The word Talkeetna means convergence – named after the convergence of the Talkeetna, Chulitna, and the Susitna rivers.  My convergence story begins with an acquaintance I met at Cheena Hotsprings.  She was an interesting woman who had spent many years of her life in a homesteaded cabin in the wilderness.  In her experience, she felt the best views of the Denali peaks were from outside the park specifically mentioning mile 135.  Providing directions by mile # is a common practice … Read More

A nice lady that I met while at Cheena Hot Springs told me to skip going into Denali park. The best views of the mountain are from the South side at around mile 135. I had already reserved my spot for the 11 hour Denali transit bus ride to Wonder Lake. You can drive your own vehicle the first part of the road, but to really see the park, you have to take a bus. I was interested to find … Read More

I left camp north of Fairbanks heading south toward Denali. There are still a lot of views on the Steese Highway that I had to stop and enjoy. I stopped briefly in Fairbanks to resupply, then on I went. I didn’t have a reservation (the place I tried to reserve near Denali, sent me a cryptic email, but basically they had had no vacancy). The weather was getting overcast and I started to have concerns about my Denali 11 hour … Read More