Denali North - Color

The “Denali North - Color” Experience

I felt fortunate to have drawn a professional photographer's "ProPho" permit for Denali National Park during the solstice week in June. With this coveted permit I was able to drive my own vehicle park-wide and with scenic alerts around every bend, I found myself averaging 2-1/2 miles per hour. Slow down, this is Denali.

On the way in I photographed bears, Dall sheep, golden eagles, peregrine falcons and my first snowy owl. A midnight sunset on Stony Dome seamlessly turned into sunrise and at 3 am a calm visit from a lone wolf kept my senses inspired! It never got completely dark as the all-nighter morphed into a glorious morning so I kept on truckin'. I arrived at Wonder Lake 86 miles later and took this photo around 9 am.

Denali's North Peak (19,470 feet) was creating its own cloud system and reflecting on a surprisingly calm Wonder Lake so I planted myself on a hill and soaked in the serenity. The refreshingly clear morning light was beaming in from the east and illuminating everyone & everything in its path.