From the Top of the World to Down Under: Denali National Park, the Parks Highway and Talkeetna

Our packing list included:

Food
Water
Binoculars
Sweatshirts
Bear Spray
Rifle

Why we left all of this in the car during our short 4 mile hike - I have no idea.

We drove 15 miles into Denali National Park to the end of where the public is allowed to drive. There is a gorgeous river between 2 small hills with a lovely hike next to the river. The clouds were low, with a cool mist in the air. We certainly weren't prepared for the weather, but we bundled up as much as we could. Amaury was snug on Jose in the moby (and soon fell asleep). The trail was relatively flat, rocky and wet. It certainly wasn't difficult, but we did need to watch where we stepped. There were people at the trailhead, but once we got going, we were alone. I was a little nervous, but Jose assured me he would be on strict bear watch. (At this point, one would think - Hey, perhaps we should bring our bear spray!!!)

About 20 minutes into the hike, Jose turns around abruptly and whispers, "Baby, don't move." My heart started racing as I looked up and saw the most gi-normous grizzly bear. He was about half way up the hill - probably 500 yards or so. I started waving my hands and yelling to scare him away. If he was aggressive, he could have been down that mountain in 5 seconds. We were stuck. There is no way we could have out run this thing, especially with our baby in the wet conditions. We were both scared shitless. Then….

the bear walked up the mountain.

Whew!

He hid his head behind a tree (with his butt hanging out - like we couldn't see him.) Then he peaked out again to check us out. I screamed some more before he walked up and away.

I managed to get a shaky picture of this bear.

You can't see me!

Bear stopping one more time to check us out

Once this guy disappeared, we continued on our hike, whistling, clapping and making a fool out of ourselves around every switchback. There were more hikers behind us, so we felt safe with more of us on the the trail.

My favorite part of the hike was talking with the others about their experience hiking in Denali.
"We did a 9 mile hike and saw Dal Sheep!"
"We got caught in a snow squal!"
Jose - "We saw a freakin BEAR!"

Finishing up our hike

At the end of our hike, we spotted some caribou

Hey guys!

Don't mind us!

We passed by the visitor center just in time to see this guy:

The following day, we continued our journey on the Parks Highway towards Anchorage. It was a gorgeous, clear sunny morning. It's the kind of day you live for in Alaska. The snow capped mountains sparkled in the blue sky. Mt. McKinley soared above all the other peaks. I think we stopped about 10 times in an hour to take it all in. Below are about a dozen pictures of all the beauty!

Our last stop was a cute town called Talkeetna. It's a hunting and trapper town that has turned into a hippie hangout and starting point to climb Mt. McKinley. A great brewery, tons of shops and good food. Just what we needed!