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A Fishing Story - 1989 the f/v My Colleen
by C. C. Crow photos by author
Welcome to Denali National Park. The usual visitor gets off the
train same as I do, but is shuttled over to the lodge to settle in, woken up early
for a quick bus ride halfway into the park where they must turn around to make it
back in time to catch the afternoon train to Fairbanks. That's barely enough time
to snap a few pictures. I'll spend six nights, so I have time to goof-off, relax
and take a few rolls of pictures.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
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7-10 MON
Walk to Riley, take Kathy's bus into park. They use school busses
to shuttle visitors. No cars allowed except by permit to
campsites. Pretty good idea. See nearby mountains, wildlife, semi-
cloudy so no big mountain. Polychrome Pass is neat area. Section
10 is vast. Hang out a visitor center, cloudy so I don't go
further. Take next bus going back. We have a flat tire. The way
this guy drove it was no wonder. We get other bus drivers to help
out. Meet Jean, girl with braided hair, nice. See fox, Charlie, bear,
and caribou.
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The mountain finally peaks through
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7-11 TUE
Rest day, decided to take vacation from vacationing. Sleep in till
9:30. I take walk under and over railroad bridge. I walk over to Riley and get
a ticket for next morning. Wash my hair, check out RR station and
take photos of train. Take more photos when southbound comes in. A
work train levels out the bridge. Pretty interesting. Back at camp
I read and relax. Help Brit. figure out his tent.
7-12 WED
Wake up at 6 a.m., bus for Wonder Lake leaves at 7. The usual stuff.
Terry is good but Kathy, driver the day before, was great.
I ride all the way out. The mountain is almost out. You can see
this side of it or that, but never the whole thing at once. Oh
well. It's still a beautiful and wild place. We see caribou up
close, some bears fairly close too. On the way back I get off and
walk a few miles over Polychrome Pass and down to the bridge.
Dale's bus is a wreck. I take the long way back to camp, through
Mirino trail loop. Go get food, eat and talk with Brit and other
neighbors.
7-13 THUR
I over sleep and miss bus. It's overcast so I say forget it. Take
hike to Horseshoe Lake- see beaver and cool burr spruce forest.
Take in Denali wilderness film- Rangerette Rebecca. Hike RR a
ways. Eat cheeseburger. Talk to Alan, Brit. bird watcher tour
guide. Shower. Meet two midwestern girls who were on bus day before,
have dinner and drinks. Tell them about my trip. Think I get rolled
but turns out they paid bill. Tourists!
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Fishing with Les Index
