After a slow start due to shuttle delays, we went for another hike on Tuesday. Again, we had no idea where we would hike. We ended up getting off the bus at Stony Creek. It had started sprinkling, and we didn’t bring any real rain gear. But, we’re from Portland and a little rain wasn’t stopping us from hiking on our last day in the park. We followed an old river bed with a small creek into rolling hills. The tundra was short and squishy underfoot. We climbed one hill and decided to climb over another hill to loop back to the road. Near the road, three caribou cut into our path. They saw us but didn’t care. After photos, we changed direction to let them continue toward the road, and we’d take a longer route. A bus startled them, causing them to turn around and run back toward the hills, which allowed us to continue to the road. It was a great hike!
Yesterday, we left the campground early hoping to see some wildlife on the road. We saw nothing. It was a travel day that ended in Wasilla. Wasilla has a beautiful mountain backdrop and a lake in the middle of town where people were swimming. It’s worth a little more exploration than our short drive through yesterday. Our original, tentative plan was to go kayaking at Nancy Lakes, though a waitress yesterday told us of another place where locals go that sounds beautiful. Who knows where we’ll end up?