Raspberry Jam

Christina picked and then turned some of our raspberries into jam. Besides being delicious, it was also photogenic.

Over the Hump

On the 9th of August I volunteered to lead a Wrangell Hiking Club excursion from one side of Wrangell Island to the other. We started on the spur road side and took a little break at this bridge.

Christina picks her way through a patch of snow near the top.

We ate lunch at the North Wrangell High Country Shelter. The weather was pleasant all day, which isn't always the case.

The Other Side

Flowers adorned the edge of a pond.

Christina hikes down the serpentine trail. I occasionally use this as my route up the mountain when I ski.

All smiles! We still had a couple more miles to hike. The group did well and it was fun for all of us. (I hope!)

Raspberries

We were able to pick enough raspberries from our little patch for Christina to make a batch of jam! We would have had a lot more but we took a trip instead.

This photo doesn't quite seem right (I can only blame my lack of photoshop skills) but it was a lovely sunset regardless.

The old moorage for the log rafts when the Wrangell mill was in operation.

Deer

We witnessed a lovely sunset on evening while walking along the bike path.

I managed to get a couple bucks on August 1st, the opening of the season. I was on the trail by 4am and by 9am I had seen a couple bucks but didn't realize it because the fog was so thick. I waited a little while and eventually the fog/cloud passed and I continued on. I spotted a few more deer and eventually jumped the smaller of these two deer a little before two pm. By the time I finished boning the first buck out it was after 6pm and I still had a long hike up the mountain before I could go down the other side to the vehicle. At about 9pm I saw another deer on the edge of the trail. Thinking it was a doe I just tried to sneak up on it to see how close I could get. I got to within about 20 yards before it slowly made its way into the woods and at the same time I realized the "doe" had a nice set of antlers. I decided to drop my pack and put a cartridge in the chamber. Of course he heard that and scampered off. However there was another nice buck in the area and I ended up with that one. Unfortunately there was one little problem, it was about 10pm by the time I resumed my hike down to the vehicle a couple miles away and I had another deer on the mountain. Not to worry, being a young energetic type I took the deer down, stuck it in the fridge, ate some food and hiked right back up, boned out the second deer, stumbled down the mountain and crashed into my bed at 5am August 2nd. Whew! That was a hunt.

Another pose. Yup, both of these sets of antlers are in velvet.

Thoms Creek

On July 27 we drove out to Thoms Creek where Christina found a place to relax on the bridge. Thoms Creek is located on the southern end of the island.

Thoms Creek.

Christina was fascinated by the lovely colors in the fireweed.

Up

The Wrangell Hiking Club scheduled a hike up to Salamander Ridge on the 19th of July. Unfortunately, the person who was going to lead the hike was called on to fight wildfires in the lower 48. She asked me if I would lead the hike for her and I happily agreed. This is a unique little stream that serves as a marker, alerting hikers to turn and head into the woods about half way up the trail.

Through the woods we go.

The clouds enveloped us as we approached the top.

Top

A mushroom pops out of the snow.

When we crested the hill, the north side was still snow covered. We made the most of it, first by sliding down on our rain gear and then on plastic bag (much faster). It was fun but certainly not smooth.

The visibility was very low.

Down

As we descended down the mountain the clouds began to lift, leaving us with spectacular views of the valley.

The initial part of the trail is boardwalk making for mud free hiking.

Another view of the valley looking toward Earl West.

We stopped at lower Salamander campground where we dried out and warmed up by the fire. A few cookies were consumed there as well.

Angoon

It has been a while since I have updated the blog. A few people have mentioned that it is time for a few new pictures. I have to agree. So here are a few from a work related trip to the village of Angoon on Admiralty Island.


A late evening shot.

I noticed a pod of humpback whales making their way toward me so I decided it was time to put my telephoto lens on. Just as I was finishing this guy cam about half way out of the water with his jaws wide open. By the time I clicked a photo just the tip of his nose was visible.

Mountain harbell I believe. This group was blowing in the breeze while perched on a sea cliff.

Here is a photo of the cave I found a few years ago. I brought a head lamp this time but there wasn't much to explore inside.