A Hike Out From Sable Pass

Once in Denali National Park, you are free to get off and on the buses wherever you please. I got off on the west side of Sable Pass and hiked towards the Alaska Range along a ridge with spectacular views. I was a bit nervous about this hike because a very short time earlier we had seen a grizzly walking directly to this area. Welcome to Alaska!

The hike was ridiculously wet and winding. I had the great fortune of running into some Brits who also wanted to hike this area, so at least I wasn't doing it alone.

We made it to the top of this ridge where you could see mountains in every direction. This particular shot is looking South towards the Alaska Range. I believe that Mount Pendleton might be one of the mountains in this shot, but I'm not totally sure.

The ground up here is tundra and is very soft to the touch. Hikers are encouraged to walk abreast of each other instead of in a line to limit the damage to the terrain.

In the far distance along the valley that was formed by glaciers you can see a wind storm circling around. It was so windy that at some points I had trouble standing upright!