Wed. June 23: Marv and I enjoyed being able to sleep in a bit and, after instant oatmeal and coffee, we met Ann and Shelby for a hike. The lodge area is quite big and sprawling, laid out in a large figure 8, and most of the 2.5 miles of trails are unfortunately on or along the pavement. The longest woodlands trail is closed right now for maintenance and because a mama moose is wandering it with her calf. So we started out by following the park road about a mile and a half down to the Tulkitna River (most river names end with ‘’na” because it is the Athanascan word for river). The hike back up was more rigorous by far! Back up at the top we took the Hill Trail, which isn’t paved and goes through the woods. It had some interpretive signs and a couple of seats with overlooks of the mountains. It was very pleasant and felt more like a hike. On our return we stopped by the 20320 Grill for lunch. We all had their famous salmon chowder, which has big chunks of smoked salmon, potatoes and corn and is a little bit spicy. It was delicious! I had the salmon wrap and Marv had the veggie Panini and we each kept half to finish for dinner. We loaded up books and electronics and went to the lodge deck. Settled into chairs overlooking the mountain, we prepared to while away the afternoon, relaxing and waiting for the elusive mountain to show her beauty.
It was sunny and warm enough that we eventually had to move into some shade. Shelby went to take a nap while the rest of us kept vigil, reading, computing and chatting with people doing the same things. When it was nearly 5:30 we went back to the room to get together our leftovers and crackers and tuna for supper, still without seeing any sign of Denali. A state park ranger named Molly was doing a program in the theater downstairs in the lodge about climbing Denali. It was very enjoyable and informative. When she finished we went up on the deck to eat. There were now dark clouds over even the close mountains that seemed to be raining. We returned to the theater to hear Molly’s second program about myths of Alaska. It was more informal but equally enjoyable. Afterwards, Ann and I went up to look at a map of the State Park to see if it had camping, etc. When I glanced out the big windows overlooking the deck, I realized that things were looking very different out there and I could clearly see the near mountains and some snowy peaks behind them. We rushed out and spent the next hour or so watching Denali slowly reveal herself out of the clouds. A big crowd gathered to watch and share binoculars and stories. It was really wonderful to experience on our first trip to Alaska!! To add to our pleasure, Ann found out that the Lodge Loop trail was now open, so we took a leisurely stroll along it, which afforded other perspectives and views of Denali. We came out near the 20320 Grill and could easily take the short, paved south trail that goes through a large, manmade, water feature called Wilderness Creek. As we considered another dip in the hot tubs we realized it was 10:00 so we headed back to our rooms to pack the bags, which have to go in the hallway at 7:00 L tomorrow.
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