Weather: 

Morning- Clear and Cold (ice on tent)
Afternoon- Pleasant, Sunny, around 60 degrees Fahrenheit
Evening- Cloudy with bedtime Showers

  Journal Entry:

Wow, it was really cold this morning. There was not so much ice on the tent because there was not much rain last night but the condensation from our breath had frozen on the tent. We realized because the morning was so crisp and clear we might be able to get a clear view of Mt. Denali (McKinley). We had a quick breakfast of oatmeal and a ton of hot coffee and then were off. Our plan was to hike along the side of the mountain across the valley following the side into the gap between this mountain and Divide Mountain. 

First, we had to cross the river. Christina wore her Tevas to wade across (thigh deep) across and I was able to use my walking stick to pole-vault the river. Then, we were up on the mountain moving diagonally towards the gap. It was steep but good going across good dry tundra mixed in with rotten rock (loose large rocks) where rockslides had gone through. Looking up towards the top of the mountain we spotted several large birds circling. Using our binoculars we were able to identify them as Bald Eagles.  There were lots of ups and downs as we crossed the arms of the mountains but we made steady progress until we came to a deep gulch which forced us down to almost ground level. Regrouping, we started up again. 

 

On the way, we saw lots of little ground holes with little piles of scat around them.  We also kept hearing these chirping noises that almost sounded like little birds but we could see  no birds. Finally, we spotted something scurrying across the slope and into a hole.  It was an Arctic Ground Squirrel.  Sort of like the squirrels you see around the United stated but with a big fat belly. 

 

Finally, we made it the gap. At first we could not see Denali and we were really disappointed. When I heard Christina give out a yell, I freaked thinking we were under attack from a bear but it was Mt. Denali (21,000 feet tall) in full view. We decided to hike higher out of the gap to the top of a mountain (5,900 feet tall) to try get an even better view. We made it to the top of this pyramid type mountain and sat to marvel at the Magnificence of Mt. Denali.  I noticed on the far side of this mountain (1 foot away) was a cliff that when we studied it more closely dropped straight down for about 2,000 feet. We moved back away from the edge a bit and sat to enjoy the biggest mountain either of us had ever seen and eat lunch. It was majestic. 

We finished our lunch and hiked back down towards the gap. We hoped to cross down the other side of the mountain and catch a bus out towards Wonder Lake to get a better view of the mountain. We followed a small creek down towards unit 10. It was steep going with lots of rocky outcrops. We spotted a Dall sheep's horn along the river.  Since Dall Sheep keep their horns forever, this meant that it had come from a dead sheep. A little further on, we were heading into the bushes when a Caribou with huge Antlers busted out of the trees only about 15 feet away from us.  All three of us; Christina, myself, and the Caribou were shocked and just stood looking at one another for about thirty seconds. Finally, I waved my hands and yelled and the Caribou turned and went off to the side about three feet and started eating. We snuck off to the side down towards the gravel and riverbed below. It was tough going as we came into willow hammocks and low shrubs. 

Finally, we made it to the river. It was easy walking on the dry short tundra along the sides of the river but it soon became apparent we were going to have to cross the river. Christina had her Tevas but I only had my boots so we searched long and hard for a place we could cross by jumping from rock to rock. No luck. I finally had to cross in my boots. It was fast flowing, ice cold, and knee deep. Christina held on for dear life and we made it. I was soaked and miserable. 

Finally, we made it to the road and got picked up by a bus after just a short wait. Dick, our driver was a funny but helpful guy. He turned up the heat in the back and let me pick my socks and boots back there to dry. We just took the bus to Eielson Visitor Center (mile 66)  because it was getting late (4:45). On our ride, the diversity of the land in this park was really apparent. Each unit seemed to have it's own unique land formations, plants, and animals. When we arrived at Eielson Visitor Center we were able to use the bathroom (ah, indoor plumbing) and catch glimpses of the lower half of Denali. The top half was clouded in but you could really get a better, bigger view of Denali from this much closer.

After a short 5-minute stay at Eielson, we had to catch the last bus back to the Toklat River. We saw several Harriers. These birds are in the hawk family and are able to take off straight up in to the air.  As we approached the Toklat River we also spotted a glimpse of a moose running into the woods. 

It was now 6:30 PM and we were worried about getting back to camp before it got dark at 10 PM. Our driver knew of another route down to the river so she dropped us off and we walked down a small drainage and made it to the river. Unfortunately, the river came in close to a cliff and was impassable. We had to go up the side of a cliff again. The footing in the ashy, clayish mud was slippery but relatively stable and even though we had to go very high we made it with few scares.

We were exhausted but we had to walk back to our camp (3 miles) as quickly as we could because it was getting near dark and we only had a few hours to spare. We made it. What a great day of hiking from sun up to sun down (approximately 14 hours). After a quick dinner of hot chocolate and instant soup we hit the sack and did not stir until morning.