Sunday, July 21st: Embracing Uncertainty.

by Khalil & Moira.

Day 3 in Denali saw the whole group reach new heights in their hiking abilities. The day’s activity was a long strenuous hike up a river bed with no trail, followed by bush-whacking through dense brush, up to a hill above the arctic meadows. Shortly into the hike most people’s shoes were already soaked from many crossings of the mountain drainage river. Nobody minded however, because they were in awe at the tracks, plants, and scenery around them. Unfortunately some of us could not bear to finish the bush whacking, so we stopped the hike just before the halfway point. We were not disappointed as we returned the way we came, but proud of what we were able to accomplish. That evening we took it easy, and rested.

Khalil’s thoughts:

This hike was definitely a first for me. Being out in Denali, off the trails, surrounded by moose prints, bones, scat, mountains, and brush made me feel very isolated. It was a great time for reflection. I felt extremely honoured to be one of only 24 people who walk up that river every year. While bush whacking I felt so close to nature as I followed moose trails and stepped over bear scat. Luckily for us though nobody came face to face with a wild animal! The river crossings and bush whacking was hard, but I think that they were the best parts of the hike.

Moira's thoughts:
When I was on this hike today, I felt really connected to the land and the nature around me. Crossing the river multiple times, getting my feet soaking wet each time I crossed  it, and feeling the freezing cold water rush into my hiking boots really helped me feel closer to the natural world. Another thing that I felt was really important to my experience today was seeing the large number of moose jaws littering the area along the river bank, as well as the the even larger number of piles of moose scat, and how many mooses (or meese, or maybe even mice; I have no idea which is the best term) are eaten by wolves or possibly bears.

Friday, July 19th: Into the Wilderness

by Robbie & Darius

Today’s theme of the day was “Into the Wilderness”; we certainly accomplished this. We arrived late into Denali, due to construction and weren't able to sign up for the discovery hike for today. This being the case, we had to get up early in order to sign up for the discovery hike for Sunday.

After booking the hike, we embarked on a ranger led hike down the Horse Shoe Lake Trail. We were joined by several other people and had a very interesting hike. Along the way we learned all about the plants, animals, and geology that are found in Denali. The trail is a series of inclines and declines, crosses rail tracks, runs along steep cliffs and ends at the side of Horse Shoe Lake.

After this we went to see the park’s sled dogs, learned about how important they are to the work that happens in the park, and watched a brief demo of their talents.

It is a pretty dark, dull, and wet daytime in Alaska, and so some people were exhausted and not in the mood for any more walking. So, the group split up. With half returning to the hotel and half continuing to hike up Mount Healy. The Mount Healy hike was strenuous, and those who participated were sore afterwards. Since it was a wet day the ground was also muddy and the rocks were very slippery resulting in less than ideal hiking conditions and some people falling.

The group that returned to the hotel stayed in a room and discussed many things from mystics to some topics that were very important to us as people.

Later the hiking group came home to the hotel with their stories and sweaty clothing! After showers and some down time to recuperate our energy, we headed out dinner at the Sourdough Trading Company, this restaurant is located at our hotel only a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. They offer an all you can eat salad bar, which many people had, other menu items included burgers, fish & chips, and roast chicken. All was very good and a great value for the money.

When we returned to our hotel with full stomachs we gathered in the lobby to discuss our thoughts for the day and also go over some logistics. The talk is always so calming, focusing, and centering. Tired we all went to bed, ready and eager for a new day; a day of searching.