Ken returns to the great north!

Kantishna, Denali National Park, AK 5.23.05

Welcome to my little Denali blog, musings on a slice of life up here in Denali National Park.
Most of you may know a bit about what I do up here since this my second summer up in the Park. A quick refresher: I’m the dinner cook for Camp Denali, a wilderness lodge located in Denali National Park. Camp Denali hosts guests for 3-4 days at a time, and is focused on providing an outdoor rustic vacation which includes hiking, canoeing, and bird watching, along with educational evening programs intended to give guests an increased appreciation and knowledge of the ecosystem as well as the cultural history of the region, which is quite rich. Between all these activities guests have to eat, well that is, and that’s where I come in, employing my culinary expertise along with the help of others to provide three course dinners, with perhaps, the best dining room view anywhere, overlooking Mt. Mckinley, North America’s biggest mountain.
I arrived to Anchorage, AK’s biggest city, three days ago, where I spent one evening, had one last restaurant meal, stocked up on those last supplies, and said my goodbyes to civilization for four months. The following morning we headed north from Anchorage up to the east side entrance to Denali National Park, the launching point for entering the park. The four hour drive includes several miles of strip malls with wal-marts then eventually gets more an more remote as you climb up out of the mixed deciduous forest up into the boreal forest, a landscape dotted with deep green midsize conifers. The transition is special , as one begins to feel the impact, and the sense of excitement and adventure that one gets in the north, as you see the adaptation of plants to equip themselves for the harsh cold.
There is a small community just outside the park entrance which is all hustle and bustle in the summer tourist months with visitors from all over the world, though primarily tourist buses full of retirees, and the nomadic workers which follow them around to cook their meals and clean their rooms. The year- round community is an odd mix of native Alaskans and transplants whose brain somehow was rewired to allow them to endure the winter season in the Alaskan interior glued to a wood stove waiting for those four hours of daylight to materialize.
The drive out to Camp Denali is ninety miles of the Park road, which goes over several mountain passes, and crosses many small rivers, as it winds it way just north of the awesome Alaska range range. The road elevation is only as high as four thousand feet above sea level, dwarfed by the mountain range just to the south which get as high as 20,320 ft. on the summit of McKinley. One must know though that tree line in the park is at four thousand feet, so the road has incredible alpine feel, along with some harrowing drops as it contours along the mountainsides at several spots. The road is one perhaps one of the most scenic in the world, and despite having drove it many times, it never ceases to awe with its incredible vistas and wildlife sightings. Our highlight this time was coming across a small grizzly bear, quite young and far from full grown as it was just down the road embankment , not more than seven feet from the van, busily eating some grasses. Typical of the bears in the park, it just took a brief glance up at our van, and continued it’s business. Bears, fortunately are quite indifferent to humans, making them quite easy to observe and enjoy their grace, size, and magnificence. Just don’t get between a momma bear and her cubs. The sky was overcast and a bit rainy, so the large mountains weren’t in view that day, though the grey light cast along the alpine tundra gave its own deep, cloaking aura not experienced in bright light. So three hours of driving, and finally we arrive at Wonder lake, at the foot of the hill, leading up to Camp Denali, where our friends from last year eagerly greeted us, a reminder of the incredible group camaraderie experienced here amongst staff members.
So, the first few days up here have been busily filled with reacquainting myself to the kitchens, getting everything stocked up, working on menus, and of course, getting situated with in my cabin, the Motherlode, one of the highest at camp, a timber frame wood beauty with a porch just perfect for writing, and sipping some delicious alaskan brewed beer, while soaking in the gorgeous Alaska range, just twenty miles away. In fact i’m enjoying said porch at this very moment. And i’ll also being be signing off, as afternoon daylight often hides the fact that breakfast is only eight hours! cheers and many hellos,
kenny