Today Tim and I took the Tundra Wilderness Tour. The Tundra Wilderness Tour is the most popular tour of Denali National Park! This six hour tour takes visitors from Mile 0.75 here in the park out to the Murie Cabin at about Mile 42.5 near the East Fork Bridge at Mile 43. We saw the same incredible scenery but got a narrated history of the park road, and some of the best opportunities to view the park’s wildlife inhabitants without either one of us driving.
Guess what? We saw it again!! Three days in a row! Clouds were beginning to form around it. But we saw it. Now the one thing I was trying to figure out and had answered for me today was how far away is the actual Denali mountain from the vantage point that we are seeing it? Eighty miles (80)!! Now that tells you the volume of just how massive this mountain is. Words and pictures do it no justice. The perspective of what your naked eye sees and what the camera captures is not the same. Then we went around the next turn in the road and it was gone. Just like that!
The Murie Cabin that I mentioned above, where the bus turned around at today, is a historic cabin used by Adolph Murie. Adolph Murie, the first scientist to study wolves in their natural habitat, was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist. This cabin is within site of the wolf track that we saw two days ago. Murie authored many books including, The Wolves of Mount McKinley, a field study of the relationship between wolves and Dall sheep in Mount McKinley National Park (since renamed Denali National Park).
The tour today was informative and interesting. Had planned on taking it on our first day in Denali but when our plans changed we couldn’t change tours. What was so great was hearing from someone who has known the park for many years and knows where the wildlife might be. Our driver also told us many personal stories of his adventures in the park. Loved having the luxury of searching for wildlife without driving. We saw some moose, an eagle and even caribou chilling on snow patches.
Looks like our sunrise and sunsets are expanding. One minute earlier/later each way! So fascinating to monitor that and so glad I decided to keep track of it on this Epic Adventure.
Tim and I are still planning out our day for tomorrow. There could possibly be another bus in the works. LOL Things to consider are weather, logistics of getting to where we want to be and Jett.
Sunset: 12:17 am
Sunrise: 3:40 am
Wildlife viewings:
Moose (2)
Caribou (2)
Dall Sheep
Ptarmigan Family
Golden Eagle
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