My buddy Kevin gave me a book on USA and Canadian State Parks before I left on this trip, and I’m very thankful he did. While skimming its pages, I happened upon Denali State Park, a property just southeast of Denali National Park. Reading through it’s description, I learned that the state park contained very similar habitat to the National Park without the crowds. This sounds appealing to me, as I hear the National Park can get quite crowded. I reserved a campsite in Trapper Creek (middle of BFE) for two nights near the state park entrance so we can explore this section of Alaska thoroughly.
On our way north to the campsite, we decided to take a detour to the town of Talkeetna. This small village acts as a base camp for climbers heading to Denali’s summit, and not much else. We made a pit stop at Denali brewing, and sauntered among the climbing stores, tourist traps, and restaurants. Being pride month, gay flags were flying all over town. It was small and adorable, so I’m thankful we made the stop. After about 2 hours, we continued on.
At Trapper Creek, we’re basically camping at a gas station/hotel/campground/cafe combo. It has a shower and a laundromat on site as well, so we’re very excited. Having some time to kill before bed, we decide to walk around the area and see what’s around. There is one additional store… Wal Mikes. It basically looks like a hoarder selling random shit for ridiculously high prices. Need a razor? $15 for one. Need a pad of notebook paper? $12. The one item that catches our attention is an entire human hand and wrist in a jar of alcohol. Just writing about it now makes me want to puke… The skin was sloughing off, and a large “not for sale” sticker was adorning it’s stand. So gross. I look at Cas, and we immediately and simultaneously decide to leave at that moment.
After a decently quiet night with only limited mosquito issues, we head north to Denali State Park to hike a bit. We want to see Mt. Denali, and reading about it suggests that it’s commonly covered with clouds, hiding its craggy peak from view. At around ~20,000 feet, it will be the tallest mountain I have ever laid eyes on. I’m excited.
The hike I picked was at random. Just looked at a map in the state park book and chose one that seemed close and reasonable. Truth be told, we got incredibly lucky. The hike we picked, Curry Ridge, was one of the best hikes I’ve done on this entire trip. Good distance (~6 miles total) good elevation changes (~1000 feet up over 3 miles) and awesome views. It was pretty much just us and 2 other women on the trail. I could not have asked for anything else! Plus, we got some awesome views of Denali. We tried a few more hikes at the state park, but none were as perfect as Curry Ridge.
On the drive back to Trapper Creek, we spotted a moose for Cas! First one! She was pretty stoked! I have to say, I expected to see more wildlife in the area of the state park, but didn’t see much there at all. Too many people maybe? Or perhaps hunting is allowed? I have no idea.
When we got back to our campsite, we conducted laundry, took a much needed shower, and prepared ourselves for Denali National Park. Cas loves biking, so we decide to rent bikes and ride into the National Park on the main road. If you don’t know about the park, it’s basically a 90ish mile dirt road that travels into the heart of the park. One way in, one way out. You can drive your personal car about 15 miles in, but after that you have to pay for a park bus to take you farther. We decide to take the free bus to mile 15, then ride our rented bikes deeper into Denali. You know, get the full immersion experience. We hear stories of grizzlies and moose adorning the roads at every corner. We’re prepared for adventure, and a little nervous of what we’ll find.
We found a shop right near the entrance of the park that rents bikes. $42 for a full day? Hell ya! The 17 yr old boys give us our bikes and helmets, and take basically zero information from us. No drivers license, don’t have to pay upfront… And they look incredibly stoned. One kid is just smiling and nodding his head when we ask questions. He’s useless… The other one is trying to help us get going, but it takes him a lot of fumbling to get things together. No matter. We have decent bikes at a great price. We’re ready to ride!
Ok, mile one, and my ass hurts. Bad. How the fuck do people do this?? Cas tries to wrap her jacket around my seat, but it’s no use. I’m sitting on what feels like a vagina clamp. It’s awful. We find a free park bus with bike openings (only 2 per bus) and head west into the park. At mile 15, known as the Savage River, we’re dropped off next to a caribou and tons of tourists. We start our trek farther west straight uphill for the next 3 miles. After those 3 miles, I pretty much hate life. I can’t sit anymore, I’m sweating bullets, and I’m seriously second guessing this sport. Cas sees my pain, and feels bad, but there’s nothing she can do. We’re alone on a dirt road heading into serious wilderness.
As far as wildlife, we see a rock ptarmigan and her chicks clucking across the road. Unable to figure out the pronunciation of ptarmigan, we decide to call them “Parmesans.” We also spot some seriously beautiful wild flowers. Other than that, nothing. The panorama is open, vast, and desolate. You feel very alone while biking in such open terrain. I’m still unable to sit, and still hating life, but I don’t plan on quitting. Cas loves biking, and I’m going to try my darndest to do this for her.
After 15 miles on the bike, I can’t do anymore. We decide to stop and catch a bus back to the car. We’re told you can catch any bus headed back into civilization. Well that sounds lovely, but 3 buses have passed and they are chalk full. I really, really really hope we aren’t stuck 30 miles out in Denali…. After waiting around an hour, we finally find a bus with 2 open seats! Praise Baby Jesus! We ride back to civilization, and get me to the visitor center right before they close so I can get my national park stamp in my passport. As we leave, we hit the bathroom, knowing we’ll probably be sleeping in a parking lot somewhere. Out of nowhere, in the bathroom, we run into one of Cas’ friends who has just attempted to summit Denali. What are the odds! We decide to do dinner with her and her wife to hear about the climb.
We meet Cas’ friend at a cute bistro near the park and have some amazing food, great beer, and hear a pretty incredible story about her attempt at Denali. She, and a handful of other women veterans attempted the climb, but were turned around only 300 ft (in elevation) away from the summit due to the weather. Super impressive, but too intense for me. Plus I hate heights.
After leaving dinner, we head to Healy, AK. This is where the book “Into the Wild” ends with a young man entering the wild, and never returning. We stay at a roadside rest stop here, and I can’t help but turn the Kindle on and reread some sections of the book. I wonder what he was thinking when he realized he couldn’t get back out of the woods due to a flooded river. I think about Chris McCandless a lot that night. While I would never be as reckless as him, I definitely know what he was feeling. The same emotions that pushed me to take the trip were probably similar to what gave him “itchy feet” to travel constantly and prove that he could survive in the wilderness. I feel a sense of sadness being here. Happy to be moving on tomorrow.
