We slept in the bus until the very last minute, avoiding the inevitable emergence from the warmth of the sleeping bags into the frigid 37 °F air. The shuttle bus into Denali that we bought tickets for was leaving in a mere half hour, at 7:30 a.m. It’s not possible to drive your own car into the six million acre park more than fifteen miles, so the bus system is a must for anyone desiring deep exploration into the wilderness. Bolting out of bed, we packed up our gear, folded down the pop-top, and ran at full speed half a mile to the Wilderness Center where the bus was departing from.

The four hour bus ride into Denali’s Eielson visitor center was chock full of awesome wildlife sightings and scenic vistas. We spotted all manner of large mammals and birds including Dall sheep, grizzly bear, caribou, snowshoe hare, moose, willow ptarmigan (Alaska’s state bird), golden eagle, and Arctic ground squirrel. Unbelievable!

The most special highlight, which Eliana was the first to spot -- a rarely seen adult lynx -- was outstanding! Eliana’s fast fingers on the camera made her the only one on the bus to capture it on film since it darted away seconds after shooting this photo.

Likewise, the scenery was too spectacular to put into words. Clear views of snowy Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain peak in the United States at 20,320 feet. Anyone up for a climb?

Remote tundra landscapes bursting with autumn colors and grazed by giant herds of wild caribou.

From Eielson, we hiked up a steep alpine trail ... Phil walking at a pace double that of mine and Eliana’s. Has this guy been working out? The weather was clear skies and sun as the temp warmed to the high 50 ‘s °F. Killer views from the top!

Good spot for a tundra nap! Except Phil didn’t let us snooze for very long... in his words, “You can sleep when you die!”

Inspired by the remoteness and grandeur of the legendary landscape, the three of us left the confines of the trails and fearlessly set out into the trail-less backcountry. It’s a much different sensation exploring off trail. There’s something magical and mysterious about it...

Somewhere near where the trails ended and the backcountry began, Phil found a lost digital camera with 20 bucks in the camera case. The camera was weathered badly ... probably for at least a few months ... but still powered up!

It was sunny and peaceful with crisp alpine air, exploring places devoid of people. The land here is ruled by the wild animals and plants... pretty purple flowers and hoary marmots in the rocks...

For a few miles, we wandered like nomads until the day grew late and we began tracking back to the nearest road. The open tundra evolved into muddy bog with taller willows and we had resort to bushwhacking strategies. With our geocaching experience, we’re no stranger to pushing our way through dense vegetation with muddy boots!

Can it get any better than this? After a long and arduous bushwhack, we finally made it to the road and back on the return bus for another four hours of scenery and wildlife. Just amazing. A place everyone should visit at least once in their lives.

The two caribou below didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the herd, but they are working on a clever disguise so they can live in the backcountry on a permanent basis. What do you think?