Blog August 5, 2009
Yesterday I met Rags Ragland at the hot dog shop – She works at The Magic Carpet Denali, a gift shop with the internet address www.TheUluShop.com - there, now I can find her again even if I lose this card which I have stashed in my wallet.
Rags was wearing a Hawaiian sundress. Yesterday was the warmest day I’ve seen here – somewhere between 75-80 degrees at mid-day. I was able to wear a short sleeved blouse without a vest – first time it’s been that warm.
Rags is the manager of a gift shop, a shop for the “locals”. Last year she worked as a seasonal park ranger. She waited too long to apply for that again this year. She lives up on the Stampede Trail, again the area made famous in Into the Wild. Rags’ sister is here in Denali for her fourth season. Her sister has 14 dogs now and their family mushes all winter. Rags takes pictures of Denali’s beauty – wildflowers - Bluebells and River Beauties that are prolific along roadways and back in the tundra. She mentions finding a huge butterfly while watching the flowers. Recently, she says, she can tell the moose are already in rut again. That would explain the pair we found this week who seemed, like teenagers, to be nose –to-nose discussing life and love. Rags’ favorite sighting recently, however, was a wood frog in the road. She says she stopped her car and got out to take pictures – followed the wood frog a ways into the tundra. The wood frog is indeed a unique sighting as it is the only amphibian able to survive in Denali. Other adventures and sightings Rags discussed with me involved hiking up Tattler Creek looking for and finding dinosaur tracks this summer. Her advice she’d like to share: “Get off the bus!” Breathe some open air. Be IN the tundra. That’s where they’ll start finding things.”
Rags talked about the people she is working with in the gift shop. I forgot to take notes but remember that a co-worker is also a pastry chef – others have various professions. Rags has a degree in Theology.
Last night we had a picnic up the road on the sideroad opposite Stampede Trail - at the beaver dam. We hiked after the picnic – but my bearspray is still with the pilot from Kantishna and I was nervous – too much brush for my comfort. We found three beaver lodges and the tundra was magnificent. With each step, the ground moves – like stepping on deep, deep mosses – the ground dips and rises with each footstep. Finally, we stopped hiking (yup, I was ready to get back to safe car!)
Wedrove several miles up Stampede Trail – It’s paved for a couple of miles, then gravel (with many large rocks) and then finally a b u m p y rocked road that eventually gave way to trail. I was so glad to be up there – it was beautiful. We found a female moose in robust health munching willows. She was 20 feet from the car and watched us briefly, then figured what could four women in a little Ford do to harm her? She continued to munch while we watched and heard each chewing. I am constantly amazed by the length and height of moose legs. It is as though the moose stands on four straight trees. Also, we could clearly see a huge plume of smoke, due north, that extended far into the sky. Sometimes we could see a pinkish glow at the groundlevel.
Tonight (9:30 p.m.)
Srdjan (from Serbia) is ok now. He’s been off work for a couple of hours. He has had a really bad cold. Today he complained that he felt just terrible. He speaks English real well with a heavy accent. Reading isn’t always real clear for him. That’s how he ended up taking Nyquil during his work day. He tells me tonight that he thinks he was hallucinating – he was SO tired. He’s better now.
The resort was covered in smoke all day. There are contingency plans in case the Parks Highway needs to be closed due to the fires. The guests from Fairbanks arrived a few hours early today – because they needed to get through before the road was closed. There were rumors of evacuations in Fairbanks – those rumors came from guests –I’ve heard nothing else. I think they were just rumors.
Everything was very dry. Helicopters scheduled to give tours have been drafted sometimes to fight fires – a young man just outside our lodge window began a demonstration of a baton routine – with both ends of the baton aflame. He stood and tossed the baton into the air. Very quickly, security and a few irate staff from registration closed that impromptu demonstration. A while later, suddenly it was raining!!!! Hooray!!!! People are soaked. I’m damp – but I’m hopeful this will help dampen the area and make things safer up here.