May 13, 2008
So sorry for not keeping up on the Blog since i've been back. Life has been busy and my priorities have been Christine and the Denali Education Center. This coming Sunday we open our doors for the 2008 summer season welcoming 30 Elderhostel guests from all over the country who will stay on our Denali riverside campus for six nights and seven days.
This past Saturday my nephews Jamie and Joel Lichosik accompanied me as we drove to the Toklat in a borrowed truck to retrieve the rest of my gear and food left in a storage shed there (thanks Holly!). We had a fantastic day with big blue skies, moose, Dall sheep, and an inquisitive 4 year old grizzly bear who enjoyed scratching his back on the corner of the outhouses at the Toklat rest stop.
i am hoping to update the blog weekly filling in trip details and now that i have my research journals in my possesion, some of the findings from the trip. Thank you for your patience and happy spring!
Dates of trip: January 21 - March 31, 2007
- willie
- This trip has been in the works for 22 years when i first read the book, "Wilderness of Denali, Explorations of a Hunter Naturalist" by Charles Sheldon. i thought, wouldn't it be great to be in Denali, at the exact same time and in the exact same places Sheldon was 100 years earlier. That 22 years went by quick, a lot has changed, but my desire for the trip has never wavered. Fortunately i have a loving and understanding wife, Christine, who has supported this dream since we met. Also, i work for the greatest organization a person could ever have the privilege to be a part of, the Denali Education Center. The Board and Staff are extremely dedicated and possess a deep understanding of the need to educate and connect all people to Denali. i am a fortunate soul to have such wonderful people as friends and colleagues. Ultimately this trip is about "Seeking the Balance" in my life and exploring how wilderness can help to attain a balanced world. By living in Denali's wilderness for a short time with very simple comforts i hope to learn valuable lessons which will help us all.
Charles Sheldon
Sheldon, Belmore Browne, Teddy Roosevelt and others are credited with being the primary founders of Mt McKinley National Park. The name was changed to Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. The best introduction i have ever read about Sheldon is from "The Wilderness of the Southwest, Charles Sheldon's Quest for Desert Bighorn Sheep and Adventures with the Havasupai and Seri Indians" which was edited by Neil B. Carmony and David E. Brown. If you have any interest in the life of Sheldon this is a must read.
Mount Sheldon
Looking Northwest from Sheldon's campsite area
The Wilderness of Denali by Charles Sheldon
There have been 3 publications of The Wilderness of Denali. The original book was published in 1930 by Charles Scribner's Sons and then again in 1960. This most recent version was published by Derrydale Press in 2000. You can find it on Amazon and other book search engines on the internet.
1930 Edition
