our first full day

Saturday, Day 2
so despite a restless night's sleep, we still had plenty of energy our first morning. we had come for outdoor adventure, and we were determined to get as much in as we could! this particular bed and breakfast was a little lacking in the "breakfast" department. we ate a bowl of cereal from the tiny cupboard and mini fridge. then we threw on some "outdoorsy" clothes and headed out onto the patio. the air was cool and silent. the house was perched on top of a steep, wooded hill above the lake, and we could see the dock below us. we made our way down. the lake was glassy and calm. two loons screamed from across the way as we pulled the paddleboat over toward the dock. we were greeted with a boat bottom full of water. i clambored back up the hill and retrieved one of our cereal bowls. marc's attempts at bailing out the boat lasted all of 30 seconds. we took off our shoes and entered the teetering boat barefoot. we set out across the lake toward the view of the distant mountains. as the loons continued their morning song, we quickly learned the reason for Echo Lake's name. we decided to give it a try ourselves. marc made a small noise and it bounced back to us in glorious, crystal clear echoes. i've never heard anything like it. we tried several more sounds before deciding to just enjoy the solitude of the lake in the early morning. the water was fairly clear and we could see small clams scattered over the lake bottom. most were cracked open slightly with the white animals gushing out of the sides. i was intrigued by this. we didn't see any fish, save the three small, silver achovy-ish ones that lay on the bottom as though they were dead--a little mystery in itself. about an hour and 50 pictures later, our legs began to tire from their morning workout. we headed back to the dock and stowed the boat. on our way up to the house, we noticed large animal pellets right off of the patio. this would be our first of many moose poop sightings. fresh poop equals nearby animals. i would later learn that this is not so exciting when it is bear scat. we showered, dressed, rearranged the contents of our over-stuffed suitcases, and made our way to load the car. next stop, Denali! the drive would take about 4 hours. we had no idea that we would soon turn a bend in the road and see the most magnificent mountain LOOMING thousands of feet into the clouds. if we had know this drive would be our only chance to see mt. mckinley over the next few days, we definitely would have parked the car and soaked in every minute of it. however, we drove onward, catching glimpses of its enormous peak every few miles. we were amazed at its sheer size each and every time. regrettably, the only photos we have of this great mountain are in my head.

halfway into the drive, we decided to stop and try to get some photos of the surrounding mountain ranges. we parked off the side of the road and tromped into the trees. it was here that we first discovered two facts about alaska. 1) if you want to walk off of the beaten path, you just might need a machete. the beaten path is usually there for a reason. and 2) the mosquitoes are the size of birds and come in vast quantities. these two facts made our outdoor visit very short-lived. we couldn't see much in the way of mountain views anyhow. we went back to the car, but soon realized we had been followed by a thick swarm of blood hawks. we spent the next several minutes killing mosquitoes INSIDE the car. no more impetuous stops for us. we drove the last leg of the trip and finally arrived at denali national park and preserve. when we stopped to pick up our bus tickets for the next day, i noticed a posted schedule for the sled dog presentation. i also noticed a trail map with a perfect little trail leading right to it. taking the shuttle to the kennels was not an option in my book. the show started in an hour, and the map claimed it would take about an hour to hike there, so we put on our jackets and water packs and got a move on. you might very well say that i galloped a lot of the way there. i feel like a kid when i'm outside in the mountians. aspen and birch trees enveloped the trail, and the smell of fresh pine belted me in the face. the loose gravel crunched under our feet as we shot our way down the trail. in the blur of passing tress, we were able to spot several bear claw marks in the white bark. we even ran alongside a giant snowshoe hare as it went bounding through the forest. we were glad we had worn shorts as we broke our first sweat of the trip. we arrived at the kennels with 10 minutes to spare, so we walked around to meet some of the dogs. we chuckled at all of the "tourists" who were bundled from head to toe. maybe the shuttle was cold. :) the presentation was interesting and we got to watch the ranger run a pack of dogs around a track. they are quite fast! we snapped a few pictures and began our journey back. repeat the glorious trail run in reverse. we got to the car and proceeded to drive 12 miles into the park--the farthest point which you can go without using the park buses. the stop was at the savage river. we got out to hike and an incredible trail took us down the edge of the river. at the trail bridge, we left the path and climbed into the rocks. hidden snow patches and larger mountains rose above us. one snow bank dripped waterfalls into the noisy river below. marcus decided to have a taste. he filled a tiny water bottle that we had brought and we both took a sip. it was icy cold and you could taste the sediment from the bottom of the river that had been churned up as it flowed over the rocks. i TRIED to just live in the moment, but my hypochondriac brain had me worrying about river diseases the second i took a drink. sometimes my thoughts ruin a perfect situation. regardless, i can say that i have tasted alaskan mountain water. our hiking adventure lasted about two hours. by this point, it was almost 8:00. it is so easy to lose track of time there with that crazy sun! we drove out of the park and checked into our hostel that was about 15 minutes down the road. we had a charming little cabin to ourselves. the bottom level held a tiny kitchenette and, up the narrowest staircase known to man, there sat a wooden loft with our bed and some chairs. we were pleased. rustic yet clean. we had a shower and then walked across the highway to a small pizza pub. at 10pm we had a beer on the patio and ate voraciously in the shadow of the big mountains behind our hostel. exhausted, we crashed into bed around 11. and thus ended our second day.

Pictures, Day 2

~heading down to the dock~

~the early morning lake~

~loon~

~bailing the boat with a cereal bowl~

~enter mosquitoes~

~en route to denali~

~proof that we were there~

~trail to the kennels~

~bear claws!! yikes!!~

~dog~

~just off of the savage river trail~

~getting a drink~

~cozy cabin~

~beer and pizza~