Denali Diary

September 5, 2007

Denali Diary entry, Cassidy

I woke up at 7 O’clock and got ready to go on a shuttle bus. When we were all ready to go, we all got in the car and went to the Wilderness Access Center (WAC). We, Teslin, and me got Junior Ranger programs for us to do and then we got on the bus at 8:30. The bus driver was very nice. The destination was Fish Creek, about 45 miles into the Park. We drove for about 2 hours and then someone spotted a Dall Sheep. We looked at it for a little bit and then continued. (On the whole ride we saw about 35 sheep!) We drove for a little bit and then we saw some more Dall sheep. They were just little dots on hills! From then on whenever we saw Dall Sheep we only took a glance at them before moving on. After a while we stopped at a ranger station and everyone said: “ Good morning Ranger Ellen!” That was kind of funny. “Ranger Ellen” talked to all of us for a bit about animals and other stuff and then we went on our way. In a little bit, we came across a big tent with different stuff in side of it. I stayed in the bus, and Teslin and Mom went inside so Teslin could get a Junior Ranger badge. Then we continued for Fish Creek. In about 15 miles, we were pretty near Fish Creek. We saw 6 Willow Ptarmigan in some shrubs on the way!

On the way back it was spectacular for animals and for scenery. We saw 4 Moose, 4 Caribou, 3 Grizzly bears (a sow and 2 cubs), 1 red fox, 3 Golden Eagle (!!!!!), 1 Northern Harrier, and a ton of Dall Sheep. Golden Eagle and Willow Ptarmigan were both life birds for me.

When we got back to the WAC, we got in our car and drove back to our camper. Then Teslin and I rode our bikes for a while and then ate dindin. After dinner we (me, Mom, and Teslin) went to a sled dog presentation at the campground amphitheater. It was very cool!!! After that, we met some people from Australia who had rented a camper and were traveling through Alaska, from Denali up to Fairbanks and down to Valdez and then flying to a wedding in New Jersey. Then we came back home and I wrote in my journal for a little while then ate some yummy cereal. After that, I brushed my teeth and hit the sack! It was so cold that I had to stick my down sleeping bag under the covers to keep warm (it was pretty cozy!). It got down to 30 degrees during the night.