Denali National Park - Alaska and Points North: Tips and Tales from the Road - page 132

Taiga and tundra and tiny alpine flowers bravely stage their short-term shows. Caribou sur-
vive the winter by nibbling on rock-hugging lichens that look like no more than mould
spores. And powerful grizzlies, Alaska's apex predator bulk up for winter on a diet of ber-
ries and grass. Sounds more like a weight loss plan to me but they manage to consume up
to 35,000 calories a day.
In terms of weather, Denali was cold and wet. It poured with rain at least half the time we
were there. We met a Scout troop from the lower 48 who had flown to Anchorage then had
a bus drop them at a south-end trailhead with their camping gear. They were planning to
hike 45 km/ 28 mi through the backcountry. The first night they made it 6 km /4 mi in.
Duringthenighttheyweredelugedwithrain.Everything rightdowntothebottomsoftheir
packs was soaked. So rather than keep going wet they hiked back out and got a ride to the
campground. I met them at the Mercantile where they were drying all their gear in the laun-
dromat. Once their stuff was dry they were going to set up in the campground rather than
head back out into the wilderness.
That night, with the rain once again beating tom toms on the roof of the van I thought about
the Scouts, their fearless leaders and the one mom who'd dared to tag along. Guess they
got wet again.