Alaska’s Denali National Park, Pioneer in Conservation

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We didn’t know what to expect day to day during the land portion of our Alaskan Cruise.  All we knew was that our tour leader Guy was going to take excellent care of us and show us the best of what Alaska has to offer.

Taking part in the Follow Me At Sea Press Trip presented by Princess Cruises, we had access to every tour and excursion that anyone could imagine taking part in.  We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to take part in dream adventures such as flights over Mount McKinley, helicopter rides over the Juneau Ice Field and racing through the inside passage of the Tongass National Forest.  But we also had the chance to learn about the history of America’s most exciting state.

To Find out more about our other adventures, Check out Isabelles Travel Guide for our round up.

The Landscape of Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali National Park Tour

One of the most informative and interesting trips that we took was a bus ride through Denali National Park.

It could have been one big yawn fest driving for four hours on a lonesome road somewhere in the middle of Alaska, but our bus driver Doug, was captivating and entertaining.

Founded in 1917 by a group of pioneers and visionaries concerned with over hunting of the native Dall Sheep, Denali National Park grew considerably over the years and now has an area of over six million acres. Denali is larger than the state of New Hampshire.

Cabins, like these, still exist scattered around Denali National Park

Little has changed in almost a century.  Park Rangers still patrol by dogsled, log cabins are still used as shelter and traffic is limited into the park with only one road leading in and one road leading out.

We watched an excellent 18 minute film telling the story of Denali’s roots and how it came to be. I found it entertaining and very interesting.  I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it so much, but this film is an excellent documentary.

The best way to see Denali National Park is on the bus

Private vehicles can venture into Denali National Park, but they are only allowed in as far as the 14 mile marker. The rest of the trip must be taken by bus, bicycle or on foot.  It is an excellent way to keep human impact low on the park.

We enjoyed learning about the plants of the area. I never thought I would be so enthralled with plants, but Doug’s passion made me passionate.  We held on to his every word as he explained what moss, tress and flowers could be used for medicinal purposes.

You can make an entire salad out of weeds here in Denali – Blue Bell and Fireweed are completely edible.

The Blue bell's are edible. Salad anyone?

Try some Colts Foot in a tea to clear the lungs.

Have some Valarien to relax.

Relax with some Valarien flower

Did you cut yourself during a hike? Horse Lychan will clear that up. It is natures Neosporin.

Just be sure to know what you are doing before you eat anything. Some plants can be very poisonous.

As we drove, we saw some wildlife in the distance. We spotted some Caribou and a few birds.  I can understand why the wildlife doesn’t frequent the area. It is the only road going through the park so they probably stay away.  Liz from Travelogged ventured farther into the park the following day and saw more wildlife including bears.  She suggests taking the 8 hour tour of Denali.

Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley appears on the horizon.

The highlight of the day was definitely spotting the summit of Mount McKinley. Known by its Athabaskan name in Alaska, Denali means the High One. At  6,194 metres (20,320 feet) it is North America’s highest peak.  It is shrouded in cloud most of the year, but we managed to capture a beautiful shot as it peaked out from the clouds.

We didn’t care for the staged performers that waited for us at checkpoints in the park, but we did thoroughly enjoy Doug’s passion for the land and for the environment.

Our Native Athabaskan Guide

Our least favorite moment of the day came when an Athabaskan Native guide talked about hunting bears in their dens during hibernation. I can completely understand why his ancestors took this right of passage; to feed their families during the long cold winters.  But to hunt a sleeping, helpless bear in cold blood in today’s day and age when food is readily available is something that I can never understand.

It was during our drive home that I started to listen to our driver Doug speak as I was dozing off.  His words gently took me out of my daze as he talked calmly about preservation and conservation.

It was an interesting contrast to hear Doug’s point of view compared to the other guide.  Something I respect about the National Park and Princess Cruises for, they give both sides of the story for the passenger to decide who they agree with.

Denali National Park is still wilderness. We should never forget that.

When trekking into nature, we have to remember that we are the visitors.  We must learn how to be careful when hiking out into the wild Alaskan Wilderness.  Make a lot of noise, hang your food away from your tent, don’t keep food in your tent and know what to do when you spot wildlife such as a bear.

Up until last year there hadn’t been an attack by a Grizzley for 93 years. Humans and nature have co-extisted beautifully here.  But that all changed with new gun legislation.  For some crazy reason the government has allowed tourists to carry guns into the National Park to protect themselves.

Now instead of taking the proper precautions, people are feeling over confident and just last year a Grizzly Bear was shot and killed.

For our part, we will continue to enjoy our national parks here and Canada around the world gun free.

There is nothing more fulfilling than enjoying nature up close and personal and we look forward to coming back to Alaska and spending several days in this untouched and magnificent park.

While the tour was interesting and informative, there is nothing better than stepping out of the tour bus and getting out from behind the glass and actually exploring a great park like Denali on foot.

