On Friday we journeyed to Denali National Park for a quick hike up Mt Healy. We used an access trail starting just outside park boundaries so Champ could join the fun. Very nice hike and lots of cool flowers. We then hit the road for the Denali Highway. This 135 mile long mostly gravel road runs east from Healy to Cantwell. At one time it was the only access to the National Park. Most of the land adjoining the road is BLM controlled and there are numerous places to camp. We selected one of the established campgrounds and set up camp by a picturesqe stream. Spotted a moose on the way in and numerous ducks and swans.
Saturday we drove about 75 miles west to McLaren Pass. Spent a few hours hiking to the summit of Mt McLaren and enjoyed the views of the glacier. Spotted a momma moose with two newborn calves. Champ made her a bit uneasy so we stayed our distance. Later we encountered a small caribou herd which we watched for some time. The wind was blowing so that they didn't smell us until they circled around by which time they were pretty close. They then retreated to a small snowfield directly in front of us. All this movement finally got the best of Champ and the chase began. Not sure how long it lasted as they quickly vanished over a ridge and dropped down to a wide open area out of site. It was about thirty minutes before I spotted Champ next. He was a mile away on a lower ridge, just barely visible. Blowing steadily on the dog whistle and waving my arms, I managed to catch his eye and he began the long trip back. He was one tuckered pooch by the time we finished the hike. Of course, we did 11 miles and he did 20! Cooked dinner in a roadside pullout and admired the setting sun. Made it back to the camp at midnight and the sun was still visible. Saw many porcupine on the trip that night, must have been some kind of convention going on.
Next day we moved back to Denali National Park and camped at Riley Creek. Monday we took advantage of the still beautiful weather and climbed Primrose Ridge and Mt. Margaret. 4 miles and 2300 feet above the road. Saw the ongoing forest fire near McGrath. Just as we finished lunch, the weather turned nasty with ominous dark clouds moving in rapidly and thunder and lightening flashes in the distance. To say we ran down the mountain would be accurate. En route we endured a hail storm with heavy wind and rain. At one point the graphite hiking poles carried by David started to vibrate causing us to put on another burst of speed. We reached the relative safety of the road in 50 minutes.
On Friday we journeyed to Denali National Park for a quick hike up Mt Healy. We used an access trail starting just outside park boundaries so Champ could join the fun. Very nice hike and lots of cool flowers. We then hit the road for the Denali Highway. This 135 mile long mostly gravel road runs east from Healy to Cantwell. At one time it was the only access to the National Park. Most of the land adjoining the road is BLM controlled and there are numerous places to camp. We selected one of the established campgrounds and set up camp by a picturesqe stream. Spotted a moose on the way in and numerous ducks and swans.
Saturday we drove about 75 miles west to McLaren Pass. Spent a few hours hiking to the summit of Mt McLaren and enjoyed the views of the glacier. Spotted a momma moose with two newborn calves. Champ made her a bit uneasy so we stayed our distance. Later we encountered a small caribou herd which we watched for some time. The wind was blowing so that they didn't smell us until they circled around by which time they were pretty close. They then retreated to a small snowfield directly in front of us. All this movement finally got the best of Champ and the chase began. Not sure how long it lasted as they quickly vanished over a ridge and dropped down to a wide open area out of site. It was about thirty minutes before I spotted Champ next. He was a mile away on a lower ridge, just barely visible. Blowing steadily on the dog whistle and waving my arms, I managed to catch his eye and he began the long trip back. He was one tuckered pooch by the time we finished the hike. Of course, we did 11 miles and he did 20! Cooked dinner in a roadside pullout and admired the setting sun. Made it back to the camp at midnight and the sun was still visible. Saw many porcupine on the trip that night, must have been some kind of convention going on. 
With the weather staying darn near perfect we joined the Mat-Su Valley Hiking Group for a Sunday afternoon stroll to Redshirt Lake. At the end of a very easy 3 mile walk through mostly birch forest, we arrived at our destination. I had Champ's tennis ball, thinking I might tempt him to actually go deep enough to swim. No dice. Sadie, the chocolate lab, had no such qualms and fetched the ball several times. Champ simply waited till she brought the ball back to shore and 
