Beyers Lake, Ak

Mt. Mckinnley (AKA Denali) looms over the tree-rimmed moraine of Beyers Lake. Emerging from the overcast day, clouds scud across its icy face while its neighboring peaks are obscured. Only Denali rises high enough for the lake-center view. Like most visitors, eager to see the great one, we were thwarted again and again with this moment the one exception. Down the lake to the east, the sky is falling. A dense, black little cloud dumps a thicket of dark rain. Refracting sunshine illuminates the shimmering curtain. A rainbow? Neigh, a dancing, spangling apparition of pinks, blues, oranges spread across a few miles of storm. Raw rocky ridges in the sun decorate the rim of the world to the south and west. A single low log cabin releases a sigh of smoke. Satisfied with this very special moment, I paddled back to shore. Three loons sang their haunting call as the reflections of the world in undulating motion bounced along the surface water in this window in the woods that is Beyers Lake. Incidentally, don’t expect photos from me of this paddle trip as the camera was safely on shore! This website does have a few from someone else’s trip: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/561198958jNuWRo