On a drizzly summer day in 1951, three friends arrived in the Kantishna region north of Wonder Lake. Celia Hunter, Virginia (Ginny) Wood and Morton (Woody) Wood came with a dream of building a simple and rustic lodge and cabins where people could come "to savor the vigor and freshness of this young country, and absorb its spacious tranquility." Hiking up an untracked ridge on a tip from park superintendent Grant Pearson, they discovered an inviting pond. Later, when the rain stopped and the clouds parted, there was only one word to describe the setting. Written on the back or a postcard, it was, simply, "WOW!" They homesteaded 67 acres of land centered on Nugget Pond, just outside the former park boundary. Its founders ran Camp Denali for 25 years, forging lifestyles out of ingenuity, hospitality, and love of the land.