Camp Denali & North Face Lodge

The Opening Crew

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:32:16 +0000

On May 6th our opening crew arrived at our lodges in Kantishna. Staff member Lee Drury was part of the crew and describes the first week:

“We’re here!!

Yes, the Opening Crew, all 13 adults, plus Danika and Silas, are on site and working hard to prepare for the Camp Denali/North Face Lodge guest season to come. We flew over the Alaska Range from Talkeetna in planes equipped with skis for landing on the snow-covered (about three feet of it) Kantishna Airstrip. While the logistics are complicated, total transport required one bus, three airplanes, two snow machines (several round trips to North Face from the airstrip, about four miles), bucket-brigade-type lines for unloading food and necessary cargo, and lots of snow-shoveling.

Once ferried to North Face Lodge from the airstrip, each person had a task, and we all set to it. By nightfall we had heat, melted snow for washing dishes, and a shoveled path to the outhouse; by the following morning limited toilets and showers, and a delicious hot breakfast.

Here at week’s end, it’s clear that work has progressed. Camp buildings and paths are shoveled out, there’s a clear—well, muddy—track plowed from Potlatch to North Face, seedlings bask in the sun, our own sprouts grace salads. A new generator is installed; the new staff cabin boasts completed interior work, the frame for the lodge foundation has been cut, new towel racks are installed in cabins, one quilt is done and work on new curtains has started.

While it is certain that we’re here to work, we’re also having fun. Jerri Cole still holds the distance record for sliding down Camp hill, and staff members have been seen snowshoeing—and even crawling—on rapidly melting snow cover. Sunscreen tubes and bottles (from 33 SPF to 70) hold down the desk in the living room. Early morning forays on skis to Wonder Lake and after-dinner walks round out our days.

Now, at the end of the first week of Opening, the road crew chews through an 18-foot drift over towards Eielson Visitor Center, and Kantishna’s airstrip is still snow-covered—if showing a trickle of water at the edges. Work continues each day here, but whether worked or played, the hours bring happiness at again being together and putting everything in shape for the guests and the summer to come.”

Update:

Since last week, the lodge has been moved into place on its new foundation and floor, all rotten logs have been removed and fresh ones have been put in. Most of the finish work (walls, trim, desk, stairs) is done in the new staff cabin. The sewing team has completed one quilt and 3 cabins worth of new curtains. All made possible by our intrepid cook, Sara, who has cooked three delicious meals, fresh breads and delectable desserts for 14 days straight!

Check out the video of the lodge being moved:

Moving the Camp Denali Lodge from Camp Denali on Vimeo.

Inspiring Diversity in the Outdoors

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:51:03 +0000

In June of this year, nine mountaineers will attempt to become the first all-African-American expedition to climb Denali (a.k.a. Mount McKinley) in Alaska run by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Camp Denali is partnering with NOLS during the expedition. Not only is this team unique in regards to the color of their skin, their goal goes way beyond summiting North America’s highest peak. Their ultimate objective is to inspire people of all colors, young and old, to get more engaged in the great outdoors.

The expedition is hoping to produce a documentary on the team’s journey to the top of North America’s loftiest, most iconic summit. The documentary will increase awareness of the importance of exploring natural environments and make clear that it’s time to invite all races, all ethnicities—all people—to inspirational outdoor playgrounds.

As our nation’s demographics change and our next generation—comprised mostly of people of color—take the reins, their comprehension of the benefits of outdoor recreation to their quality of life and to the stewardship of our wilderness is vital, making Expedition Denali an unprecedented opportunity not only make history, but build a legacy.

For more information, visit Expedition Denali or Kickstarter.

Arctic Flight

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:05:14 +0000

2013 marks the 100^th anniversary of the first flight in Alaska. In 1913, a group of merchants in Fairbanks shipped a plane up by steamboat. Two barnstormers* flew the biplane 200 feet above Weeks Field in Fairbanks, going a mere 45 miles per hour. The flight was considered a spectacle, and they sold tickets to the show. 100 years later, Alaska has the highest number of pilots per capita than any other state with 8,550 pilots or 1 in 78 residents.