We can’t wait to come back to Alaska.

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Canoe Algonquin Park, Canada’s Wilderness

It is a badge of honor for anyone living in Ontario, Canada to canoe Algonquin Park.  High Schools students can’t wait for their year end trip, cub scouts troops venture out to explore its tributaries and dad’s around the province take their sons and daughters out for a week of bonding on one of the many routes within the 2000 km of optional waterways.

Our Canoe's Greet us at the Dock

Algonquin Park is a dream for the beginner or an avid canoe tripper.

Dave and I took our first canoe adventure together with our friends Ken and Marcia. Ken was planning a trip on the Yukon River and asked us to come along.  It was a training trip and trial run for the mighty Yukon and what a great way to prepare.

We paddled for ten glorious days in the Canadian Wilderness starting at Lake Opeongo.  Ken planned the routes, booked out campsites and set up our canoe rentals with Opeongo Outfitters. Our canoes were dropped off at a dock on the lake and we were off to explore our provinces wild north.

It was our first time attempting a multi-day paddle and there was a lot of research involved.  Packing was the main issue, especially food. Our friend Rich was an avid paddler and contributor to Canoe Routes Magazine.  We took advantage of his vast knowledge and took notes when he told us what we would need.

Mom and Baby Moose in Algonquin

Our first purchase was a bear barrel.  Algonquin park is filled with wildlife and we needed to protect our food not only from the dangers of being visited by a black bear, but to keep it safe from pesky raccoons that just love to open boxes and take off with tasty treats. Each night we would secure our food inside and hang it from a high tree branch.

Fuel for cooking was also a necessity. We could make fires in the park, but a good camping stove is essential and we bought am MSR multifuel stove. It was excellent. It boils water quickly and cooks food to perfection. We were able to control the level of the flame and could actually simmer our food. It wasn’t needed on this trip, but we decided to go for a stove that burns all types of fuel. You never know when you will be camping somewhere and all they have is kerosene available.

Deb Playing around after a long day

After a long day of paddling and portaging, food is the highlight of any trip, and we ate like kings.  After ample research of the best food to bring, we made sure to have an endless supply of delicious treats.  Every night was a feast eating rice, beans, lentils and pasta. We went to an Indian market and bought several packets of excellent curries, bhindi, korma, and masala’s.  Their packaging is perfect for cooking.  All you have to do is boil the packets and pour them over your rice for instant healthy, hearty and tasty meals.

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There was a wide variety of food and drink. We had coffee and tea in the mornings and hot chocolate at night.  Cheese strings and chocolates, sandwiches and trail mix were on hand during the day.  Even breakfast varied ranging from eggs to pancakes to powdered milk with granola.

It seems that for every adventure that we go on, we focus more on our stomachs than anything else.

The canoeing is very relaxed in Algonquin Park.  The water is calm and if you pick the right route, you won’t see other people for days.  We spotted otters, moose and herons, and one evening we even had a visit from a bear.  A mistake I made by throwing our rotting pepperettes into the fire before going to bed.

After we had all turned in for the night, I had to go to the loo and as I was walking to the outhouse I thought I heard someone by the fire.  When I shouted out who was there, no one answered but a grunt. I ran back to the tent to get Dave and Ken and we all spent a good half hour banging our paddles and yelling and screaming to scare it off.  Eventually we heard a splash and assumed that it had swam away.

I then proceeded to lay awake all night long infuriated with Dave for sleeping so soundly after such a scare from that hungry bear.

Ken chose a tough route and we tackled the longest portage in the entire park. The final portage of our 10 days of paddling was the portage overland from Opeongo Lake to Dickson Lake. We carried our canoes, tents, packs and the rest of our food for 5.3 Km from lake to lake.  We all ended up walking 7,5 km that day using the Portage and a half technique.

All four of us set out together carrying a load to the half way mark.  Two people continue on as the others drop their packs and turn around to go back for the remaining gear.  Once the two of us that have continued on reach the other lake, we go back for the gear left in the middle of the trail and pick up the remaining packs meeting up with the others that have now gone back for the gear and are continuing on.  It is complicated but works very well at cutting km’s off of the walk.

It was late in the summer and the nights were cold.  We even awoke one morning to a slight blanket of snow.  Our trusty  North Face Roadrunner 2 tent kept us warm though.  It’s low profile and tough exterior kept the heat in and we slept in our tuques,(Canadian for winter hat) wool socks and long johns with our sleeping bags pulled up over our noses.

I highly recommend a trip to Algonquin Park if you are looking for a leisurely canoe trip.  There is very little white water, the views are incredible.  You can hike through the pine forest, swim in the pristine lakes, sunbathe on a beach or climb to the high look out and view a panoramic display of a park that is larger in area than Banff National Park in area and greener than anywhere you will see on earth.

So buy a map and plan your route. Book your camp sites, rent your canoe and go out and explore Canada’s  Wild North.

Ken and Marcia

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