We all took buses into Denali National Park today. Private vehicles can only drive the first 17 miles without a special permit to camp. The buses we rode went 66 miles to the Eilson center. We could have gone farther but that is an 8 hour trip and we thought that was enough. The drivers are pretty good at spotting wildlife and stopping for everyone to get a good look and take pictures. Our first driver had a lot of information about the park and the animals even though he did like to talk about himself a lot. If he had done all the things he said he has done then I guess he could boast a little. We saw moose, 7 brown bears, dozens of caribou, golden eagles, and many arctic ground squirrels .
At the Eilson visitors center, we ate lunch and then Jeff, Marcella, and I went on a hiking trail. It was 1.1 mi. one way and mostly steep. I didn't know 1.1 mi. could be so long but I did reach the top. The view up there was amazing. I thought the 1.1 mi. hike down would be a breeze but the legs and knees didn't think so. They felt a little like rubber when I got down. It was an accomplishment for me and I am glad I did it.
Young moose
First brown bear we saw
Doll Sheep up on a mountain. The picture doesn't show that they are.
Thought this was hilarious. He ran by the bus and I didn't have time to zoom so the bus window didn't show.
The beginning of the hike. This part wasn't too steep.
I made it to the top.
View from the top. This is new snow. They said it wasn't there 2 days ago.
Another brown bear. The others were too far away to get a picture
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