The Walkabout: Denali: On the Horizon...

Now I'm not saying that Igloo Mountain is the tallest rock out there but its an impressively big bump. Regardless, the peak held views that were surely reserved for the gods. So does that mean I have to steal fire or something up here? No, thats so 30,000 BC! I'll have to settle for capturing the soul of the landscape.

These pictures are really a continuation of the last post. So there isn't much to say without going into the nitty gritty details. Like how I almost fell off the top...or how I was surrounded by 3 pretty territorial Dall Sheep in their "clever girl" Raptor formation...or what it was like to realize that there were no leaves on the top of this mountain (If you're pickin' up what I'm puttin' down...*no pun intended* haha)

Anywho, I will share this. On my descent from the peak I was scouting out areas to make camp. To my surprise, in the distance I saw the silhouette of a something moving in my direction across the ridge. Surely it couldn't be a person out here, so lets see. Bear? Oh please don't be a bear!

Well to kill the suspense...it was NOT a bear. It was a person! While I was sort of relieved, I was actually more surprised. Why is someone else out here? Well being the inquisitive sort I grabbed my shotgun and continued my descent. Walking up to her, I began to make light conversation (it was nice to have my chatting directed towards someone other than myself). Once she realized that this weather-battered, gun-weilding dude out in the middle on NOWHERE was not going to kill her she began to open up.

I believe her name was Sarah (I'll have to go back into my Gir-nal to double check) and she was an Alaskan resident out on an extended day hike. Day hike!?! All the way up here? Man did I feel like a pansy that it took me two days to get here (in my defense...with pouring rain and a 70 lbs pack...but I digress). It shouldn't have surprised me too much...afterall they build these Alaskan chicks tough.

I was a little disappointed at first that I ran into someone in a place as remote as this but that was before getting to know Sarah. We spoke at length about the mountains, living in Alaska, and most resonantly, our shared opinion of the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone and going out on adventures - putting aside society driven goals, even if only temporarily.

Long story short, Sarah, hoofed it back down the mountain and I continued my search along the ridge for a viable place to sleep. Eventually I found a flat enough space with a commanding view of both the east and west sides of the mountain. To this date, this may have been one of the most surreal places I've ever slept. However, I'll let you be the judge as I continue to post...revisiting these pictures, I may have a change of mind too.

I suppose I should also mention, once I found a spot to sleep, I continued to adventure around the ridge. Rising back up to the northern peak where the ridge receded to a narrow strip of rock one shoe-width wide. Any other time of my life I would have been petrified to even try this but with my newly found sense of foolish invincibility, I scrambled right up to the top and confidently walked across it as if it were a 6-lane highway. Here I learned the importance of taking "side quests." Originally the "goal" was to get to the top, but if one stops after finishing their goals then they often miss out on some of the surprises just over the next hill. There was plenty of daylight left, I had a surplus of excited energy, and there was still another peak to explore. Still fueled by my pep talk from earlier, I tightened my laces and excitedly danced along the ridge in a state of elation never felt before. A euphoric high! I'm not sure if it was because I got to the top of Igloo, or because I was alone, or if I was overpowered by a sense of intense, all-encompassing freedom.

Apologies if some of these stories come off as cheesy but I'm not talented enough to articulate how some of the experiences affected me. So enough of the blabbering...here are the pictures!

P.S. I listened to this song and many similar to it while staring out into the vastness of the Denali landscape after making camp. A moment I'll not soon forget. Oh also...I'm a nerd!