Blue Wonder

The “Blue Wonder” Experience

You don't go to Denali -
Denali comes to you.

Every time I pay a visit to Denali National Park & Preserve I am reminded of this.  Just being there is not enough; you have to be open to it.  With open eyes, heart and soul sooner or later something special falls into your lap (hopefully!).  On this particular July trip it took about two days to get in tune with the natural rhythms.  The first day my brain was busy filtering and filing the previous week's life input.  And then the mountain came out... and my mind went blank.  Sweet!

It was late afternoon "magic hour" when I planted myself and three tripods at the north end of Wonder Lake.  Mt. McKinley was teasingly poking its head out of the clouds and around midnight the wind died down (much to my-and the mozzies-relief).  Slowly, as things cooled down, the clouds dissipated.  Magic hour extended for hours into the not-so-dark Alaskan summer night as the sky transformed into a wonderfully rich, deep blue color.  Ambient, indirect sunlight shone on the Alaska Range as snow-clad Denali reflected on the misty surface of Wonder Lake.

I had gone to Denali... and "Blue Wonder" had come to me.