After a 6AM breakfast (I was learning quick that they intend to keep you well fed here.) We decided to take a flight seeing tour of Mt. McKinley and got on board a Cessna with Jean and Carol who also happen to be from Chicago. On the way up I saw a black bear in the tundra. We were about to discover that there is no better way to tour Denali than by aircraft. Our pilot was a real daredevil too. As we approached the mountain through the clouds, which disappeared behind us, Mt. McKinley came into view, and its monumental size became apparent. We flew at an elevation of 8000 to 10000 feet, over one of the base camps used by climbing expeditions that attempt to summit the mountain, and the alpine glaciers, gorges, and geological formations. The pilot even attempted to cause an avalanche by flapping the wing of the plane in order to cause vibrations to create the reaction. He failed. After the flight we took a little hike around the lodge and the river. One other thing I learned is that the mosquitoes are abundant in Denali. I mean to say the forest is infested with these mean bloodsuckers. We wore 100% deet at all times and mosquito nets on our heads a lot. After dinner went out to Wonder Lake. We hung out there for about and hour fighting off mosquitoes. On the drive back we saw another moose and then we went to sleep. At this point I still hadn’t seen the dark since arriving in Alaska.
Alex Zander
KANTISHNA, Alaska USA