BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//jEvents 2.0 for Joomla//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:4101aaf889e2c3576f89f0c8fcce652c CATEGORIES:North America CREATED:20170801T162807 SUMMARY:Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Spectacle DESCRIPTION:This excursion to Alaska in autumn captures the best of three distinct biog eographical regions: the dark spruce forests and mirror lakes of the centra l coast, the rocky islands of the Gulf of Alaska, and the taiga-tundra maje sty of the interior's Alaska Range, perhaps the premier wildlife-viewing ar ea in all North America. Our first destination is Denali National Park, a s ix million acre wilderness beneath 20,320'-elevation Mount McKinley, highes t point in all North America—and rising 18,000 feet above the surrounding p lateau, the highest land massif in the world. Here we may find Golden Eagle s, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Northern Hawk Owls, Grizzly Bears, Gray Wolv es, Caribou, Moose, and flocks of snow-white Dall Sheep grazing on swatches of tundra that are often a carpet of wildflowers at this season. Potential ly our best birding in the interior is our full day transect of the Denali Highway. Incredibly scenic and little-traveled, possible birds along the De nali Highway include Gyrfalcon, Northern Goshawk, both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Boreal Chickadee and White-winged Crossbill. We'll savor the magnif icent Alaska Range area for three nights and four days, ample time to enjoy one of the world’s last great panoplies of wilderness, alive with truly la rge wildlife as abundant as before the advent of modern man. Next we visit the fjord and rainforest home of the Bald Eagle at Kenai Fjords National Pa rk. Stupendous peaks rise vertically from icy waters and some 34 major, mil ky blue glaciers creep toward the sea. This is the province of Horned Puffi ns, Mountain Goats, Sea Otters, Humpback Whales, and above all Moose—the la rgest subspecies in the world. On an all-day boat trip we'll witness the aw esome sight of tidewater glaciers as they calve into the ocean. Off the Chi swell Islands we'll have a chance of seeing Orcas, the so-called "killer wh ales," with their six-foot-tall dorsal fins, and Humpback Whales are relati vely common in Resurrection Bay. The Chiswell sea cliffs provide refuge for tens of thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes and comical Tufted Puffins. C lose relatives here too include such distinctive species pairs as Common an d Thick-billed Murres, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, and Rhinoceros and Parakeet Auklets. And we’ll not neglect the community of birds that inhabi t the deep spruce forests of the peninsula itself. Among these are Spruce G rouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, American Dipper, Varied Thrush, and Pine Gros beak.\nLeader: John Yerger (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&a mp;id=29:john-yerger&catid=18:leaders-and-staff&Itemid=155)\n (inde x.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11:moez-ali&catid=18:l eaders-and-staff&Itemid=155)\nCost of Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Specta cle includes all transportation, lodging, meals, and entrances beginning an d ending in Anchorage, Alaska—$3695.\nPhoto: Bull moose in velvet, Alaska\n Photo by: Rick Taylor\n (/component/joomgallery/alaska-photo-gallery)\nView Photo Gallery (/component/joomgallery/alaska-photo-gallery) X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

This excursion to Alaska in aut umn captures the best of three distinct biogeographical regions: the dark s pruce forests and mirror lakes of the central coast, the rocky islands of t he Gulf of Alaska, and the taiga-tundra majesty of the interior's Alaska Ra nge, perhaps the premier wildlife-viewing area in all North America. Our fi rst destination is Denali National Park, a six million acre wilderness bene ath 20,320'-elevation Mount McKinley, highest point in all North America—an d rising 18,000 feet above the surrounding plateau, the highest land massif in the world. Here we may find Golden Eagles, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Northern Hawk Owls, Grizzly Bears, Gray Wolves, Caribou, Moose, and flocks of snow-white Dall Sheep grazing on swatches of tundra that are often a car pet of wildflowers at this season. Potentially our best birding in the inte rior is our full day transect of the Denali Highway. Incredibly scenic and little-traveled, possible birds along the Denali Highway include Gyrfalcon, Northern Goshawk, both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Boreal Chickadee and Wh ite-winged Crossbill. We'll savor the magnificent Alaska Range area for thr ee nights and four days, ample time to enjoy one of the world’s last great panoplies of wilderness, alive with truly large wildlife as abundant as bef ore the advent of modern man. Next we visit the fjord and rainforest home o f the Bald Eagle at Kenai Fjords National Park. Stupendous peaks rise verti cally from icy waters and some 34 major, milky blue glaciers creep toward t he sea. This is the province of Horned Puffins, Mountain Goats, Sea Otters, Humpback Whales, and above all Moose—the largest subspecies in the world. On an all-day boat trip we'll witness the awesome sight of tidewater glacie rs as they calve into the ocean. Off the Chiswell Islands we'll have a chan ce of seeing Orcas, the so-called "killer whales," with their six-foot-tall dorsal fins, and Humpback Whales are relatively common in Resurrection Bay . The Chiswell sea cliffs provide refuge for tens of thousands of Black-leg ged Kittiwakes and comical Tufted Puffins. Close relatives here too include such distinctive species pairs as Common and Thick-billed Murres, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, and Rhinoceros and Parakeet Auklets. And we’ll no t neglect the community of birds that inhabit the deep spruce forests of th e peninsula itself. Among these are Spruce Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, A merican Dipper, Varied Thrush, and Pine Grosbeak.

Leader: John Yerger < br />

Cost of Alaska in Autumn: Wildlife Spectacle includes all transportation, lodging, meals, and entrances be ginning and ending in Anchorage, Alaska—$3695.

Photo: Bull mo ose in velvet, Alaska

Photo by: Ri ck Taylor

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