Alaska diary: The mountain

For the next few days, it's all about the mountain.

We are headed to Denali National Park, hoping for a better roll of the dice with the weather.  The chances of seeing McKinley are about one in five, according to guidebooks and local wisdom.  We have scheduled four days and three nights in Denali at Wonder Lake, 83 miles from the park entrance, since that area affords a clear view of McKinley and the surrounding Alaska Range.  But we know from friends and published warnings, we might never see the mountain while we are there.

Getting there from Anchorage takes from 3-5 hours, depending on construction, traffic, and weather.  We stop in Wasila to fill our camp larder.  Dale drives from there while I take an hour nap.  What I see of the 237-mile drive from Anchorage, once I wake up, reminds me of highways in the eastern US.  An asphalt trail in a tunnel of trees on either side and not much visible beyond that.

That changes at mile 135.  The McKinley View Lodge and restaurant parking lot is teeming with buses and cars.  At the north end of the parking lot families are posing for pictures with -- the mountain!  The entire peak is visible, although at telephoto range.  We stand in line for our turn and take a few shots, hoping they turn out well enough to prove we were among the lucky few.

While fixing a tailgate lunch before heading out, clouds gather in the distance, and by the time we leave, McKinley is tucked behind its usual blanket of weather.

Around 3:30 p.m. we arrive at Denali River Cabins, where I have booked accommodations in advance.  We need to be at Denali Park by 6 a.m. tomorrow morning to board the camper bus to Wonder Lake.   The cabins are a short 6-mile drive from the Park entrance.  But, not so fast.  When we check in, the receptionist announces that the whole complex is without water.  The pump has stopped working and parts have not yet arrived.

"When will we have water?"

The lady who seems to be in charge is understandably evasive.  "The parts should be here in two hours and then we can start the repairs."

I hear her give this same answer to several other newly arrived guests.  Our options are to wait it out and hope for water later in the day.  Or we can move across the road to the Grizzly Bear Inn.  We are both a bit skeptical of that alternative, but after talking it over decide that a move is the only thing which makes sense.  We can't spend the night without water as this will be our last chance to shower for four days.  Not to mention the other conveniences that depend on a functioning plumbing system.

The Grizzly Bear turns out to have bigger, newer, quieter rooms in a two story building full of Canadians, who have recently arrived in the enormous bus that blocks the parking area near our room.  We unload quickly and drive to the Wilderness Access Center at Denali to check in and make sure we know where we need to be in the morning.  The camper bus leaves at 7:00 a.m. and takes 5-6 hours to arrive at Wonder Lake, so missing the early bus would mean missing half a day in the Park.  The young lady who answers my questions and check us in informs me I'm due a $24 rebate.  Senior citizen discount.  Within a minute of completing arrangements, the fire alarm sounds and the center is evacuated.  We're feeling lucky again, having checked in just in time.

After a quick freshen up back at the Grizzly Bear, we try to get a table at the famous 229 Parks gourmet restaurant and tavern a couple of miles back down the main highway.  But they are booked for the evening.  I drool a bit over the display case of tortes and other fancy pastries in a bakery display under the register, try to sweet talk the hostess into a seat at the bar for dinner, but it's rejection on all counts.

I ask her for a close alternative and she recommends Prey bar and eatery, just across the highway.  (From "restaurant and tavern" to "bar and eatery" -- the order of labels tells you something about the difference in fare and frills.)  So that's where we end up.  Which turns out to be the perfect spot.  A friendly host.  Burgers and Alaskan Amber beers.  The TV tuned to the Olympics.  We see the women's platform diving and the final of the men's 800m race.  That will be the entirety of our 2012 Olympic viewing.

Back at the Grizzly Bear, we shuffle items between duffels, deciding what will stay in the trunk of the car and what we will haul into Wonder Lake.  A part of the reorganization includes deciding what to leave in the room -- mostly food that will not keep or that we will not be able to eat.  The remainder goes into a small cooler we have purchased or a cardboard box.  We are both asleep by 11 p.m., knowing that no matter what, we have seen Mt. McKinley.  I drift off dreaming of large mountains and burly bears.