Denali or Mount McKinley

This morning the alarm clock rang at 5:30 a.m., a normal time for me but the middle of the night for Mats. We had booked a bus tour through Denali National Park for 10 a.m. It was almost 250 km by car from Talkeetna to the Wilderness Access Center.

Just the drive to Denali National Park was incredibly beautiful. Alaska showed itself at its best. Blue skies, pure sunshine, and an unbelievably beautiful landscape. Alaska's vastness and beauty captivated us.

We took the bus through the national park to the Eilison Visitor Center. Four hours there, and four hours back. At home, we had debated whether or not to take this bus trip. In hindsight, it was the best thing we could have done.

Our bus driver and guide, Daniel, asked everyone who boarded if they had bear spray. And there were quite a few who actually had it. If you spotted an animal, you had to shout "Stop" and indicate the time it was sighted. After a short time, we heard "Stop, bear at 3," and we saw a grizzly in the wild for the first time. Along the whole route, we saw a total of 5 grizzlies, countless caribou, some sheep, and, among other birds, an eagle.

What we also saw was the Denali, in all its glory. Only 10 percent of all park visitors get to see it like this. And we were there. It stood there, completely free, without a single cloud, at its full height of 6190 meters.

Once we arrived in Talkeetna, we had burgers before falling into bed, completely exhausted.