Prior to the airplane, dog mushing (the official state sport of Alaska) was a major means of transportation. The famous 1,150 mile Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome commemorates the 1925 serum run, in which mushers delivered medicine to diphtheria-stricken Nome when all other forms of transportation failed. Today, a number of small towns and villages rely on scheduled or charted bush flying services for cargo, passengers, and mail. Many communities have small air taxi services, which help meet the demand for customized transport to remote areas.

In Denali National Park, the first airplane landed in 1924 by aviator Carl Ben Eielson along the bluffs of Copper Mountain**. Between 1925 and 1927, the Alaska Road Commission built two airfields in the area: a 1500-foot strip near Lake Minchumina, built as an emergency landing area, followed by the 600-foot-long Kantishna Aviation Field, “on the left limit of Moose Creek between the creek and Wonder Lake,” which was used by area miners along with an “occasional tourist”. Nearly thirty years after the introduction of aviation in the park, Camp Denali founders Ginny Wood, Celia Hunter, and Woody Wood took a flight to Wonder Lake that would change their lives.

Ginny and Celia were WASPs (Women Air Service Pilots) in WWII. They were trained to fly planes from the factories to training centers and ports of embarkation. They met while ferrying surplus planes. After the war they traveled to Alaska and worked in a number of early tour agencies, flying cargo and visitors to remote locations in Alaska. Ginny once said, “Flying is 90 percent boredom, but in Alaska, 10 percent is sheer terror! You may have to land dead stick on a sandbar or in the tundra. When I first came here there were no airfields, and definitely no wheat fields where you could put a plane down safely.”***

In 1950, Ginny’s husband Woody was a park ranger in Denali and heard about a particular ridge from Superintendent, Grant Pearson, above Moose Creek just beyond the north-western boundary of the park that he thought they should explore. So, one weekend Ginny, Woody and Celia flew their Cessna 170 out to the airstrip at Kantishna, shouldered their rucksacks and set out with Les Viereck, the Wonder Lake ranger. Hiking through low clouds and drizzle, they happened upon an exquisite tundra pond at the edge of the ridge. They asked Les to return on a clear day and let them know if the mountain could be seen from there. A week later Les’s written message back to the park entrance was simply, “WOW!” That fall, they homesteaded 67 acres of that ridge, centered on Nugget Pond, and built Camp Denali. They ran it for 25 years, forging livelihoods out of ingenuity, hospitality, and love of the land.

Camp Denali started arranging flights for guests in 1981. Lowell Thomas Jr. flew guests around the mountain in his Cessna 207 for twelve years. Today, locally based Kantishna Air Taxi provides flight seeing tours around Mt. McKinley and the Alaska Range where you can see the vast scale of the mountains, glaciers, and landscape.

If you are coming through Anchorage this summer, be sure to check out the Anchorage Museum exhibit Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaska Aviation. The exhibit features historical artifacts, video footage and photographs telling compelling stories of survival, adventure and ingenuity. Demonstrating in 100 years, how airplanes have evolved from frivolous spectacle to crucial part of the Alaska way of life.

For more information visit www.anchoragemusuem.org.

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*Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920’s where stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus.

** A pioneer aviator, Carl Ben Eielsen attained international recognition for several polar expeditions. After he was killed in a crash in 1929, the U.S. Congress changed the name of Copper Mountain to Mount Eielson to honor his memory. Eielson Visitor Center, at mile 66 on the Denali Park Road, is also named after him.

