Planes, Trains, and Moose Encounters

MONDAY MAY 30^th

Anchorage, 5:30am AKDT

One day of traveling down and one to go! My flight to Anchorage and transfer to hotel went incredibly smoothly. I was dragging my suitcases into my room by 9pm Alaska time (which is midnight in Minnesota) and fell asleep by 10 pm.

On the flight, any leftover nerves were completely washed away near the end of the flight when I leaned forward in my aisle seat and saw ridges upon ridges of rocky, snow covered mountains (it was actually hard to keep from grinning like a crazy, mountain-loving fool). As I disembarked the plane an hour later, a beautiful airport welcomed me to Anchorage, with wooden beams reminiscent of log cabins and glossy, granite floors. A mounted moose was the first thing that greeted me as I came off of the gangway.

The shuttle ride to my hotel also proved interesting. I learned that my driver had once been a taxi driver in Manhattan and the Bronx of New York City, and the family of three behind me declared that they were from “North Pole” in casual conversation (yes, that is a real town up here). I still have a couple of hours until I leave on the Alaska Railroad to Denali. I can’t wait to finally see my home for the next three months.

Denali National Park and Preserve, 7:15pm AKDT

What a day! I started tossing and turning at around 4 am, finally waking up to shower at 5:30. The hotel shuttle took me and all of my gear to the Alaska Railroad train depot at 7, where I checked in my luggage and waited for our train to arrive. Before long, a young tour guide called “All aboard!” and I boarded Car C with my backpack and viola in hand. I was lucky enough to land a window seat on the west side, but even so the train was barely half full.

I spent the following hours roaming between the café car, my seat, and the open-air vestibules between them. Tour guides narrated the majority of the ride, filling in details about railroad and Alaskan history. At one point along the tracks, we passed a community called Chase, which consisted of about 40 people living in the “bush”. In other words, the small train that passes every day is their only contact with the outside world. About a third of them have running water, while the rest go to the river for water and also lack electricity and indoor plumbing. What a life!

The scenery along the tracks was some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. We sailed around curves through the birch and spruce forests, sped over river crossings, and gradually made our way through the mountains north towards Denali National Park.

When I stepped off of the train at the Denali depot, my supervisor was waiting for me. We loaded my luggage into her car for the short drive up to where I would be staying. I have a bedroom on the top of a quadruplex, with three windows in a corner that look up to a spruce-covered mountain through the poplar trees. Can’t complain about the view! Bathrooms and showers are located in a separate building a short walk through the woods.

Another view from the Alaska Railroad

WEDNESDAY JUNE 1st

A 300-foot-deep gorge that we crossed!

It's hard to believe that I have only been here for two days. I’m still working on settling in and adjusting, but I thought I’d post an update before I was here for too long. In recent news, I was warned upon arrival that there were multiple active moose cows (with calves) in the visitor center and park housing area. In fact, moose feeling threatened have charged visitors and employees. This morning on my way to breakfast, I walked out of my door and saw a moose around 25 yards away in my path! Unnoticed, I decided to take the gravel road the long way to breakfast, only to find another one not 10 feet from the road in the trees, munching on the underbrush for breakfast. It was without a doubt the closest I have ever been to a moose in the wild (they're so big!), and I was careful to watch her behavior as I passed quietly. Luckily she didn't seem to mind I was there.

For anyone who isn't sure, moose can be highly aggressive and dangerous animals if disturbed. If one were to ever charge you, RUN AWAY. (This is tricky because if you encounter a bear in the wild, DON'T RUN.) For moose, dodge behind trees and large objects or, if you're out in the open, run in a zig-zag pattern. This is something that I learned after arriving to the park--I've never been sure what to do with moose encounters until now! I suppose it's fairly useful knowledge if they can obstruct my path to breakfast.

More photos from the train below. Thank you for all of the support and encouragement that has been sent my way!

Lindsey