Kitties Causing Trouble

Got a bag of catfood today and set it down in a room and closed the door... Later we opened the door and I noticed some cats in there. Here Shadow is checking out the catfood bag.

Next she calls in the big boy to take care of things.

Tigger at work. I couldn't believe how quick and efficient he was at getting the bag open. I thought he was just innocently nibbling the bag (couldn't see anything from my angle) until I heard catfood pouring out of the bag. After that this mean old human put an end to their fun.

 

Late Afternoon Sky

I found a pretty nice sunset a few days ago. Beautiful sky. If you look past the nose, the clouds between there and Zarembo are a lovely purple hue.

Seems as though that tree could be removed and I'm not talking about editing.

These trees framed the photo nicely.

 

The Beach

Believe it or not, this was the first time we have been to the beach here in Wrangell. Well, at least the closest thing to a real beach. Welcome to Eight-Mile Beach! It was another beautiful day here in Wrangell!

 

Blue Skies in the Morning

Wish I could order this every Saturday.

Abe McIntyre looks at his tracks while holding his ice axe (which was needed later) and packing a snow board.

Just a little more to the crest of the ridge.

Another view out my cooking vent. I wanted to see what this tree looked like on a sunny day the last time I was up here and I got my chance today.

 

White and Blue

Simple photo.

Can't quite get the door open.

We hiked to the top of the nob about a half mile from the shelter (and outhouse). These large cornices are still hanging rather ominously over space.

The snow is deep in this wind drifted area.

 

On Top

Trees.

I had just barely plopped myself down when the picture snapped.

Lovely blue skies.

I was getting my camera out and was going to take a picture of Abe sliding down the steep part of the hill when he lost his footing and went zipping down. By the time I was ready to snap a picture he was already past the steepest part and about to disappear again.

 

Fire in the Sky

I (Quent) went up to Mount Dewey to take some pictures of the sunset but I didn't stay as long as I should have.

The mountains were painted pink as the sun neared the horizon.

After I got home the sky really lit up. This picture was taken from our upper deck.

Christina got the best picture of the evening out a window in her stamping room. It looked like the sky was on fire.

 

Overnight Backcountry Trip

Marsha Peak. On the way to the high country shelter for an overnight stay in a snowcave (yet to be constructed).

The work is just beginning. I hiked about 3 miles and ascended about 2300' with about 80 pounds of gear. I weighed my gear before I left just out of curiosity and it tipped the scales at 74 or 75 pounds. Then I added a backcountry shovel and some other miscellaneous items.

The Alaskan version of big sky.

 

Clouds

Christina loves good cloud pictures and I couldn't help but think of her when I was able to capture these whispy mare's tails.

Same clouds from a differnt angle.

Clouds and snow. Snow and clouds. Luckily today the clouds were quite high rather than below me. Notice the glassy sheen on the snow. It made for some tricky skiing the next day.

While I was under a cloud the big mountains North of the Stikine River were blazing in the sun.

 

Evening Fun

Relaxing at the top. I had already started working on my snow cave but took a break to watch the fading colors of the evening sky. The camera was set up right in front of the N. Wrangell high country shelter.

Moon rise over the mountains. The mountain just to the left of the moon is Marsha Peak, where Nathan and I camped during our goat hunting trip. 12 second exposure.

I painted the snow with light around my snowcave during this 16 second exposure. Those are on the snowbank above the cave. For scale, they are 190 cm.

I sprinted to my snow cave during this 16 second exposure to shine my headlamp around inside my cave

 

The Cave

I like this picture. It only took about seven tries but I finally stood still (for about one second) enough during this 16 second exposure.

My sleeping quarters. Pretty cozy until my air filled pad deflated during the night. I felt good enough to still be smiling in the morning.

The morning light of February second reveals my cave. The entrance was filled almost to the top with snow and then I put my pack on top of that to basically seal the opening for the night's sleep.

The view out my cooking vent.