***Excerpt from Women Pilots of Alaska: 37 Interviews and Profiles by Sandi Sumner.

Springtime on Skis

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:12:49 +0000

In many northern hemisphere countries March and April are considered the prime months for skiing. In Norway, for instance, families often head to the mountains for a week of cross country skiing and staying in huts. This period is a holiday from school, called a “Påsketur”, or “Easter trip”. Alaska is no exception in our love for spring skiing. This is generally due to three factors: warming temperatures, high snow pack, and increasing daylight. On February 1^st we have 8 hours of daylight, by March 1^st we have eleven hours, and by April 1^st a whopping 15 hours! The fast-returning sunshine goes straight to our heads, and we long to get out into it. Other biological shifts seem to happen as well. Simon observes that “January is when you long for cookies and cakes, but by March you begin to crave fresher items, like vegetables!” Simon and Jenna’s children, Danika and Silas, now protest going to bed at 8pm “But it’s still LIGHT outside, momma!” they observe.

Our staff have embarked on many fun and lengthy ski trips in spring the past few years. Last year our winter office was fortunate enough to fly into Camp Denali and North Face Lodge for a week of shoveling, skiing, and sledding around our summer facilities! Katherine, our program coordinator and naturalist guide, recently spent a long weekend at local ski-in hot springs with fellow guides Maria, Mateo and friends. Martha, our personnel coordinator and also a naturalist guide, is currently in Colorado learning how to snow kite (imagine wind surfing, but with skis!). This year I embarked on a few ski trips of my own from our backyard here at Denali’s Park Entrance.

On the first trip my bother, dog, and I skied along Denali National Park’s north boundary as far as the Toklat River for a week in early March. It is practically worth noting that Chulitna the dog was the only member of our party who had done that route before, as she is retired from the Denali National Park Kennels and has done 8,000 miles of sled dog patrols in the park! On our third night of camping we awoke to 70 mile an hour southerly winds, and as temperatures climbed to 40 degrees and we struggled on our skis in the sinking and sticky snow, we had to turn back and ski the long 50 miles back to Stampede Road, where we had begun. We were fortunate enough to explore a region of Denali we had not seen before, and the only people we ran into were two fur trappers and two biologists from the University of Alaska.

A few days later I met up with former staff member Anne Beaulaurier to attempt a ski from the Denali Highway area into the Yanert Valley. After several days of trailbreaking and fighting cold headwinds and blowing snow, we spent two nights camped out at the base of the pass. We watched the spindrift blow off the tops of the mountains and spent one nail biting night thinking our tent might collapse, so ultimately had to abandon our proposed route and head toward the safety of the spruce trees. Over the course of our seven days out we did see a lot of wildlife (including bands of caribou, moose, a fox, ptarmigan, and both wolf and wolverine tracks) and we sure laughed a lot, even when Anne’s little pocket thermometer bottomed out at -20F!

March can be a fickle month. The flood of daylight returning as the earth’s tilt moves the northern hemispheres towards the sun is a constant, but nothing else seems to be! This March we saw temperatures as high as +44F and as low as -32F. We had weeks of blue skies and sun followed by a weekend of a snow dump that amounted to almost 18 inches. There is no such thing as “average” here, in summer or in winter! It’s all part of what makes this country so fascinating; it’s rhythms, cycles, and surprises!

The Look of Love

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:55:23 +0000

It’s a clear night in mid March. It’s 10pm and I’ve just gone outside my cabin to take a quick trip to the outhouse before bed. But something stops me. A faint line of light green is shimmering over Mount Healy, to the north. I watch it a few moments, breath puffing in cold circles in front of my face….I’ve only thrown on a jacket for what I thought would be a minute in the -10 F temperatures. The aurora stalls me, but it’s the noises that stop me.

Somewhere in the boreal forest comes a hooting. A five noted, deep resonant clear “hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo, hoo” song echos toward me. I can’t see the Great Horned Owl hiding somewhere in the spruce trees of the night, but his (or her, in the case of Great Horns!) song is clear as day. They are calling out to one another in the cold, dark nights of winter.

