Alaska Part 2: Igloo Creek and Eielson

The earliest we could get on a bus to Toklat was 9:30, but we wouldn't need to go that far. Our stop was at mile 34 of the road. That was the location of Igloo Creek, probably the best location of an Arctic Warbler. There were 2 birds that I really had my hopes up for: Arctic Warbler and Kittlitz's Murrelet. The Kittlitz would be at Kenai Fjords, but our only shot was Denali for Arctic Warbler.

Arctic Warbler is a very cool bird for the ABA area. It is the only Leaf Warbler that breeds in the United States, but it spends its winters in southeast Asia. Finding it is supposed to be hard. Understandably it does not like to hang out in the open. I wouldn't either if my nature companions were bears, wolves, and plenty of birds that would love to eat me. Even knowing its toneless trill is not enough. They love dense willow scrub along creeks. Icy creeks that are even too cold for fish to live in. Anthony is not a birder, so this was his first taste of the adventure birding I had hyped up to him. This was going to be a different kind of challenge than the Colima Warbler. We had trails and a lot less brush to deal with in Big Bend. How were we going to sneak up on a skittish song bird in a maze of chest high scrub? I kept thinking about contingency plans for missing it at Igloo Creek. Fortunately Tattler Creek, 4 miles down the road, was close and the second best spot. We had to get this bird. The excitement was hard to contain as we boarded our bus.

Caribou were abundant during our bus ride

Here. We. Go.

We got off the bus by ourselves. All eyes were on us as we left, wondering why we were getting off here. Most people don't use the bus to get to trails. They sit on the bus, get off, enjoy the sights for 30 minutes, and head back to civilization. But if they had any idea what was out there they wouldn't be doing that.

This willow scrub is the perfect habitat for Arctic Warbler. Unfortunately it is super dense.

The silence was once again overpowering. This time in the woods it was eerie. Only the call of the occasional Canada Jay could be heard over the crashing Igloo Creek. Armed with bear spray we followed the edge of the creek until all we could do was crash forward. Then we heard it. The toneless trill. Slowly and as quietly as possible we skulked after the Arctic Warbler. Some birders would count it and move on, but not me. I don't count heard only lifers save for night birds like owls or nightjars, but even if I did this wasn't going to settle for just hearing this bird.

But there was no way I was going to see it by wading through the thick scrub. We decided to adapt by hugging the extremely loud creek to cover the crunching of twigs. It made hearing the warbler impossible, though. It opened up a little bit and we were able to sneak in a bit to get almost right up on it, but as soon as we got close it would fly away. Eventually we heard a call up a ridge of loose rock. We should have turned back, but there was no way I was going to do that. Gingerly stepping we hiked higher and higher to try to get above the bird, and it worked. This dude was singing right below us.

This is when that willow scrub gave us an advantage. We would pick up on any movement, and sure enough a greenish brown flash appeared. I like to think my birding adrenaline kicked in because I got right on it, getting incredible looks and the white supercilium to confirm it. I couldn't contain the emotional. I let out a yell of joy and I'm not sure how loud it was, but that was a tough bird to find and we went found it in the Alaskan wilderness.

One of Anthony's best shots. He sniped this Wilson's Warbler

There is an Arctic Warbler somewhere in there. Let me know if you find it because I can't!

Willow Ptarmigans blend in extremely well and are very difficult to spot

It turns out we didn't need to go off trail for it. After crossing an icy steam we walked about 3 miles down the park road, getting amazing looks at Wilson's Warbler. But we heard insane amounts of Arctic Warbler, and we got another great look at another. But there was another treat for us frozen on the ground that we almost missed. A Willow Ptarmigan, an iconic Denali bird, was right below us.

The day was completed by another spiritual moment. A mile after we got picked up by a bus on the road we came to a stop. Sleeping on the ridge above us was a sow Grizzly with a cub. I had never seen a Grizzly before, and I had been dying to see one. It was another one of those overwhelming moments.

But the really special day would come the next day when we went to the Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66 of the park road. There wasn't any scrub this time. It was just open tundra. But when we pulled up and went towards the trail, only to be stopped by a ranger. The trail was closed because about 100 yards away a sow and cubs were grazing. This was the only time we were outside with bears (Mom, I promise we were as safe as possible). This was a breathtaking moment.

A picture doesn't do it justice

Nothing symbolizes wild America like a Grizzly Bear. These larger than life animals used to roam from Alaska into Mexico, even through Big Bend in Texas. But now they inhabit fragments of their old range. To truly experience a Grizzly you have to be in a truly wild place now. And that's where we were, staring at 3 bears with a backdrop of mountains that dwarfed us. Towering grey peaks covered by snow loomed over an animal that already made me feel tiny and insignificant. My mind has never been blown like that.

As we hiked up the Alpine Trail that gained 1,100 feet in .75 miles I couldn't shake this weird feeling I had. We passed Common Redpoll and Horned Larks up to the most incredible 360 degree view I have ever seen. Then I understood what that feeling was. It was bewilderment. We were truly in the wild, stuck in this feeling of awe. An untouched landscape lay before us, populated by animals that could eat us without a second thought, but here we were watching them and watching the mountains. This was another one of moments where I truly felt alive. I can't speak for Anthony but I suspect he felt the same. By the way, huge shoutout to Anthony. I forgot to mention earlier that he is the one who took the vast majority of our Denali pictures. And he killed it.

This is one of the most special places on the planet. Moose, caribou, bears, and wolves roam unimpeded while Golden Eagles soar overhead and Arctic Warblers trill below. They do all of this below towering peaks that reach their crescendo atop one the tallest point in North America. Whatever you do, go to Denali. Paris will always be there. New York will always be there. But with the ever changing climate and ever growing population Denali may not be what it is today. But don't take my word for it, go experience it yourself.