Our new venue in Denali--Toklat!

The late night drive out was uneventful, but beautiful—

Sun on the mountains...

Denali in the background

Polychrome Pass--gorgeous colors! 

The next day, our first day, the sun was shinning and all was right with the world!

(I was, however, keeping in mind the warning that Toklat was “wild”; we needed to be additionally cautious in the camp.)

We started our morning by doing laundry and cleaning the van.  (Matt and I would have orientation the next day.)  The first number of trips—bathroom, laundry, recreation center—Matthew and I went together.  Well, you know Matt...After the third “toilet-run”, I told him to finish and come home on his own.  I reminded him to “make noise” coming back to the van.  When he arrived, Matt reported that he clapped his hands while jogging home.  I applauded his noise making, but we had a serious talk about how “jogging” could trigger a bear’s predatory instinct to chase.  So, the next time we went up the road to fold laundry, we went together.

We were walking on the right side of the road; this is just an around-the-camp gravel road.  I paused when I heard a munching sound.  After I located the maker of the sound, I did two things simultaneously.  I exclaimed, “Oh shit, a bear!” and grabbed Matthew along side of me.  Unfortunately, the expletive caught the juvenile bear’s attention and from less than 3 yards away, he acknowledged our presence.  I told Matt to “get big”—meaning, wave your arms.  The bear, obviously disgusted by our display, returned to munching on horsetail.  Matthew and I backed away slowly.  (Okay, I thought it was slowly, but even if it wasn’t, the bear was done with us.)

After folding the clothes, we wisely chose to take a path, versus the road, home.  At the end of the path and a bit south, is another bathroom.  Matthew and I saw two rangers at the back of the building.  Jeanette (one of the rangers), loudly asked us if we saw the bear.  Still strung-out on adrenaline, I loudly launch into, “Yeah, it was right up there at…” Jeanette, intelligently interrupted, “No, THAT bear!”  Damn, she meant the large adult bear at the opposite corner of the building (a mere 20 yards away)!  So again, I exclaimed, “Oh shit, a bear!”  I was again awarded with acknowledgement.  This time, the bear gave me the stink-eye.  (Yes, Jeanette agrees; it was the “stink-eye”.  She had gotten it too!) Matthew and I “got big” and slowly backed away.  When we FINALLY got back to the van, I realized I had learned a few things. 

1.     I won’t exclaim when I see a bear.  (I don’t think they like to be yelled at.  They may not like to be sworn at either—just a guess.) 

2.     Matthew won’t be walking anywhere alone. 

3.     I don’t like seeing a bear when I am on foot. 

4.     They really are BIG. 

5.     The recommended 300-yard distance between you and a bear isn’t far enough.

Oh, and I am thankful the camp has good laundry facilities.

I told Jakara, another interpretive ranger here, our story.   Her comment, “Welcome to Toklat!”  Damn, this really will be an adventure!