A surprise trip to Anchorage to take the train to Denali for camping and hiking with my daughter. Erika had just taken her first post-college job at a mine well north of the Artic Circle, so this was, I guess, her first paid vacation!

Except for the short time we were in a 1950's car with a bunch of Middle School Students giving the Moose sign at every tree that looked like it might be a moose, we thoroughly enjoyed the train ride. Highly recommended.

Taking a picture of one's daughter? Nice. Taking a picture of a rainbow? Also nice. Taking a picture of both at once? Priceless. Think of it - just how often do you get a chance to take a picture like this? Saying this was a pleasant little hike from our first camp site is quite the understatement.

OK - Animal scat isn't nearly as pretty as a rainbow, but as we found out later, it is wise to pay attention to such details when you are in their world.

The most surprising thing about Denali is the scale. Everything is bigger than you think - the valleys on the drive in to Wonder Lake campground are huge - and the greens are very different, depending on clouds and sun.

Camping the first night was, I admit, a challenge. The coldest, wettest, buggiest site I've ever been to - but at least there was a nice cooking shelter and food storage for bears - and good company.

The hike to McKinley River was the only one that was an actual trail. Everywhere else you have to make your own path, and the challenge was to do so and still keep your feet warm and dry during what the locals said was the coldest, wettest summer in memory.

We didn't dare try to cross - others have successfully climbed Denali only to perish in this glacial silt river on the way back home.

We thought these mountains in the distance were nice, but rumor had it that Denali was also back there - it was just covered with clouds, as it is 80% of the time. After several days of clouds and rain, and knowing that many visitors never even get to see the mountain, we were excited when the bus driver said she thought she saw the peak sticking out of the clouds. Denali is one of the highest stand alone peaks in the world, and It was pretty thrilling to see just how high it really is compared to its surroundings - we had to look far higher than expected to see the top poking it's head out through the break in the clouds.

While looking for a dry place to hike for the day, we spotted a bear digging for squirrels. The snow was nice, then, in that it made it easier to follow our first encounter with a grizzly.

Do you see the bear in the picture on the left? In any case, after that excitement it was time to get out and walk. In Denali, since private vehicles are not allowed, that means you ride the camper bus until you see a place you want to explore, and politely ask to be let off. Whenever you are done for the day, you simply walk back to the road and wait for another camper bus to take you and your gear back to your campsite.

We didn't know where we were going to hike for the day until we saw the sun hit these snowy peaks- then we knew it was time to get off the bus.