Drift Off at Denali

The sun is beginning to set behind the Alaska Range, here at Denali National Park. Visitors flock to this national park to experience the expanse of untouched landscapes and pristine natural beauty. But tonight, there's an other-worldly sense of peace and quiet at your backcountry campsite. In the distance, you can hear the last bush plane of sightseers leaving the park for the evening. At times, the silence is briefly interrupted by the distant calls of a willow ptarmigan and the rustling of a herd of caribou grazing on lichen and sedges. This frigid lands can be quite unforgiving and the hearty creatures that call it home have adapted to live in perfect harmony with the changing seasons. So, as we settle in for tonight's journey, let's begin our evening with a short wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So, when you're ready, let's begin. So, first, get yourself comfortable. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So, are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Now, breathe out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great. Now, returning the breath to normal. Streams and rivers swell as the winter snows and glaciers melt. During the early thaw, the ice that formed over the waterways cracks and is carried downstream, like sparkling shards of crystal. The uppermost layers of frozen earth blanketing much of the land are warmed by the sun and are soon topped to a small bodies of water. Every year, the permafrost goes through a cycle of thaw and freeze that leaves shallow pools rimmed with short, irregularly shaped walls. Looking at the abated landscape from the air reveals the grander pattern of net-like structures, portions of which appear blown out like abandoned cobwebs. One stream proceeding from the east leads to Wonder Lake in the far west of Denali National Park and Preserve. Formed by the Muldrow Glacier, as it receded many thousands of years ago, it's now a wide and placid lake that reflects the Alaska range on its mirror-like surface. The mountain peaks also double in the nearby ponds, each one filling to its edges with a postcard-perfect image of the trees, slopes and imposing snow covered summit of Denali. Many of the ponds are home to families of beavers who fastidiously cut down vegetation to create their...