Two places I’ve always wanted to see are Denali National Park and Kodiak Island. I could tell you that Denali is one of the only parks that private vehicles are only allowed to drive the first 14 miles and the rest (80 or so miles) are only accessible by park bus or private lodge bus. I could tell you that there are virtually no trails in the park and that hikers make their own way. I could tell you that Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world. I could also tell you that Kodiak has the densest bear population per square mile of any place on earth.
Or, I could just let you look at the photographs, because sometimes not only is a picture worth 1,000 words in the case of these two places I’m willing to go out on a limb and say they’re worth 10,000 words!
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
My First Glimpse Of Denali
Grizzlies, Mother And Cub In Denali N.P.
Ptarmigan, The State Bird Of Alaska
Delovely, Delightful, Denali
Denali Reflections
Mount McKinley, Also Known As Denali "Great One" By The Athabaskan People, Is The Highest Peak In North America At 20,320 Feet!
A Beautiful Wolf Came Out To Greet Us
A Rare Sighting Of A Snowshoe Hare
KODIAK ISLAND
Female Kodiak Bear. This Was Taken During A Flight-Seeing Trip Out To Fraser Lake On The Far Side Of Kodiak Island
A Cub With Some Magpies
A Kodiak Bear Walking Up The Fish Ladder. This Ladder Was Put In At The Bottom Of Fraser Lake Falls In The 1950's To Help The Salmon Swim Upstream
An Aerial View Of The Kodiak Glacier. We Had A Perfect Day To Fly Over The Island. Our Pilot Told Us That He Took Someone Up In The Plane Last Week Who Lived On The Island And It Was The First Time He Saw The Glacier In Twenty Years! It's Usually Shrouded In Clouds
Aerial View As We Fly Over The Island
Pilot Mark Getting Ready For Our Hike After We Landed The Float Plane At Fraser Lake. We Were In A Location Where Bear Spray Just Wasn't Going To Cut It!
Our Cool Float Plane. The Flight From Kodiak To Fraser Lake Was One Hour, I Got To Be Co-Pilot On The Way Over
Up Close And Personal. It Was An Unbelievable Experience!
Sunrise Over Kodiak Island
wow, Marc. Great photos!
Wow, fantastic!
You are my hero.
Marc, every entry and set of photos is even better than the last. What an AMAZING trip you are having. We miss you here — we’re all battening down the hatches for Irene’s arrival. Continue to enjoy every minute and every fabulous site — and continue to share everything with us. I look forward to your next entry. Lots of love! Ellen
Beautiful pictures. Where to next?