This morning I headed to the Denali Visitor Center and took a shuttle to the sled dog demonstration, which began at 10 am. Denali is the only National Park which uses sled dogs to reach remote backcountry areas in winter. The sled dogs are integral part of backcountry work in the park. Before the demonstration, visitors could walk around and even pet some of the sled dogs, which were absolutely beautiful.
At the demonstration, a ranger explained some of the reasons the sled dogs are so vital to the park and talked about the different responsibilities of each dog depending on where they are (front, middle, back) of the harness. After his talk, the dogs were put into their harnesses and the ranger rode around a loop on a dogsled on wheels.
Afterwards, I headed back to the visitor center where I watched a short film and walked around the exhibit area. Then, I headed out for a short hike to Horseshoe Lake on a nice wooded trail. There were tons of mushrooms out along the sides of the trail, in all shapes and sizes. Horseshoe Lake was very calm, with reflections from the surrounding trees on its surface.
Denali Visitor Center
Trailhead at the train tracks
I never saw a green mushroom before
A nice view through the trees
Fallen tree
Horseshoe Lake
After the hike, I caught a succession of shuttles back to the hostel so that I can rest up for a long bus into the park tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be cloudy, but I am hoping I will be lucky enough to see Denali.
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