Small Denali lodge gains visitors in slow tourism season

Small Denali lodge gains visitors in slow tourism season

DENALI NATIONAL PARK The sun was about to set as Greg LaHaie sat down in the main room of his lodge to plan for the next day’s schedule of flights for Kantishna Air Taxi.

LaHaie owns this flight-seeing service and lodge, located at the end of the road, 95 miles inside this 6 million acre national park, just 20 miles from the north face of the towering mountain.

Skyline Lodge is a cozy tri-level, solar powered building, nestled into the side of a mountain. It attracts independent travelers from around the world, ready to set off on a variety of adventures.

On a day in late August, lodge guests and employees gathered around the table at LaHaie’s solar-powered lodge to share their day’s experiences.

Outside, in the rapidly fading daylight, the silence was palatable. The mountainous terrain and deep valleys were ripe with the brilliant reds and yellows of autumn.

It was a scene that could have inspired the words of Robert Service’s poem, “The Spell of the Yukon” “It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder. It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.”

Even now, LaHaie goes into visual overload when he flies visitors around the area.

“It’s standing in awe of the creation and realizing that it hasn’t changed much in the last 10,000 years, and you are hearing the same sounds,” he said. “It has that prehistoric feel, so much so that you wouldn’t be surprised to see a mastodon or a dinosaur standing up on the hills.

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- Source : http://booktravelpro.com