Be Magnificent and Rise Above it All

Denali, in Alaska is the highest mountain peak in North America.  Denali is 20,310 feet tall and it is the third-highest peak in the world.  Mt. Everest in the Himalayan mountain range located between Nepal and Tibet is the tallest and Aconcagua located in the Andes in Argentina on the border with Chile is second. 

Denali is a word from the Koyukon Athabaskan language of the Native peoples of Alaska.  The word denali means the great one.  Denali was used for centuries to describe the highest mountain in Alaska but was renamed Mount McKinley during the gold rush.  In 2015 President Barack Obama announced that he was officially renaming the mountain from Mt. McKinley to Denali.

Harry Karstens, who became the first superintendent of Denali,  was a member of the group that first climbed to the top of Denali in 1913.  Today, mountaineers from all over the world take on the challenge to reach the peak of Denali. Climbing Denali is difficult and requires both physical and technical training.  One not only has to deal with altitude but also extreme weather and pulling sleds with food and gear.

There are many animals that roam Denali National Park  Moose, bears, Dall sheep, caribou and wolves are the big five that sightseers want to see.  About 300 to 350 grizzly bears live in the park on the north side of the Alaska Range.  You can see them on open tundra and along the gravel bars of rivers and streams.  I remember seeing some grizzlies on my trip to Denali National Park 25 years ago.

There is only one road in Denali, most of which is open only to bus traffic.  The Denali Park Road is 92.5 miles long. The best place to view Denali is at Mile 85, Wonder Lake. This picturesque spot is the closest to the mountain. Here you are just 26 miles away.

Denali is a great location for viewing the aurora borealis since it is located so far north and because there is very limited light pollution. The closest city to Denali is Fairbanks, Alaska.  It is located 125 miles northeast of the entrance to Denali National Park.   

These are the sayings found on the bookmark called Advice from Denali.

• Stand Tall

• Reach for New Heights

• Weather Life’s Storms

• Rise Above it All

• Think Big

• It’s OK to Have Your Head in the Clouds

• Be Magnificent!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings.

• Stand Tall - Standing with your shoulders back and your head up reflects that you are in control and confident. 

• Reach for New Heights - When opportunities present themselves, don’t be afraid to go after them. 

• Weather Life’s Storms - Deal with a difficult situation without being harmed too much.

• Rise Above it All - Don’t let problems or offensive remarks affect you. Rise above it and carry on. 

• Think Big - When you think big, you make plans on a large scale. Thinking big redirects your energy to find solutions instead of worrying about our problems.

• It’s OK to Have Your Head in the Clouds - Having your head in the clouds means you have a lot of creativity which is a good thing.

• Be Magnificent! - When you are magnificent, it means that you are extremely good, beautiful or impressive. 

Have a great day everyone.  Be Magnificent and Rise Above it All.

# living life abundantly  # published author  # travelling tuesdays