Denali - the "High One" is the name Athabascan native people gave the massive peak that crowns the 900 km long Alaska Range. Mount McKinley, in Denali National Park, rises abruptly from a relatively low surrounding region to become the highest peak in North America. Part of the Alaska Range, the mountain has two summits—a shorter north summit, which rises to 5,934 metres (19,468 feet), and the south summit, reaching 6,194 metres (20,320 feet) above sea level. The mountain’s steep slopes are marked by glaciers, and a permanent layer of snow and ice covers the upper half of the peak. The mountain makes its own weather and for most of the year its peak is in the cloudes. Every year about one thousand climbers attempt to claim her. Just half of them success. Whole trek takes about three weeks.
Denali NP is not just this mountain. This park was truly chosen like a park with one of the best opportunities to watch wilderness. You can watch black and brown bears. A friend of mine Joel saw twelve of them in one day. In the morning when you get out of the tent are around Caribous and wolves take yours shoes because you had let them outside of tent to dry. Is it all right Peter? Mooses, fox, dall sheeps ...
At Visitor's centre you can buy maps, but I guess you do not need them. In the park is just only one 142 km long, east-west dirty road. So if you lost your way just try to go north or east. But other problem can be that you see the road but without access. Except entrance area in the park are not any trails. The best is to hike along the rivers bars or ranges. Sometimes you have to cross rivers and creeks. So have extra cloths.
The road is open to public only first 24km. Fairer you have to take especial bus. You can get off and in everywhere. Ticket is valid for a week. You can also take participation in Wildlife Tour. But it is more expensive and goes a shorter way. You have got a small lunch box. But even driver of "camper bus" -a special bus for people going to camp in the park, so driver will stop and give you opportunity to watch wildlife. This bus goes as far as the and of the road and is cheapest one.
Park contains of mountains with glaciers, tundra and taiga.
Na závěr zmíňka o knížce "Into The Wild" od Jon Krakauer vydané nakladatelstvím Anchor Books, New York,1996. V češtině "Útěk do divočiny", Columbus, 1999.
Knížka pojednává o mladíkovi Christopher Johnson McCandless, který krátce po promoci věnoval téměř veškerý svůj majetek - $25 000 na dobročinné účely a začal se toulat. V dubnu 1992 se vydal stopem na Aljašku. Zde se na vlastní pěst protloukal divočinou, živil se tím, co mu poskytla příroda. Jeho cesta skončila několik málo mil severně od Denali parku, kde bylo nalezeno jeho mrtvé tělo... Autor se na základě skutečných údálostí, svých vlastních pocitů, zamýšlí nad lidskou touhou po riziku, svobodě a nekončící pouti do vlastního nitra...