Day 31...A Perfct Day for Hiking...Caribou Sighting...Hiking the Toklat River

Today was an absolutely perfect day for hiking...sunny and cool with temperatures in the low 60's. I took the "Toklat River" bus at 9:30AM for the three-hour trip to my hiking spot.
Along the way, we stopped to view a caribou (see photo).
This hike was unlike all my others before (including my "test hikes" on the nature tails at home). Out here in Denali, ther are some forested areas, but the terrain is mostly what they call "wet tundra" at low levels and "dry tundra" at higher levels. That translates to rocky ground (called "scree") and sparse, low-lying vegetation.
From the bridge at the Toklat River stop, I was able to hike a few miles up the dry part of the river bed and along the banks. As you can see from the photos, it was tough going with lots of rocks...also about as desolate as you can get. Still...it was an incredible experience I really felt like I was "out there"...all alone with lots of time to think.
In addition to taking a lot of photos, I stopped a few times and used my rock pick to dig out some fine dirt from the exposed parts of the river bank. I panned this dirt, but I didn't have any luck finding any gold. I think that I'll do better as I head down the Yukon and British Columbia along the Fraser River. It was along the Fraser that the original "old Rush" started.
Although I have a bus ticket to go back to Toklat River tomorrow, I've decided that it's time to move on...I've spent a total of about five days here in Denali on two visits, and there will be plenty of time for hiking in other places...including Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon where I'll be stopping in two days.
So...tomorrow I'm off to the Chena Hot Springs Lodge. I had lunch there soon after I got to Alaska, and it looked pretty nice. Tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night, I'll have a hot shower, a relaxing time in the "springs", a few cocktails and a nice dinner. That's a welcome change of pace after a few days of camping.
From Chena Hot Springs, I'll be driving to Dawson City...the old "old Rush" capitol of the Yukon. This drive includes a trip along the "Top of the World Highway" and a ferry ride across the river outside of Dawson City (no bridge). From there, I'll be heading out to Tombstone Territorial Park for a day or two to camp and hike. Then it's back to Whitehorse, Watson Lake, Fort Nelson, etc. as I retrace my steps...this time south along the Alaskan Highway. At Dawson Creek, I'll be detouring off on another route to spend a few days in Banff and Lake Louise. I've been doing some planning for my return trip, and I should have an itinerary posted within the next few days. My plan is to be home by Friday, October 3 so that can go to the UM/Illinois game on the 4th.

More later...it'll be a few days...no Wi-Fi at Chena Hot Springs and Tombstone is even more isolated than Denali.