National Parks--Alaska Part II

Although it may look warm and inviting, even August in Denali Natioanl Park can be quite cold. The day we stumbled upon this caribou was one of the warmer days (about 4-5C) but snow was not an uncommon occurrance. We were not prepared for how cold it could get.

There are no real trails in Denali. You merely tell the driver of the shuttle bus where you'd like to hop out and as long as it's not a protected area you are free to hike where you wish, compass and map in hand of course. On this day were were hiking along a game trail on the ridge of one of the many hills in the park when we quite literally stumbled upon this caribou. We were following some footprints in the mud when we remarked on how fresh they seemed. We looked up shortly thereafter only to see a caribou grazing on a hill. We were definitely too close as he sensed our presence. We backed away slowly and as he went back to grazing I was able to snap this picture. Shot with my CanonPowershot, always good when the photo needs to be quick.

When not hiking in the hills we would hike along the riverbed looking for animal tracks. It was a nice leisurely hike and open to spot any wildlife. We believe these are moose tracks, a mother and a baby, which can actually be quite dangerous when encountered as a mother moose will charge in order to protect her calf. We kept our eyes peeled after seeing these tracks.