Mating season for owls is December through March here in Alaska. Four species are common in winter, the Great Horned, Boreal, Northern Hawk, and Great Gray Owl. The latter of the four I’ve never seen but, at up to 33” long with a large disc of flattened feathers lining their face, one sighting would be a showstopper. The Boreal owls one can hear and see fairly commonly in the spring. Their mating call is a few seconds of a staccato trill. The first time I heard it I thought “What is a snipe doing back in Denali so early??” having confused its call with the mating winnowing of the snipe (which we hear in May and June evenings and early mornings around the ponds in the park). Boreal owls eat songbirds, hence their frequent hideouts in the spruce trees near our bird feeders, I presume.

In addition to the Boreal, Great Horned, and Great Gray Owls there are two others in Denali. The Northern Hawk Owls prefer forests on the edges of meadows, and I see them in the fall along the clear cut lines of spruce near power lines, watching the grass as my dog and I bumble through scaring up voles. The name comes from the streamlined body shape, efficient hunters that they are. The Short-eared Owl, which heads south to avoid the sub-arctic winter’s scare prey pickings, is a rare species even in summer. Some years we’ve seen many of them in Denali, such as 2004, when it was a scare day to drive along the lateral morraine of the Muldrow Galcier and not see one. Other years their numbers have been much slimmer, likely in response to rodent populations. In 2007 the Short-eared owl was added to the Audubon Watlist species of concern due to its declining numbers. Both the Northern Hawk Owl and Short-eared Owls hunt diurnally, or in the daytime.

So if you’re lucky enough to live in a place with woods nearby, and unlucky enough to have to go outside to an outhouse nightly, be sure to pause a moment to listen to the late winter mating calls of the owls. You might not see them, but they are sure to have within their big yellow eyes the look of love.

The Passing of Ginny Wood

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:41:42 +0000

Camp Denali founder Ginny Wood, 95, died peacefully last night (around 1:00 am) in her Fairbanks home. Friend Susan Grace sat with Ginny, whose eyes had been closed for days, and noted that in her last moments Ginny opened her eyes suddenly, smiling through them, she took a few more breaths and exited this life. What a long, full adventure for a remarkable woman!

“The wilderness that we have conquered and squandered in our conquest of new lands has produced the traditions of the pioneer that we want to think still prevail: freedom, opportunity, adventure, and resourceful, rugged individuals. These qualities can still be nurtured in generations of the future if we are farsighted and wise enough to set aside this wild country immediately, and spare it from the exploitations of a few for the lasting benefit of the many.” –Ginny Wood

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Many stories and episodes from Ginny's remarkable life are recorded in Boots, Bikes and Bombers: Adventures of Alaska Conservationist Ginny Hill Wood by Karen Brewster.

The 'Great One' Speaks

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:21:47 +0000

On our last full day at Camp Denali, I chose to stay in my cabin while Frank went off hiking and bird watching with our friends. I relished the opportunity to lie in bed and commune with the mountain, which was "out." I had seen it out in so many different scenarios- when I went to the “house out back" in the middle of the night (bright as day!) and it was bathed in a pink alpine glow; or when I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and it was unmasked in its full glory. Some things cannot be conveyed by mere words.

This last day, I had a great breakfast and packed a sandwich and some snacks so that I could just give in totally to enjoyment. Through the window I could see the mountain, with clouds wafting across its face from time to time, and the other times shining in blinding yellow-white light. I napped and ate and watched the mountain some more.

And somehow in the silence a most profound thought awakened in me. It was as if the mountain was transmitting: "You know what? Look at the size of me and the size of you- a little different, yes? Relatively speaking, I am permanent and you are like chaff in the wind, here for a century if you're fortunate. So I really don't need you to 'protect' me. What I require of you and the other humans is that you wake up and recognize where the true power lies. Appreciate the force that created me, that created you and all life, and respect that."

I will carry that thought with me for the rest of my life. Thank you, Alaska!

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“The ‘Great One’ Speaks” is an excerpt from Audrey Peterman’s book Our True Nature: Finding a Zest for Life in the National Park System. Audrey and her husband Frank visited Camp Denali in 2012. She is a national award-winning environmentalist. A native of Jamaica and a citizen of the US, she and Frank co-authored the book, Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Treasures and Tells Why Every American Should Care. Since 1995 she has visited more than 160 of the 397 units of the National Park System and is an advocate for their continued protection. For more information on Audrey and her books, visit www.legacyontheland.com.

