Savage Loop Trail
Trip Start
May 05, 2009
1
16
48
Trip End
Sep 20, 2009
Healy,
Alaska,
United States
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Since this is our last day off for awhile we decide to do the Savage Loop hike. But first we went into Healy to do some banking, stopped at the canoe rental place on Otto Lake Rd. to get details on renting a boat for fishing on our next days off, and took pictures of the Alaska Railroad train as it traveled through the Denali Park canyon.
When we got down to the parking lot at the beginning of the Savage Trail, we see Russ the photographer. He tells us that there is a baby moose across the river, and that it has been abandoned by its mother. The story goes that the mother moose crossed the river, and the baby would not follow. The mother moose left and no one has seen it since. We see Vic the moose man's truck on the other side, and so we decide to make the loop in reverse, and stop to talk to Vic on the way.
The first person we encounter on the other side of the river is a bus driver who is watching the baby moose. He tells us that the bleats of the baby moose are getting weaker as the time goes by without any nourishment from its mother. We take some baby moose pictures, talk to Vic and Lin the bear tech, and then move on down the trail.
We continually search the heights trying to see Dall Sheep, but without any success. We enjoy walking along the river though, and listening to the sounds of water over rocks and the many different birds providing us with their cheerful melodies. When we get to the wooden bridge at the end of the maintained trail Val wants to go on up the next hill for a peek, but Dave says he does not want to go so they cross the bridge and turn to finish the last half of the loop back to the parking lot.
Back at the parking lot we see that the baby moose has come down to the river for a drink, and we get some more pictures and some video of him. There are several photographers lined up now with their tripods and cameras all set to photograph the baby and his fate. "Enough of this, it's time to turn on our generator back at camp." We don't get very far, maybe half a mile, when we come up over a hill and see buses stopped in the road - and a bear. The bear is headed toward the bridge. We know what that means. As soon as we are able to turn around we head back to let Vic and Russ know that it looks like a bear is on the way. Vic drives to the top of the hill overlooking the river and the bridge to look for the bear, and we wait in the parking lot for awhile. After waiting for about an hour with no sign of the bear, and deciding that we really do not want to see what happens when the bear gets there - we leave and go back to camp.
June 6
No one knows what happened to baby moose. We have asked everyone. If the bear got him no one knows. Maybe his mother came back and moved him to safer ground.
Hip Hip Hooray! We got water yesterday. Dave complained to Amy, the Law Enforcement Ranger, that there was no water. We have a guy that bicycled here only to find that there is no water. We gave him water. Then we had the couple from Germany that rode from Winnepeg on motorcycles - we gave them water. Then Mike, the Law Enforcement Ranger, wanted Dave to put out a smoldering campfire and we used our water, water that we have to drive to Riley Creek and fill gallon jugs to haul back to Savage. We were getting very tired of hauling water. So Hooray Hooray we have water today.
Matt, the Bear Tech guy, came to see us today. We met him last year, and he is a great guy. He spent the winter in Alaska, and drove dog sled teams. How cool is that? I really like Matt because he pays attention to me. He pets me and talks to me, and he even said I could be a sled dog. Yeh, right.
Your favorite musher,
Remington
Comments
Good to see you!
Hey dear friend,
I loved the picture of you (Beauty on the Rocks). I am enjoying Remy's blogs so much. It makes me feel like I'm there with you guys. I must admit I didn't like the part about the baby moose. You know that will bother me for days, worrying about what happened to it. I know it's nature and all, but you know me! So glad you are having another great adventure. Be safe and have fun!
Hey Remy, send more pictures with Val in them. Oh, and I guess of few with Dave in them too is ok.
Love you all,
Linda