Ptarmigan Tracks

Every summer season at the lodges takes on a character of its own; not defined by the year, but rather by those events or projects that take place over its course. 2018 will be etched into our minds by four things: snow, dancing, a murder, and a new cabin.

Flying into Kantishna on May 5, our first staff landed in a ski plane to find over three feet of snow covering the ground, with drifts over six feet in many places. Besides ample shoveling opportunities, we were also able to get in some wild sledding down the Camp Denali driveway!

Despite all the snow, we opened on June 2 with our second contra dance camp with the Great Bear Trio. It was a rocking good time for staff and guests alike as we danced far past our normal summer bedtimes.  

July was marked by the dramatic poisoning of Juliet at an all-staff murder mystery party. The evening was set at "Quigley High" during the popular Shakespeare production and mired in adolescent turmoil. Suspects included the jealous Blueberry dog mushing team, the “Poisonberries” clique battling for the "Snowcoming" Queen title, and the Alaskan Reptile Appreciation Club.

We wrapped up our summer by breaking ground for a new guest cabin at Camp Denali, for no summer feels truly complete without hand-digging an eight-foot deep outhouse hole.