I have always hiked in sanitized wilderness, an oxymoronic term referring to the fact that I have been treading on trails established long ago, following routes and maps that I scope out with the help of a convenient smartphone. I camp on surfaces that have seen tents established by many others, and see sunsets at locations seen by many others. This trip into Lake Clark National Park was the first time that I walked on a path that hadn't even been created, followed maps that gave no clarity on the route I was taking, drank water straight from snowmelt, and camped on places that hitherto hadn't seen a tents in years.
And along that journey, I bushwacked through dense thickets of willows, tumbled on tussock and scrambled up alpine slopes to seek out the next valley. It wasn't easy, but it gave a taste of a wild Alaska. I hope to return back someday to experience a full meal.
Lake Clark National Park
AK USA
A National Park Journey - Denali National Park
I saw that etched on a keychain in a souvenir shop outside Denali National Park. When I asked the store owner about the significance of that ratio, I was told that 70% of the tourists who visit the park do not get to see the famed peak. Whether it was true or not, the ratio kept repeating in my head as I sat on the park bus trundling closer and closer to the peak, and it left me wondering whether I would get to see it. The incessant clouds and moody grey skies on that day certainly didn't help. The sky never let up that entire day, and even though I could catch partial glimpses of the snow-covered slopes, it was never visible in its entirety. I went to sleep with a heavy heart, hoping the weather would improve tomorrow.
I still don't remember why I woke up that early, after just 4hours of sleep, but I did, and when I stepped out of the tent into the freezing cold, Denali was there in its entirety. The deep pink light of the rising sun shone on a vast swatch of the glaciated slopes, with the broad summit barely visible. I considered myself lucky to see the peak bathed in such heavenly light.
I would continue to see the summit for the rest of the day, but I do hope to return back and explore more of the amazing backcountry of this park.
Denali National Park
AK USA
Camping on the edge
Would you want to camp here?
There are some gnarly campsites in the North Cascades with jaw dropping views. And then there is Sahale Arm. Getting to the campsites here involve a 4400ft (1300m) climb from deep in the valley below up steep hiking trails ending in a glacial moraine with precipitous dropoffs. And even in this unforgiving terrain are scattered campsites with panoramic birds-eye view of the Cascades.
I can't wait to return to the high country once again.
North Cascades National Park
WA USA
Dawn on the Jailoo
I stepped out from the warmth of the dark yurt to a freezing cold outside. In the gentle pre-dawn light, I spotted the beautiful rolling hills covered with a thin crust of overnight snow. A cold fog was flowing down from the heavens along the smooth contours of the surrounding hillscape. High above, the sky was aglow with a bright pink, while down below, horses and cattle gently grazed on the fresh summer grass.
This is life on the jailoo, a harsh, silent and beautiful landscape in the heart of the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
Songkol
Kyrgyzstan