Day 16-17: Into the Wild

Rocky Lake State Recreation Site >> Denali National Park
252 miles ridden/4 hours
A pair of reindeer at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
A pair of reindeer at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska

Setting up camp in Denali National Park, I saw the first one-person tent other than my own, which astounded me more than if I’d been able to see the Kremlin from former governor Sarah Palin’s hometown.

Based on the stateswoman’s claim, I had been excited at the prospect of seeing Russia – a mere 700 miles west – while driving through Wasilla today. After all, being 341 feet above sea level would provide an excellent vantage point, despite the many, many trees and the mountain range between her city of residence and our neighbors across the Bering Strait.

However, having driven through Wasilla and being unable to see anything other than my immediate surroundings, I was disappointed the experience didn’t live up to the hype… After all, it was unthinkable a politician would misrepresent the facts, and in light of this, my belief in our government has been irreparably shaken.

Visible only about a third of the year, Denali (or Mount McKinley) in Alaska is the tallest mountain peak in North America, at 20,310 feet.
Visible only about a third of the year, Denali (or Mount McKinley) in Alaska is the tallest mountain peak in North America, at 20,310 feet

At the Denali Visitor Center, where among other things you can get a bus pass or a wilderness camping permit, I felt like I was standing in line for a ride at Disneyworld while waiting to buy a ticket for one of the park buses that take visitors into the park the next day. (For the most part in Denali National Park, private vehicles aren’t allowed past a 15-mile point beyond which park vehicles give scheduled tours.)

Walking back to my campsite from the visitor center and in-park general store, the father of a family I passed offered me a boiled dinner: chicken, potato and corn wrapped in tin foil. I know I’m thin, but either I’ve lost more weight than I could have imagined already or food really is the tie that binds us. With a frequency only eclipsed by rainy days, complete strangers were offering me home cooked meals, giving credence to the very definition of “comfort food.”

Full and satisfied again thanks to the kindness of strangers, I spent the evening writing postcards and planning the next day’s hike. In case anyone back home was thinking of visiting, I thought it worth mentioning the biggest bait-and-switch I’d ever encountered: All over Alaska, it’s “Go see Mount McKinley” this and “Be amazed at beautiful Mount McKinley” that, and it’s only once you get into the park – having paid various fees for access – do the disclaimers start coming in waves that America’s tallest peak is only visible one-third of the year at best. Quite a marketing campaign they’ve got going here…

Covering more than 6 million acres, Denali National Park is America’s third-largest park. It’s slightly less than half the size of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve located in southeastern Alaska, the country’s largest. But while Wrangell covers a greater area, Denali has the height advantage: it’s home to Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America (20,310 feet) whereas Mount St. Elias, the second-highest point in the U.S. and Canada, is about 2,000 feet shorter.

When I mentioned to friends back home I was planning to explore Denali National Park, inevitably they’d ask: “Like ‘Into the Wild’?” No, not like “Into the Wild,” goddammit, I don’t plan on dying out here!

As it turned out, I’d only be dipping my toe in the shallow end of all Denali National Park has to offer anyway. Seats on the morning buses – which go to the end of the 91-mile Denali Park Road – were sold out. Instead of sticking around for another day, I drove 15 miles to the end of the publicly accessible stretch, parked at the Savage River check station – past which only permitted vehicles are allowed – and did some hiking nearby.

This area is cradled between the mountains that comprise the Alaska Range, so there’s a decent sightline of the vast, flat expanse from the road… So much for “getting away from it all” on a day hike. Nonetheless, I made the most of my time in the semi-wilderness by stalking some elk for photos, then went back to camp to prep for the next day’s ride to Fairbanks.