On our way to meet the 'Big One'

Back in Anchorage, we happily let ourselves be chauffeured by taxi to Verny. We were able to book 3 nights for Denali starting from 13.08.18. We have 4 days to cover the next approximately 300 km. On the 9th, we drive to Wasilla. There we will find a campground at Lake Lucille. Nice, but on closer inspection more of a 'hippie place'. The man in the tent on the next site is probably on a self-discovery trip. He is sitting on the table, hood up, and smoking, he is still doing it 4 hours later...

Down by the lake, we want to stretch our legs a bit. What do we get? Wow, a couple with a dog and a cat, the dog is free, the cat is on a leash on the jetty, the woman in a bikini at an estimated 12 degrees. It doesn't take long for the dog 🐕 to unintentionally go swimming. First she throws him in the water, then she motivates him and praises him until he reaches the shore. It doesn't take long for the cat to swim 😳, but this one is accompanied by the woman... Alright! Where have we ended up... The night was quiet, but it was clear that we wouldn't stay here for another night. Right next to the campground is the headquarters of the Iditarod race. Cool little exhibition and an exciting film about the main characters and top athletes that everything revolves around at this long-distance endurance race, the sled dogs.

After an adventurous off-road detour on the bumpy road, we drive to Talkeetna, a special town, musicians, painters in the spring, climbers, a unique mix. The campsite is nice by the river, but a little 'fucked up'. We like Talkeetna, a live concert before dinner in the Alaskan Lodge. It's raining the next morning. We drive to the Roadhouse, an institution in Talkeetna, and enjoy a breakfast in a family-style setting. Very nice.

We spend the next two nights in Trapper Creek and Cantwell, respectively, on sites with electricity and water. It's raining, so we can do a little bit of 'work'.

Full of expectations and anticipation, we get into the basket, already dreaming of the 6,190m high mountain that the Athabaskans called 'Deenaalee', the tall / or the big one.