After a lot of debate we put back in the Wood river and decided to take out at Little Grizzly creek with the hope of finding a horse trail I had read about on one of Roman Dial's posts. We all just wanted some nice easy walking.
A flash of aviation orange caught my eye as we were approaching Little Grizzly creek, we pulled over and found a large airstrip and about 100 yards into the trees the Denali Wilderness Lodge. No one was home, I guess its for sale. If I was a gazillionaire I would buy it in a second. It was a huge compound comprised of a large lodge, numerous private guest cabins, an old tractor, and horse pens. It was all the more impressive considering everything there was flown in.
There was no sign that marked the start of the horse trail, and I would have said it was more like a game trail, except that it didn't dead end as often. We followed it up the creek, lost it and found it as it crossed the creek back and forth, once above treeline though it was awesome to the top of the pass.
We should have stayed left instead of right when we lost the trail, but we didn't know how or if it went all the way to Yanert river anyway. The important thing is we saw it where it crossed Dick Creek and went up the left bank about 500 ft. I have no doubt that it would have never ending bushwhack on the opposite side.
It felt like miles to get through the trees and down to the Yanert. Luckily the summer days are long because we didn't make camp till midnight. Our feet were wrinkled, and aching, but we were grinning because now it was time to float again.
Sun Setting Over the Yanert River
T.15:D.20:EG.3000
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