Bus ride to...the unknown

THURSDAY PART II

When I arrived at Denali National Park, I immediately checked all my bags except for my day bag and laptop, tidied myself up, and went to the Wilderness Access Center to book some camping space. I booked three nights at Riley Creek Camp and a bus for Saturday to Kantishna – the end of the 90 mile Park Road that runs through the park. I relaxed a bit knowing that at least I had a place to stay. I would look for a job all day Thursday and Friday, and then try to enjoy the weekend.

I began asking around, asking people who they worked for and if they knew who might be hiring. I used local WiFi spots to go online and search for phone numbers and info on the local businesses. Before the day was through I had a job, with room and board subtracted from my paycheck. By the time I completed the paperwork it was too late to collect my bags and tent from the baggage check so I went on to where I was going to be living wearing the same clothes I had left Los Angeles in. I had a good dinner and I went to my room.

As I lay there on the bed, I couldn’t believe how well everything had worked out. Denali looked to be a paradise for any nature lover – far and away the better place to have my Alaskan adventure. The park is a largely unspoiled wilderness, and the home of Mt. McKinley. The “town” of Denali is really just a short strip of shops, a gas station, and several hotels outside the park entrance by the Nenana River which runs grey with silt from the mountains. The whole area is filled with trails and roads to walk.

It had been my intention originally to look in this area for jobs sight unseen before I found the job in Talkeetna, and it seemed that fate wanted me to come here.

Pictures: Visitors Center; 2 pictures of the entire town of Denali