Sunday, 20 August – Denali.
It was a chilly, damp and very active
day. At 8 am we joined a group for river rafting. We had chosen the less-challenging
part of the river, which was a good call.
We got into very complicated wetsuits
over our warm clothes, then personal flotation devices and helmets (over our
warm hats). Our guides, Berry and Sam then gave us a safety briefing and helped
the
5 passengers into a raft. Berry was in charge of our raft and Sam
accompanied us in another one. This was a new perspective on the beauties of
Denali and we greatly enjoyed the whole experience.
Well, except for how cold I
was afterward. Back at Ridge View, I crawled into bed with every available
blanket and was still shivering when we went to lunch an hour later. A hot
chocolate solved that problem very quickly. On the way to the front office for
the next tour, we encountered a trainer with
2 Alaskan Husky puppies. They were
super-cute and frolicking in a small fenced area. I held the black one for a
few moments, but it wasn’t happy being held, so that didn’t last.
Then we were
off on the next adventure – the Tundra Wilderness tour. Our driver-guide, Peter, drove us as far into the park as it’s possible to go, regaling us with stories of the park, of history and of course, of wildlife. 
We saw a bear with
3 cubs, several caribou, ptarmigans and moose. A delightful 5+ hours.Back in
our room, with no desire to go out again, we devoured our previously-untouched
snack packs from the bus.
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