grizzly bear that was grazing on the bushes near the side of the road. The bear seemed to be unperturbed by our presence. We were told that if confronted by a bear, the important thing is not to run away as that is likely to inform the bear that we are prey! Rather, one should stand tall, make plenty of noise and outstretch arms to present a “large predator human”. We don’t intend to put this into practice! Amongst other joys for the day was the close encounter with a very large male moose, once again a fairly short distance from the road. These are magnificent beasts and the largest by far of all the deer family. Female moose are particularly dangerous and will charge towards humans without the slightest provocation especially if one was to get between her and her calf. The recommendation is to run in a zig-zag path as the moose can’t run and change directions quickly. We’re not going to give this try either! Although we scanned the hilltops for much of the day, we were not fortunate enough to see any dall sheep. These fairly rare animals live above the treeline and graze the steep meadows between the rocky crags. They are very large sheep and both ewes and rams have impressive spiralled horns. Our evening meal was salmon cooked on the camp fire and a green salad washed down with couple of gins and tonic. We were on wash-up duty and with that task completed we headed for bed and although still daylight it was after 23.00. Tomorrow we spend much of the day hiking in the park and hopefully observe some dog-sledding activities.