And summer is here at EarthSong

All the signs of true summer are being seen at EarthSong now. The days are longer...we will not see any stars in the sky until the end of August. Temperatures are higher, and we have gotten into the mid-70's a number of times. The green is coming...willows, poplars, and birch are starting to leaf out. And the tourists are here! While we only had one family stay last night, we have had up to four cabins rented so far, so the summer visitor season at Denali has begun. Never mind down at Glitter Gulch, near the park entrance! Cruise ships are also here (well, not here at EarthSong), so the megahotels are open for business, and the congestion at the park entrance has begun. Another reason to enjoy the Stampede Trail, well away from the noise.

Our run of projects have continued, with new boardwalks, dog yard fencing, lodge carpeting, and utility work taking up most of our time. But we did have enough time for a great family visit last weekend, celebrating Karin's birthday. Sera and her boyfriend came up from Anchorage with our son Jake's boy, Mason. While Marshall and his wife came down from Anchorage with their two kids Jasmine (who towers over me now) and Teagan. Good to have the two boys play together (they are 3.5 and 4.5 years old), and nice to see most of the family together for a few days. Only disappointment came when Marshall failed to gain world domination in a long game of Risk, one of his specialties from his youth.

Our employees are on for the season now. We are looking forward to a great summer, and an excellent staff to meet all our needs.

As expected, puppies are continuing to grow and become canine monsters! Actually, this litter is much better at sharing food and getting along with each other than some past litters...especially those Eskimo-pups from years ago. We are cycling them out on their own area chains for a few hours every day, another sign they are growing up. The girls, Kira and Dax, are still the outgoing ones that will run full-speed at you and jump. Sisko and Basheer are a little bit calmer, and Odo just does his own thing. Basheer is about twice the size as Dax, and twice as slow...like a big tank rumbling down the road while they follow me on my bike. Fun pups, still living in the pen with Bart, keeping his life "exciting".

Lodge bookings are about the same as last year so far, which means the trend that started last season has continued into this one. A significant number of Denali Park visitors are planning their vacation much closer to the time they travel. We are seeing an uptick in bookings lately, and that is encouraging. This also means that those of you out there just reading this blog but not planning on visiting still can do it this summer. Come see why we all live here...it's not for the mild winter weather! And our pups would like to see as many people as possible.

Today we will start working on opening the coffeehouse, turning on water, moving equipment, etc. Memorial Day Weekend is just around the corner.

Happy trails, all!

Jon