Continuing the Alaskan adventure, I said last week that we had ambitious plans for Monday, August 25th. After a 5 1/2 hour morning bus tour of Denali, we were ready to stretch our legs. 

An evening guided hike in the Denali National Park and Preserve was just what we needed to get a close up Alaskan experience. We had learned by now that Alaska tour guides are seasonal employees with careers during the off season. They often have a wealth of information layered with personal opinions. 

We met Joseph Kurtz outside the Denali Park Village Lodge and immediately suspected we were in for a treat. He exuded long-hair tree-hugger hippie vibes, but Joseph was much more complex than our initial impression.

Only two other couples joined our tour. This was a welcome relief after our packed tour bus that morning. Joseph drove the van into Denali National Park. 

He led us into the woods, then promptly stopped. Plucking the buds off a plant, he offered us a sample of the natural pain reducer. The oldest man in our group offered to test Joseph's claim. He had back trouble, and general aches and pains. When this gentleman didn't keel over dead, we gained confidence in our guide's wisdom.

Into the woods we trooped behind our leader. Joseph was part naturalist, part herbalist, and part doomsday prognosticator. The Alaskan spruce forest will be consumed completely by beetles. (Not unlike our Colorado forests under attack by pine beetles.) In ten or twelve years, we were all going to die, victims of climate change.

Joseph shared a bit more about his personal life than necessary, but it was all entertaining. His wealth of knowledge about plants, herbs, and fungi was impressive.

I was captivated by the gazillion different kinds of mushrooms spread over the forest floor. I wasn't alone. Another woman on our tour kept stopping to photograph yet another size, shape, and color of mushroom. 

Joseph asked us if anyone was suffering allergies. I was among those raising a hand. Joseph said breathing mushroom spores could cause a reaction. My sinuses were acting up. Was I truly enchanted with the temperate rainforest, so different from our powder dry Colorado forests? Or was I under the influence of mushroom spores?

The hike continued with a view of the mountains, a tutorial of what to do if we encountered a bear or moose, and more information about plants to use for healing teas than I could ever remember.

Back at the hotel in the dark, Leonard and I agreed that we'd had too little time in Denali. We began seriously entertaining the idea of returning.

The second half of our trip began soon - fishing!

The mushroom experience inspired ideas for book three in the Tapestry Tales YA science fiction series, written with co-author Merida Bass under the pen name Ann Belice, coming in 2026. Books one and two are available now in e-book and paperback. Audiobooks are currently in production!
Broken Strands: book two
​Frayed Dreams: book one