Tuesday July 12: Seward had another highlight to offer for us: a glacier cruise in Northwestern Fjord. On the way to the fjord, we saw humpback whales, stellar sea lions (on the endangered list), dall purpoise, white-sided dolphins (very rare) and tons of birds. We laughed at the comical puffins (pic1), small black-and-white birds with orange parrot-like peaks. These stocky birds are excellent divers but poor flyers; they stuff themselves with fish to a point where they're too fat to fly, and we saw several puffins trying to take off from the water surface only to crash into the face of a wave.
Once we reached the end of Northwestern Fjord, we were awestruck. Several tidewater glaciers pour down their blue masses into the iceberg-laden water from all sides. The biggest one (pic2) has given the fjord its name. Every once in a while, a piece of ice will break off and crash into the water - this is called calving and we saw some impressive examples. A harbor seal came by to visit and eyed us curiously. We stood on deck for a while admiring this harsh beauty, braving the icy air. Then it was time to turn back.
We had been somewhat lucky with the weather - it was overcast and cool but didn't rain for the first part of the day. On the way back, the clouds moved in and it started to rain. This weather is quite typical for this area, since the Kenai Fjords are technically a temperate rainforest.

We were now leaving the Kenai Peninsula to make our way north. We stopped at the Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage. This bay is known for its bore tide, a phenomenon where the incoming tide after low tide will push in a wave several feet high. Although we'd timed our arrival on the tide tables, we didn't see much.

In Anchorage, we met up with some more four-wheelers for another day on the trails. Needless to say, we saw some incredible vistas and awesome scenery (pic3). Check out the 4x4 report and galleries for details.

Time to push on north. We stopped at Talkeetna, the main starting point for most expeditions to the summit of Mount McKinley, and detoured a ways into Denali Highway, which is famous for its views of the Alaska Range. On this gravel road, we met a fellow Austrian who at 71 years was traveling through all of the US. Only 10 years ago, he had climbed to the summit of Mount McKinley! We traded some travel experiences before he pointed his old Volkswagen bus south to Kenai and we headed to Denali National Park. All this time, we enjoyed clear skies and sunshine and were treated to some awe-inspiring views of Mount McKinley (pic4), with 20,320 feet the highest mountain in North America. This mountain creates its own weather and is often shrouded in clouds for weeks, so we were very lucky to see it in all its splendor. We reached Denali National Park which, at six million acres, is larger than the state of Massachusetts, and drove to Teklanika Campground, the only camping area accessible by car. Due to some wolf activity a few years back, no tents are allowed in this campground. Denali is managed very strictly; private vehicle access is not allowed past the main gate; Teklanika campers may only drive to and from the campground once. If you want to explore the park, you have to hop on one of the green shuttles. A roundtrip from the entrance to Wonder Lake (pretty much the farthest you can go) and back takes approximately 12 hours! Drivers stop everytime somebody sees wildlife, and the road is narrow and often doesn't allow speeds of more than 25mph. So we hopped on the bus the next day and enjoyed the scenery and wildlife. Over the next two days, we would see many grizzlies, mouse, caribou (pic5), dall sheep, golden eagles, and all kinds of birds. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see any wolves. They are very elusive and hard to spot, and although a few visitors saw some, you just have to be at the right spot at the right time.
It was overcast today and we didn't get to see Mount McKinley. We made friends with a very nice couple from Germany and went on a short hike with them in the Wonder Lake area where we enjoyed the beautiful tundra and stretched our legs. On the way back, the clouds lifted a little and lit up the multi-colored rocks around Polychrome Pass in a magical light. Denali has incredible scenery, and even if visitors don't spot *the* mountain, they still are in for a treat. We enjoyed a mellow evening at our campfire and slept solidly in the quiet of the wilderness.
The next morning we awoke to rain so we slept in a little. By the time we were on the bus again, the clouds had lifted somewhat. This time, we only traveled to Eielson Visitor Center (the visitor center is currently closed for renovation) for some hiking. We drudged up a steep trail - one of the few marked trails in Denali; the rest is backpacking terrain where you chose your own path - and reached the summit about an hour later. The 360 view from up here was absolutely phenomenal (pic6). The sun was out now and we even caught a glimpse of Mount McKinley. We took our time enjoying this spectacle, then returned to the road and decided to hike down towards the river on the other side. This area is all tundra, and we soon came to find out that most of it was wet tundra, aptly named for the standing water due to the thawed permafrost. You step onto what looks like solid ground and end up ankle-deep in water! This was fun at first, but we soon tired of this experiment and returned to the road where we caught a bus back to the camp.

On Monday, it was positively pouring. Again we realized how lucky we were with the weather as we left Denali and headed north to Fairbanks. Once we reached the city, we restocked our supplies and custom-built a guard for our windshield and strobes to prevent rock damage. We were gearing up for the ultimate adventure on the Dalton Highway! Please go to the Dalton Hwy Segment for details.