This Past Week

Every day is postworthy. Therefore, here's a concise summary of the past week, my last week up here in Denali. Today I'll be packing my bags, then making the drive up to Fairbanks tomorrow morning, and flying to Kalispell, Montana Tuesday morning where the next adventure awaits.


After seeing my first grizzly on our trails in two summers, I finished up with the tour and went to watch it some more, where my a few of the younger locals I work with were gearing up to take it down. I had to go set up for another tour, but two minutes into the ride our first unscheduled stop was the grizzly lying on the side of the road.



This is from my last trip up the extended trail on Wednesday morning. Warm people and warm colors have filled this week that has been full of lasts, at least for now.



I took a free two hour shuttle ride into the park on Wednesday also. It's Moose rutting season, and we watched this bull pursue to young cows. The bus was rooting him on, but after getting up on his hinds and going for it, she ran out from under him, she was having none of it with a full audience on the road.



Thursday I got to go on a helicopter ride around the park. First time in a helicopter. It's strange how able we are now to see wilderness from such extreme and unnatural angles. I think there's an art to still enjoying it the old-fashioned way, on foot and with a pack on the back, but it takes a little more patient effort.

A little rough draft of sorts for the next few months: Spend a week in Glacier National Park doing dishes in exchange for a bed and meals, driving west to Portland through Mizzoula, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, and whatever else is on the way. Spend time there, then up to Bellingham, WA and the Seattle area, then see if I can land a job somewhere in the Northwest for a few months. We'll see how it goes.