Epic Walk #1 - Park Entrance to Savage River

So, yesterday I walked from the park entrance to Savage River. The area is uphill through spruce trees, and then a long flat-ish area with what I think is willow (a scrub, not the weeping kind). Both sides of the road sweep away, green up to small mountains or large hills, depending on how you look at it.

There were quite a few cars and buses on the road as private cars are allowed to go as far as Savage River. But in saying quite a few, that is relative to some other back roads I walk here.
It was so tempting to just turn and run off the road, and off towards the hills. To run whoopy-ing and free. To run so far that I felt like I was just a creature in the wild. To climb high onto the green hillside and turn my back on the park road, and keep going until I reached snow. To walk into the wilderness until I dropped from exhaustion and just sit in the wildflowers with the wind swirling around me and no sign of anyone anywhere. But I didn’t do any of that. That’s responsibility for you.



I sang bits of Sweeney Todd and You Are My Sunshine, but was not as vigilant as I probably should be about singing. I don’t think bears frequent this part of the road, but that’s really no excuse.

My backpack was really heavy, and my feet were in agony. It took me about 5 ½ hours with stops along the way for pictures. The last mile or two a grey cloud sat over my head and it started to drizzle. I shook my fist at the heavens and yelled “Let me have this, Denali!” But to no avail. I was fortunate to arrive at Savage River around the time of the free shuttle, so I climbed aboard and sat down damp, but happy, for the ride back. A lightning bolt flashed in the distance and a rainbow came out.

On the walk, I wondered how long it would take to walk from one end of America to the other.

Pictures: Scenery on the walk