Of Mines and Men

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:29:55 +0000

Alaska is a land of contrasts. We are “resource”-rich. Our economy depends largely on revenues from non-renewable resource extraction: oil, natural gas and coal. And Alaska is “wilderness”-rich. Our temperate rainforest, subarctic and arctic ecosystems are fully functioning and largely intact. Last summer, a million and a half visitors traveled here to experience our wilderness and wildlife. The struggle to achieve a balance between these land values is keenly felt throughout the state.

This struggle is currently being played out in Southwest Alaska at the site of the proposed Pebble Mine. The mine is centered on the major watersheds of Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay is the world’s most productive fishery for all five species of wild salmon. The resources Pebble hopes to extract include gold and copper. The Pebble Limited Partnership plan calls for strip mining an area over 186 square miles in size. That’s over 20 times the size of ALL of the current mines in Alaska!

The stakes here are high. The world’s most productive fishery, and one of the last remaining wild salmon resources, could be forever diminished in order to obtain a finite resource. The fishery brings in $310 million annually to Alaska. If managed correctly, it should continue into perpetuity.

The mine would be one of the most massive works of man ever constructed. Toxic tailings would be stored behind earthen dams built to 750 feet high, a storage unit larger than the Three Gorges Dam in China. The tailings would contain sulfide wastes which, when exposed to air, turn into sulfuric acid. These wastes have no half life, and will never break down. This means they need to be stored underwater forever in order to keep them from leaching back into the environment. Brentwood Higman, in the book “A Long Trek Home” states “In geological terms, forever doesn’t even make sense!” Read the webpage by Ground truth Trekking on the project.

Could earthquakes damage the storage dams? Could funds for storage and maintenance run out? Does in perpetuity make sense for hazardous materials? Compare the Hanford Nuclear site along the Columbia River in Washington State. Though now decommissioned, it now takes more personnel and funds to secure the wastes and cleanup than the plant cost previously to operate. What is the ultimate price of extracting these limited resources?

For a comprehensive article on why Pebble Mine is a dangerous idea, consider reading Ted Williams article from the Incite section of Audubon Magazine.

Romancing the Tundra

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:18:53 +0000

This Valentine’s Day we’re reminded of the romance of the tundra. The mountains, wildlife, and natural scenery have provided inspiration to a number of artists trying to capture the beauty with each word, shutter click, or stroke of the brush. Artist or not, Denali develops a passion and love for the natural world in every person. It also ignites a love in one another. Among the community and camaraderie of fellow travelers: friendships develop, families get closer, and in some cases romances bloom.

At Camp Denali and North Face Lodge, it’s not uncommon to find a guest celebrating their anniversary or honeymoon. A stay offers the opportunity to enjoy daily adventures in Denali through hiking, biking, and canoeing together. The evening affords time to relax by the fire while gazing at the stunning Alaska mountain range. The beautiful setting has even inspired marriage proposals, as we found out last summer. One particular evening during the sharing of the day’s highlights at dinner, a couple of guests announced their engagement. Cheers erupted throughout the dining room.

As a staff, we often get asked if our summers are anything like the movie Dirty Dancing: full of excitement and romance (and dancing). While we do have the time of our lives living in a spectacular setting with wonderful people, and sometimes even have a few nights of dancing, it’s not quite like the movies. Dating in such a remote setting can be challenging. A “date” often entails going on a hike, canoe, or bike ride. With fifty people in our small community and most staff members having a roommate, say goodbye to privacy. And if things happen to not work out, there is nowhere to run. But even with all the challenges, a number of couples have developed relationships that last.

