Denali National Park - Zone 28 - July 1, 2000 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Denali National Park - Zone 28 |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Alaska |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | July 1, 2000 |
| Duration: | 1 day |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair |
| Trail Traffic: | None |
| Trip Weather: | Sunny, Partly Sunny, Partly Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Heavy |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 41-50, Low: 61-70 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | 7/01/00: (Feeder Creek Campsite, 5 miles) – Woke up this morning to find The Camel at my tent door. He was freaked out because he fell into the river to his waist while getting water. The rest of us were asleep and didn’t hear his pleas for help. The water was fast in the narrow canyon and his fall could have been fatal. Fortunately, he scrambled to the bank and got a hold off a small bush. We were all up early this morning as a result of the mishap, and decided to get the out of the canyon. The Camel went first to scout out the climb and the terrain on the other side of the canyon wall. He was at the top when the rest of us started up the hill and it was a tough and brutal hike out. The canyon walls were covered with various boulders and scree, and it took us over an hour to reach the ridge. Smoky was having a tough time with his heavy pack, so The Camel and I shot it out to see who would haul it the last 300’. (The Camel got the honor.) The scenery was amazing on top. After crawling along in the canyon all day yesterday, we now had 360 degree views which included the surrounding mountains, the Teklanika River, and the entire valley of Zone 28. Forest fires were raging near the park and there was a lot of smoke in the air but the views were still spectacular. We took a long break at the ridge above the canyon and discussed our mission (to hike to the bus). The Joker read a few pages of the McCandles book and matched the words with the scenery in front of us. Our goal was to position tonight’s campsite within a day hike of the bus. As the day passed on, however, it became clear that this was not going to happen. We identified a campsite sitting high above a small canyon, and hiked through the spongy tundra toward it. The campsite sat forty feet above a mini-canyon centered with a small creek flowing east to the Teklanika River. Once there, we set up camp around 5:30pm, chilled out for about an hour, made a water/bath run to the creek and cooked some dinner in a cloud of mosquitoes. The wind died down this evening, and the mosey’s were aggressive. I decided to wear the mosey jacket as a result. After dinner, the others played Euchre while I lay in my tent. During the night, my tent fly got lose from the heavy wind and eventually blew off around 5am. I had to chase it down, but at least I could sleep since it was no longer flapping in the wind. |
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