Alaska Day 4

I slept better last night. The campground was blissfully quiet. We are in a tent only section which is heavenly. Plus half the sites were empty so there weren’t people around to make noise. There were also plenty of trees surrounding us to make us feel a tad bit separated from others. The cold however did wake me up a few times but I was tired enough that I was able to fall back to sleep with relative ease. That is until six-ish when my bladder woke me up but I was too cold to want to leave my sleeping bag. I tried unsuccessfully to force myself back to sleep until I had no choice but to admit defeat and get up.

When I woke up, it was 39 degrees, so hot chocolates were absolutely necessary to warm us up. We all had a hot breakfast and by the time we finished eating it had warmed to the mid-forties.

Since we are in a national park, going on a hike was mandatory. This morning we opted for the strenuous Mt. Healy Overlook Trail. It was 2.7 mile out and then back and to quote Kati, “t’s just so steep.” That was her mantra on the way to the top. Despite getting both gel and cortisone shots in her knee, she was in a great deal of pain—pain reminiscent of our Pukaskwa trek two summers ago. Still, going slow and steady, she succeeded in making it to the overlook. It was definitely one of the hardest hikes we’ve taken as a family. There were several mentions along the way of Angel’s Landing which we hiked last summer in Zion. The mosquitoes were pesky little buggers, at least for the first half of the hike. It wasn’t until we hit a certain altitude that they left us alone. After about a half hour on the trail the sun increased in intensity and we went from winter to summer in a matter of minutes. I had already shed my wool hat and fleece in the car but I needed to stop to take off my flannel. While the sky was completely clear overhead with just a few white clouds on the horizon, the weather forecast called for rain at mid-day. To be prepared, we all packed our rain jackets in our day packs.

Since Gary is young and spry with joins that still work well he went on ahead of us. He probably covered a mile or two more than we did going out well beyond the overlook. The views from the overlook were breathtaking. We were surrounded by mountains, some with peeks streaked with snow. Down below we could see the river and the visitors center which looked tiny. I’ve been to many national parks and that view was definitely one of the best. As we neared the end of the trail, dark clouds began to gather on the horizon looking mean and ominous and it wasn’t long before we could see rain falling in the distance. The thunder rumbled—loud at first and then louder. We took pictures from the overlook and then immediately began our descent. Standing at the top of a mountain during a storm is not a wise idea.

G3 caught up to us on our way back down and then pushed on ahead. The steep downhill killed my knees far more than the uphill had but they didn’t hurt as badly as Kati’s did. When we were about a mile away from the visitors center I spotted G3 up ahead frantically waving for us to catch up. I interpreted the fact that he was frantic but silent to mean, “Run! I have eyes on a moose.” So I ran and sure enough there was a female moose about ten feet away with her head bent down to eat. I snapped a picture but not a good one; she was mostly obscured by trees. Disappointing. Apparently, Kati, who five second earlier had been hobbling down the trail, also ran, determined to finally see a moose. And after years of questing, when she finally sees a moose, what does she say? “It kind of just looks like a big horse.”

Somehow, luck was on our side and the rain, drenching someone somewhere in the distance, completely missed us. I never looked at the time when we started hiking, but I’m guessing we were on the trail for four-ish hours. By the time we returned to our car we were all famished. Just outside the park is Prospector’s Pizza, so we went there for a late lunch. It’s Alaska. I was not expecting good pizza, but OMG was I surprised. Maybe I was just insanely hungry, but it was one of the best pies outside of Italy and NY that I’ve ever had. We started with a three cheese—mozzarella, provolone, and parmigiana—garlic bread which was essentially a white pie. It was delicious. The cheese pizza was also good but not as good as the appetizer.

After we ate, Kati wanted to take a drive on the Denali Highway, a dirt road that is supposed to have spectacular views and wildlife. However, between lack of sleep at night, full stomachs , a warn car, and sore bodies, the three of us could not keep our eyes open. As soon as we reached the Denali Highway—about a half hour south of where we ate—Kati pulled off the road so we could nap. The rain had finally caught up to us so we wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway. All three of us crashed hard. I have not slept so deeply and soundly since we arrived in Alaska. And we slept for at least an hour, maybe longer.

Once we woke up, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, so we continued our drive. The views were stunning. I have been on many scenic drives in and around other National Parks but every single one paled in comparison to the Denali highway. The mountains were stunning. The tall skinny pines were pretty. And the rivers enhanced the beauty of everything else. Unfortunately, the only wildlife we saw were rabbits running across the road and two bald eagles—one flying and the other hanging out on a sand bar in the middle of the river. We drove about twenty miles before turning around. I love that the sun doesn’t set until after midnight. There is so much more time to see and do things and no rush to beat nightfall. It’s lovely.

The Riley Creek runs through the campground. When we returned, G3 decided he needed to go for a swim because it’s been a couple of days since we showered. Plus, he wanted to be able to say he swam in Alaska. As soon as he reached the water, he submerged his whole body, then jumped up screaming. The water temperature is frigid, but according to G3 it was also refreshing. I would have loved to join him, but I wasn’t sure my much older body would recover from the cold before having to sleep in a cold tent.

It was after ten by the time we got back to our campsite. Anywhere else where it was dark we would have gone straight to sleep. But it was still light. And considering we had taken a very restful nap, we weren’t ready for bed. Therefore, we are now sitting contentedly around a toasty warm fire.