Denali National Park; Hiking a braided river + sled dogs– July 22-25

Denali is massive.  At 6 million acres, it is the third largest park in the system.  With only one road piercing the interior, it’s also extremely remote.  That one road is 90 miles long as it snakes ever closer to Mt Denali’s 20,000-ft peak, but only transit buses are allowed past mile marker 15.  Wilderness is the name of the game here. 

                                             

The one road into Denali was built in the 1930’s across rivers and tundra.  And also across an area in which the permafrost underneath the road is slowly warming and melting.  For years, the road has been slipping downhill by first inches and then feet.  Realizing that hauling gravel in to shore up the slippage was an unsustainable exercise, the road was finally closed in 2021 at MP 43 until a final solution could be figured out.  Brilliant geotechs have determined that a permanent bridge will be built to span the permafrost slide area so that tour buses can resume transporting visitors closer to the mountain.  Blasting will begin in two weeks, but the projected completion date has already moved from 2024 to 2025.  We shall see how long this reparations venture actually takes.

 An energetic young park ranger who is working on a PhD in geology wanted to hike up the Savage River to have a look at the slide area, and 11 lucky folks who signed up were allowed to accompany her.  We scored two seats on her adventure.  Woot!

                                             

First we caught a transit bus for the two-hour ride to MP 43 where the road is closed, then we watched from the safety of the bus as a large brown bear came our way downriver, crossed the road behind us, and thankfully headed off in the opposite direction.

 Next we donned our packs and headed out into the wilderness following what’s called a braided river.  A wide river basin dredged out by glaciers long ago and through which rivers run that never fill the basin from side to side, a braided river frequently changes channels and varies in depth.  There was no trail nor path, just the river we followed and crossed several times, the 11 of us chatting and swapping adventure tales as we moved along. 

                                                 

As we were a young and healthy group with an enthusiastic ranger as guide, we made good time and soon found ourselves at the base of a tall steep slope of the colorful Polychrome Formation where we could observe both ends of the road on high ground as well as the road which has slipped several hundred feet.   Our ranger was ecstatic; she’d been hoping we’d make it the two miles bushwhacking upriver before this area is completely shut down to hikers in two weeks when blasting starts.  Denali is experiencing the hottest days of the summer just now; full sun with temps in the low 80’s made for a lovely yet warm hike, and the icy cold glacier river crossings were a splendid reprieve.

  Lunch enjoyed, a two-mile hike back down river, and the 12 of us rode back on the bus exhausted but happy hikers for having witnessed what few others are lucky enough to see.  Someday I will return to Denali and will drive across that new bridge.  When I do, I will gaze down into the river bed far below and envision the ghost of my younger self peering up. 

                                                 

                                                 

Sled dogs and their mushers remain a unique tradition here at Denali.  Introduced into the park in the 1930’s to ward off Dall Sheep, moose and caribou poachers in the newly established park, a team of these magnificent Alaska Huskies has become a permanent feature here.  The kennels are open for visitors to explore all day, and demonstrations are periodically scheduled.  A small team was harnessed to a sled on wheels as they showed off not only their speed and power but more importantly their enthusiasm for the sport they are bred for.  Smart and strong beyond reason, 30 trim healthy dogs are bred and trained by a team of 5 mushers assisted by a host of volunteers.  These dogs are highly trained and obediently responsive.  Their level of excitement is contagious, and they were a wonder to watch as they raced along the short course set up for visitors' viewing pleasure.

 

The kennels are clean, neat, and organized in a gorgeous safe setting, and the dogs are given exquisite loving care.  Volunteers walk them three times daily during the summer, vets screen them frequently, training occurs routinely, and lead dogs emerge from the young pups as they are sorted into various roles, the large strong dogs at the back as brawn pulling  machines, the lighter more responsive and intelligent dogs at the front giving guidance to the team and following musher commands and directions.  Middle dogs are usually youngsters learning the ropes.