The saying for Alaskan winters is "it's never easy." Whether it's a simple task like starting your car or a perfectly planned trip to the Denali Highway, Mother Nature has the final say. While most initial reactions to a frozen pipe, non-starting car, snowed in driveway, an open creek crossing that should have been frozen, overflow, or any other obstacle is cursing and flopping over, it's these very challenges that make life exciting. It's the "well....crud" moments that create an adventure worth telling about.
We had big plans for Thanksgiving. My brother Nick and sister-in-law Cass were visiting for the holiday, and this was Cass's first time to Alaska. Since they were braving the cold and dark of an Alaskan winter to come up and visit, I wanted to show them a good time. The plan- take 27 dogs, 2 snowmachines, and 5 people the 65 miles down the unmaintained Denali Highway to Alpine Creek Lodge for Thanksgiving. It sounded simple enough. On Tuesday we loaded up the two trucks with everything we could think of and drove the four hours down to the start of the highway in Cantwell. Reading the Winter Weather Advisories and seeing the drifted over Parks Highway should have been a hint, but dogs and snowmachines are the ultimate trail breakers, so we didn't think about the 25-30 inches of snow falling around us. Our next hint was the parking area at the start of the highway. It was nonexistent. Or rather, a field of deep powder. No problem though, with five people we just shoveled out two large parking spots and a tent site.
