A Very Short Drive
The hunters were still there in morning. They had their spotting scopes on a group of four sheep, but were only ewes and lambs, not allowed to be hunted. We got our scopes and looked and found a total of ten sheep on mountains, with three walking right along the top ridge line before disappearing over the back side of the ridge.
After breakfast, we left the hunters and went further up the road. It was all gravel now, but easily passable with Speedy if we went slowly. It took a couple of hours to get up to the Kendesnii Campground, the only developed campground along the road. It is a small campground overlooking a small lake with views towards the Wrangell Mountains...when there are no clouds. By the time we arrived it was cloudy over the Wrangells.
We found two adjacent sites and parked the vans. The campground is free, the first developed campground we have seen in a National Park that was free. The campground loop road and all of the sites are graveled but it is built over permafrost and frost heaves have given the loop road and some of the sites large dips and humps. Our sites were pretty level. It has pit toilets but no water...except the lake. The outhouse nearest our sites had shifted due to frost heaves and had a bit of a funhouse feeling inside.
We walked the camp trail loop which goes along the lake and saw a good selection of ducks and a pair of Trumpeter Swans. There was good stationary birding right at our campsite with flickers, a sharp-shinned hawk, a bald eagle, some ravens and the ubiquitous gray jays seen.
We decided to have dinner outside but it turned a bit too cold so we didn't stay out beyond our meals. We retired to Speedy and turned on heat. Early to bed tonight.
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