Near Gravel Mountain (map)

Pete and I woke up, caught a DBL shuttle to the gravel pit near Wonder Lake, and started walking the road. After four or five miles, we caught a bus, getting off near Stony Hill. Up a creek draw, through some mucky tundra, over some hills, up a mountainside, down a bigger creek draw, along a gravel bar, and back to the road.

In Denali, there are almost no human trails. This changes the backcountry experience more than I ever imagined it could. Start walking, find your way, be clever. And the experience is different every time and a new challenge.