The lodge has been the setting of a few staff weddings throughout the years. A couple of summers ago, two staff members held their wedding up on Camp Ridge at Pika Hut. Nearly 30 staff members attended the celebration in the small hut. All the cake, food, and flowers were backpacked up the steep 3 mile trail to the hut for the “I Do’s”. Other locations that have inspired weddings and proposals include the greenhouse, Cranberry Ridge, and Potlatch (Camp Denali’s main dining/living room). This January, staff members Marshall Ambros and Megan Mulcahy (pictured) got engaged! What started as a day hike a couple of summers ago has led to the promise of endless hikes and adventures together.

While some might choose to mark Valentine’s Day with flowers, teddy bears, and chocolates, we like to reminisce about the things that romance us back to Denali year in and year out. The smells and colors of the wildflowers, exciting encounters with grizzly bears, delicious meals, cozy cabins, and yes, the camaraderie with our fellow travelers and staff, in all its forms.

Wintertime Life in a Small Community

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:59:26 +0000

Between late May and mid September our staff live, play, and work on site at Camp Denali and North Face Lodge, set deep in the heart of Denali National Park far from lines of supply. We generate our own power on-site, bring our food in once weekly via a box truck, and fix darn near everything without the aid of off-site handymen or hardware stores. When Denali’s 90 mile long road leading into our lodges closes for winter and the snow begins to fly, we pack up and move as well. Most of our 50 person summer staff spend the winters, like the migratory birds we see in Denali, in more southerly climes. Our staff can be found as lifties at ski resorts, cooks in Antarctica, set-up crew for Burning Man in Nevada, or as trekkers around the world. Our small winter staff (Simon, Jenna, Martha, Sarah, Katherine, and myself, along with the dog, Chulitna) move operations to our winter office each fall, located eight miles south of the Denali National Park Railroad Depot along the George Parks Highway.

Our winter community generally has around 200 people living here. Of course, at any one point you’re as likely to find a household empty with a “Gone to Hawaii for January” sign on the door as you are to find a neighbor from whom to borrow a cup of sugar. The nearest towns are Cantwell (about 25 miles to the south) and Healy (to the north about 30 miles), neither of which have a “proper” grocery store, but both of which have a bar, churches, a gas station, and a K-12 school. Along the road to Healy in winter you drive by the “ghost town” of the park entrance facilities, with boarded up hotels and stores, each awaiting the return of summer and traffic.

Our little community is home to an eclectic bunch. Dog mushers, National Park Service personnel, off-season bus drivers and raft guides top the list. Many are self-proclaimed hermits in winter. Our local community center occasionally draws us together, with events such as Monday night yoga or Fridays children’s play group. When I recently attended an event there, the only tracks leading to the center in the fresh snow were from skis, feet, snowmachines (known as snowmobiles if you are from outside of Alaska), and one fat-tire bike. Recognizing the tracks is part of the beauty and, to a degree, the claustrophobic nature of this little place. I’ve had friends identify my ski tracks and know whose homes I had visited, and I’ve predicted (with accuracy!) exactly when a friend of mine could be found running his dog team at a particular point in our local trail network.

As we gain 6 minutes of light a day (that’s nearly 45 minutes a week!), it’s easy to wax nostalgic about the darker days of winter behind us. Most of us have taken a few weeks to travel “outside” for a spell, or watched an entire series of whatever your favorite TV program is on Netflix. All summer, as we stay packed to the gills with quintessential busy-ness, I think wistfully of those dark, cold days of winter to come. And then, somehow, in the moment, those dark, cold days are so busy. Friends to ski with, work to do, cabin repairs to work on, dogs to walk, town trips to run, family to visit, and suddenly it’s nearing the end of winter. For most of us here in Denali Park, February and March represent the sweetest months of winter, with good snow pack and daylight in which to enjoy it. So for me, that stack of 10 books I planned to read is still 8 books tall, and likely to remain so. The recipes I had hoped to try are untouched, the knitting still in the corner and the dream of learning to play a little guitar still a far-fetched notion. But winter, here in this huge and yet very small place we call our winter home, continues at its unhurried (and yet somehow expeditious) pace.