Wonder Lake

I once watched a special on drug smuggling that told the story of a young woman who was captured at a Japan airport and held prisoner in their system for years. The program described how she wasn't able to enjoy the comfort of a chair nor was she allowed to lean or prop against anything during the day. She endured terribly long bouts of not being able to move much and she rarely ever was comfortable.

This is what sleeping with Captain J in a backpacking tent feels like. It's hell on Earth.

I told him from Day One that I was convinced his supposed two person tent was actually manufactured for one individual of a very small stature. Thankfully, this past weekend was only the second time we've used it. We typically pack the bigger tent when we're not backpacking.

Despite the incredibly uncomfortable (freezing cold, tee-tiny space, knee to the back) sleeping conditions I endured, the trip to Wonder Lake in Denali National Park was awesome. This trip was one we'd been planning on for awhile and we were so glad to have gotten the chance to go.

Located at mile 85 in the park, Wonder Lake Campground is the closest camping area to Mt. McKinley. No fires are permitted here so cooking is limited. The park provides bear proof lockers to store food in so you can keep your bear worries under control! There's definitely a lot of wildlife to be seen here, though. We actually saw a bear just about ten miles from where we set up camp! In addition to six bears, we also saw a moose (of course), 14 wolves, 10 caribou, and several dall sheep.

 

We arrived at our camp site and began setting up the tent at around 1830. We got set up just in time for the rain to start pouring down. We didn't mind, though because we had excellent weather all day which is a lot to ask in this area. Rain and mosquitos are known to plague the park in the summer months. We didn't have much of both. We ate our dinner under an awning and watched the rain fall. As we cleaned up the dishes, we noticed the sun emerging again from the clouds. Wanting to take advantage of this, we hurried out to a hiking trail about a half mile away to pick blueberries and explore the area.

We left the camp the following day with only a few minor bug bites, a whole bag full of the best blueberries I've ever tasted, and the memories of God's awesome creation that will last a lifetime!