For my 2 week backpacking and hiking trip I have decided to go to the tundra in Denali National Park in the heart of Alaska. Denali National Park is an astonishing 6 million acres large. It is larger than the entire state of Massachusetts. I will be leaving in early July as to avoid any snow and sub-zero weather, although both are still possible but rare. The average rainfall in July is about 3 inches so I will need rain gear and good hiking boots.
There are many exotic plants growing in Denali and I hope to see as many as possible. All of the vegetation in the tundra is adapted to long, extremely cold winters and only they can survive in this sub-arctic wilderness. Only the thinnest layer of the topsoil thaws each summer to support life. Mountain avens, dwarf fireweed, moss, and dwarf rhododendron dot the rocky landscape. Although small in size these plants play a large role because of the energy and nutrients that they provide sustains even the largest species of park wildlife. I also hope to see just as many wild animals. For most animals in Denali summer is a busy time during which they must collect and store most of their yearly food. During this time Dall sheep graze with their young on the small sprouts of mountain avens before they must move back down the steep mountains for a long winter. Grizzlies, black bear, and wolves are the only predators of dall sheep in the tundra. Wolves are rarely seen whereas grizzlies and black bear are seen more frequently. Grizzlies are omnivores and their diet consists mostly of plants, berries, and small game, like ground squirrels, but they are known to