Friday, 17 August:
The trip to Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge only took about 2-1/4 hours (still in Denali National Park) and we set off mid-morning for our final stop. Arrived to find yet more spacious, comfortable lodge-type accommodation and very attentive, friendly staff.
Denali, once called Mount McKinley, is North America’s highest mountain and you need a very clear day to be able to see it. In fact, we were told that in summer there is only a 30 percent chance of seeing this mountain, due to clouds and changing weather conditions. It was quite cloudy while we were there, so no chance of getting that “30 percent club” tee shirt! But that didn’t stop lots of us gathering around with cameras at the ready, looking for that elusive mountain – in all directions!
In the afternoon we checked out a list of things to do and there were several free activities offered by Princess. We decided on a nature trail hike with a naturalist with a very wide knowledge of all the plants and berries we discovered along the way, some edible and some not. We had a fun time exploring the area.
When we got back, we caught a presentation on everything you could ever possibly want to know about moose and later a very inspirational talk by Todd Huston, an amputee who holds records for climbing mountains. It was an amazing and very humbling experience to meet him and listen to his story.
Our bags were collected for the last time that night and we spent Saturday morning relaxing in the sun on the deck of the lodge, drinking coffee and enjoying the amazing mountain scenery for the last time.
All too soon it was time to jump in the coach for the 3-1/2 hour trip back to Anchorage for the night and Sunday morning to the airport for the 14-1/2 hour (!) flight home.
We really had an awesome time and enjoyed every minute of our time in Canada and Alaska.
Quilts, Cats and Me 