It’s official—we’ve seen our first moose! The scenic ride on the Alaska Railway was breathtaking and we were fortunate to spot our first big mammals during the four-hour journey from Fairbanks to Denali National Park. The train dropped us off at the park entrance where we explored the Visitor’s Center and got settled into our cabins at the Denali Education Center (DEC). The mission of the DEC is to help connect visitors with Denali through educational initiatives, so we kicked off our first evening with an “Intro to the Subarctic” talk, where we learned about the flora and fauna of the subarctic biome, the science behind why we’re experiencing this incredible 24-hour daylight, and got to meet our guide, Emily, who would be taking us out the next day.

The hike this morning was a challenging ascent of Mount Healy to an overlook for views of the valley and surrounding mountains. Emily showed us the poisonous plant wolfsbane along the way, which the native Athabascans used to tip their arrows with to hunt large prey. We tried wild blueberries off the bush and tasted tart berries that grizzlies forage for (eating up to 88 pounds a day!) to bulk up for the winter. As we emerged above the tree line the temperature dropped and we took a short snack break and put on our coats. It was around this time that one of our guides noticed in the distance the peak of the north slope of Mount Denali towering through the clouds. It was a clear day, but even so only about 30% of visitors to the park actually get to see the mountain that the Athabascans refer to as “The Great One.” It is so large it has its own weather patterns, with frequent cloud cover that obstructs hikers’ views up to 90 miles away. Needless to say, we were excited!

Once we reached the summit the group explored and enjoyed taking some photos, and we took a moment to spread out and sit silently to reflect on our experiences in Alaska thus far and the many people who helped us to get to where we are today.

Next it was off to the National Park Service sled dog kennel where we saw a demonstration by the park’s official sled dog team—the only dog team in existence in the entire Park Service. The dogs ran a practice loop with the rangers to demonstrate their commands and training, and then we had an opportunity to pet them after the showing. The team is responsible for carrying goods to restock aid stations that supply ongoing research initiatives throughout the six million acres of the park during the long Alaskan winters. Park rangers spend anywhere from four days to five weeks out with the dogs at a time, and have incredibly close bonds with team.

We spent the evening hanging out on the beach on the banks of the Nenana River on campus, enjoying delicious, homemade rhubarb crisp, and hearing a presentation by a director of the education center on life in Denali through the long, dark winters. We learned that dirt roads can turn into speed skating rinks, that all of the babies born in the neighborhood are gifted hats made of coyote pelts at birth, and that while the natural beauty and wildness of Alaska are what initially attract visitors, it is the strong community bonds and amazing people that convince visitors to call this place home.

Tomorrow we travel into the heart of the park by shuttle bus and will be bringing plenty of binoculars. This will be our best shot at seeing the “big four”—moose, caribou, dall sheep, and grizzlies—from the safety of the park bus. Wish us luck! Photos to come…

Until soon,

Anna & Mac