Today was a totally top day but not for wildlife viewing this time but because I did something I never thought I would do! I went whitewater rafting and I loved it!!

So we got up and went for breakfast at the McKinley grill. I ordered pancakes and these were the biggest by far I was given 3 pancakes the size of a dinner plate and as thick as a slice of bread! Unfortunately I couldn't eat them all but they were yummy!

After breakfast we made our lunch in the car park and then dropped some of the group off in the National Park before we went to the Denali Outdoor Centre where we signed in to the whitewater rafting.

After we had signed our waivers (always a scary thing to do!) we got kitted out. This meant getting into a dry suit (the last time I tried to put in on I got stuck in it - sorry I wasn't looking forward to this!)! Thankfully there were some very helpful people around who helped me into my suit and then I put on my life jacket and helmet and we were ready to go.

We jumped in the bus and were driven to the river where we collected our paddles and were given a brief safety talk before we met our guide Elvis and got into the raft. For some reason I decided it was a good idea to go at the front. We were told this would be a little splashy! Well this was a total understatement. Within 5 minutes of being in the water I got a face full of river and that was how it was to be for the next couple of hours. Before hitting the rapids we practiced paddling in time and together and got used to the different demands and then we were off!! It was the best couple of hours and I enjoyed it far more than I ever imagined. The river was graded as three/four rapids and at times I went to paddle and there was no water for me to paddle in as I was so high off the water. At other times I would go to paddle and the boat would splash down and I would be totally covered in water and unable to put my paddle in as I was being pushed back from the force. Despite all of this I had an amazing time and loved every minute of it. I have hopefully recorded it on my action cam but will have to wait until I get one to see if it's worked. We made our way through approximately 10 rapids and the last few were through the Canyon so also got amazing views too!!

We paddled for 11 miles in total and I managed to stay in the boat the whole time - woohoo!!! When we reached the end we paddled to the side and got out of the boat and then drove back to the centre where we got out of our suits. (While here I tried to buy a hoodie but the hoodie police must have known I was coming as thy didn't have my size - gutted!).

Miles met us at the centre and then drove us to the visitor centre so I could get the bus to see the huskies and the dog sled demo.

Denali is the only national park that has a working team of huskies who help maintain the park. So I caught the bus to the huskie kennel and went and said hello to the team of huskies and even got to stroke them! After visiting all the dogs and looking in the little museum I then went naceatched the demonstration. We were given a talk about the work the huskies do and how they look after the park and were then able to watch them race around a track with a cart attached.

After the demonstration I hiked back to the visitor centre (feeling very brave walking through the woods on my own! But was always on the lookout for bears just in case!).

When I got to the visitor centre I looked around the museum and found out a little bit more about the park before I met up with some of the others and went and watched a short video about the wildlife of Denali.

We then met Miles who drove us back to the cabin. Is the WAC. When we got back to the centre I washed the river away and then got back to packing my suitcase - it's getting easier worryingly! And then we went and collected the others and headed out to dinner at a local brewery.

When we arrived at the 49 State Brewery we had a little wait for the table so we played our own version of horseshoes to kill the time. To be fair we were pretty shocking at the game but we still had a laugh.

Eventually our table was ready so we went into the restaurant which has its own Brewery out the back so as you make you way to the restroom you walk past the Brewery and can see where they make the beer - pretty cool. The food as always for Alaska was yummy but portions were once again massive. The pimms and elderflower cocktail was also quite nice.

After dinner we made our way back to the cabins with a quick stop on the way to the Denali Outdoor Centre office (the other one from this morning) to see if they had the hoodie in stock and guess what they did!! Woohoo! So after a quick purchase we went back to the cabins along the bumpy road and then headed to bed ready for my last full day in Alaska tomorrow! Where has the time gone?!