Sunday 18^th August

Bede and Soph set of to tackle the wilderness.  A bus takes hikers and campers into the Park and drops them in their allotted zone.  They can then wander about and do their thing for as long as they like, and when done, they find their way back to the road and flag down a bus coming back.  There are buses coming and going all the time along the one road, taking the sedentary wilderness seekers into the park to see the scenery (magnificent) and hopefully spot some wildlife. 

Soph:  If I but wait here awhile, a bus will come and take me into the wilderness...

 

Off they go on the bus into the Park .....30 +lbs apiece on their backs.  

I do a granny hike up to the Visitor Centre and look at all the displays.  They are so well done, and every opportunity taken to double underline the importance of preserving the wilderness and its wildlife.  No impact on animals is the aim.  Leave nothing but footprints. 

On the way, I made friends with a squirrel ... from a distance, but I longed to pat him.

Sled dog time in the afternoon.  The rangers have a team of dogs which “perform” for visitors during summer months, but in the winter they work.  Last year they hauled 13 tons of rock from an excavation site.  The dogs have a good life, are greatly loved by their ranger-carers, and after nine nears of service, being Government employers, retire on a very good pension plan (sounds like our parliamentarians).  The demonstration consists of a talk by a young ranger, who then jumps onto the sled and is hauled around by the team of dogs, only no snow, on a gravel path.  Nonetheless, the dogs are excited and love doing it – tails wagging etc.  Interesting thing about mushing – the musher has no reins.  He/she controls the team by voice commands only, and also by the special  relationship developed with the lead dog.  The big national sporting event here each winter is the mushing championship – called the Iditarod – which is a 1,000 mile race across harsh winter terrains.  Iditarod winners are national heroes forever.

I get to pat Loon, one of the Alaskan huskies who make up the team.  He is so friendly, and his pale blue eyes are very memorable. 

Here is Loon standing on top of his kennel - he thought he could sniff something.

Ranger gives talk ....

Dogs do their thing, and get a nice bone at the end ...