This May seemed to take forever to get its butt in gear. For the first two to three weeks, temperatures were on average ten degrees cooler than usual. The trails took a while to start melting out, and then longer than usual to fully dry out. But last week the temps shot up to where they’re supposed to be, and every day the snow patches on the mountains get smaller. I need to get up there soon. Anyway, looks like June is starting out normally.
This ornery young bull walked through the back yard like he owned the place. Which, I guess he does.
I met a black bear one evening on the trail. This is the only picture it let me have.
Spring Hikes up the Eagle River
I made several of my usual spring hikes up the Eagle River. With the lower temperatures, the river was even lower than usual, making wading back and forth across it easier. I brought a tent on one hike and stayed a few nights.
In the afternoon sun, the mountains would shed snow down their gullies. It sounds like far-off rolling thunder, but punctuated with the sharp cracks of falling rock hitting the rock below. I sat and watched the show around me for a
My water crossing Crocs, which are also my camp shoes. I guess they are my backup hiking shoes as well, although, since I stopped being young and poor, and can afford to replace things before they blow out, that’s not such a problem anymore.
If your water crossing shoes don’t have laces, you’ll be wise to keep your toes pointed upstream. Every year, I find a dozen or so flip-flops and Crocs that were stolen by the river, which I usually take home and throw away if I have room in my pack.
Five years ago, humans decided to build the best footbridge ever over Icicle Creek. Two years ago, Mother Nature said, “Hold my beer.”
These weren’t here ten days earlier, and the edges have been rounded off by the rain five days ago, so they’re at least that old.
A number of years ago, I got better about my food storage habits and started carrying a dedicated food sack. Not because of bears, though, but because of increased garbage and rodent activity in and around public use cabins and backcountry campsites. It doubles as a day pack for short hikes from camp, and a bailout out bag in case I injure myself and need to stash my main pack and hobble out of somewhere with only a couple of granola bars and a water bottle. The bear bell alarm has gone off twice; once for a moose that started eating the willows I hung it in, and then again for a daughter who was likely up to no good.
I only bring the folding camp chair when I know I’m going to be sitting in one place for a while. On this trip, I stayed up late and got up early to watch the river for wildlife. I spent several hours doing that.
The only wildlife I saw on the river was this young bull that seemed genuinely perturbed to find me camped out on his section of the river.
There is no amount of salt, pepper, ketchup, and coffee chaser that can save this thing.
Typical of places I cross the river. There are choke points where you have to cross, and other places where it’s just easier to cross than to bushwack around on the riverbank.
A cluster of Dall Sheep and a Mountain Goat. There was never a time I couldn’t look up and see sheep and goats grazing about once I got up past Icicle Creek.
Second breakfast. I think I still have two of those squares… brb
Memorial Day Weekend at Eklutna Campground
I normally go into hiding and hunker down at the house for holiday weekends, but with the unusually cold temps, I figured that would keep people at home and keep those who did show up inside their RVs and tents. Since it was the holiday weekend, there was also a chance others would show up and camp with me, but they didn’t; everyone’s schedules were too chaotic. I also wanted to get an initial ‘shake down cruise’ done on our travel trailer, having just dewinterized it. It’s nice to figure out what’s broken, what got forgotten, etc., when close to home - and Walmart.
I was right about the lack of warm spring weather keeping people away. The campground was full the first night, but there were a handful of open spots on the other nights, which is unheard of for any campground on a holiday weekend around here. I saw a high of 52 degrees and a low of 37 degrees, which kept most people inside and quiet.
Koda dog and I did a bunch of hiking, and that was about it.
Pine Siskin
Chief of squirrel security on the job
I never noticed this before. Might come back with a kid to jump up and climb that ladder, and see if there’s any cool dead stuff inside.
There’s a coffee pot and a Keurig machine in the trailer, but it’s not about convenience; it’s about what I’d rather listen to.
You can keep your smores
Other Stuff
The bird seed bandit. Haven’t seen any black bears around the house, so I’m still putting out bird seed.
We’ve been meeting more moose than usual this spring.
Met some bears, too
The kind of texts my wife sometimes gets from me.
Stuff you find when the snow is gone, but the vegetation has yet to grow up and hide it again.
Rambles Vol 1
Rambles is my print photography and hiking journal. I guess since I’ve started highlighting local plants and animals, it’s a nature journal too.
I’ve gone over my initial draft with a Sharpie several times, letting it percolate for a week or two each time. I’ve passed it around and received some other feedback. There are so many changes that it was easier to start from scratch and rebuild it as a new file in my publishing software. It’s been a fun learning experience. It’s 150 pages long, but I may have to dial that back to about 120 on account of price. We’ll see.
Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
I’ve also been learning how to make National Parks style posters for popular local locations and hiking trails, based on photographs I’ve taken. Might be a local market for this kind of stuff, we’ll see.
Anyway, the Teklanika River is calling, and I must go.
What fun for both you and your dog! Looks like he likes popcorn as much as you do!