Denali National Park's newest sled dogs are here to make your day better

The Wilderness Act of 1964 established certain areas as "wilderness" It states, "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." About two million acres of Denali National Park are designated wilderness. As motorized vehicles are prohibited, the members of the National Park Service, like rangers who patrol this area, protecting the wildlife from poachers, and scientists studying climate change, get around the old-fashioned way, by dog sled.

The Denali dog kennel has been in the park since 1922, and is the only one in the National Park system. The dogs are bred, raised, and trained by the rangers in the park. The puppies of the current litter, born in May, are Squall, Storm, Graupel, Dew, and Fog. The names of each litter have a theme, and this year's litter commemorates one hundred years of weather data collection by the mushing rangers of Denali.

Visitors to the park can attend a sled dog demonstration or visit the puppies. Just look at them.

Thankfully, there is a Puppy Cam for folks who can't make it to the park. If you time it just right, you might get to see the pups wake up in the morning, pile out of their little log cabin like a clown car, and chase their Mom, Merlyn, a retired sled dog, around until she gives them breakfast.

The pups are most likely to be sleeping or roughhousing. There is no in between for them.

Even in the areas of the park that are not designated wilderness, the rangers prefer the dogs over snowmobiles. Engines have difficulty starting at forty below zero, but these dogs are always warmed up and ready to run. They are also much more comfortable to snuggle with. There is an excellent video about the dogs here.

Bonus: Husky tantrum