Another Mountain with dogs

Yesterday after work I climbed Mount Monashka with the dogs.  Mount Monashka was the first mountain that Nora and I climbed last summer in the 'Adjust Your Altitude' challenge.  We climbed it way back in late July (click here for post), and I had not been up the mountain since.

So yesterday when I climbed up I was amazed at the degree to which the trail had been beaten in - and this in just a couple of months!  When I went up with Nora the trail seemed lightly used and was even hard to follow in places.  Not so anymore - it looks like a herd of water buffalo went up the trail.  Clearly the Adjust Your Altitude Challenge was popular and drew a lot more people than usual up the mountain.

In late July when Nora and I climbed up it was very hot and Tank had a really hard time getting to the top.  I was worried that his mountain climbing days were over.  I need not have worried - yesterday he climbed up like a champ.  I noticed that in the particularly steep spots that Tank would leave the trail and make his own switchbacks - smart dog!
Patrick

Pyramid with the dogs

Hunting season is over and I am waiting for snow.  I miss the days when hunting season blended seamlessly into snow and ski season.  The last few years hunting season has ended and then there is a 'hiking on brown mountains' hiatus before the snow finally falls in late November.  Yesterday I hiked up a brown Pyramid mountain with the dogs.  And while it was gorgeous, I would have preferred some snow.

That said, I am doing a lot mountain biking these days.  Far, far more than I used to in the old days.  Perhaps mountain biking is the activity to fill the post-hunting season Fall hiatus?
Patrick

Terror Bay Scenics

I probably should have titled this post 'rose hips' because during my recent trip to Terror Bay I certainly took a bunch of rose hip pictures.  I have never seen so many rose hips and all colored absurdly red. I noticed that Molly was taking a bunch of rose hip pictures too.  Ironically, a couple of years ago when the museum published a book on Alutiiq plantlore we had a difficult time finding a good rose hip picture.  This would no longer be true!

While in Terror Bay one evening we saw a sow and her cubs scavenging clams and mussels at low tide. I was impressed that my camera got a good picture in such low light.  At dawn the sun lit up the surrounding mountains and I noticed snow on high!  The mountain on the left in distance is where I went on a goat hunt earlier this year.  My friend Jonathon shot a goat at the very tippy top.  Patrick

Field Season is Over!

Friday evening I returned from the final field survey of the season - it has been a long archaeological field season and now it is finally over! It seems like ages and ages ago since Molly and I started the field season at Bruhn Point way back in late March (click here for post).  But here it is 7 months later and Molly and I just finished with the last survey of the year at Terror Bay on Kodiak's west side.

We travelled out to Terror Bay with another archaeologist (Andy H) to do an archaeological assessment for the USFWS of a cabin and the surrounding area.  The USFWS plans improvements for the area and our task was to document what is there in terms of archaeology and historic buildings so that they can be preserved.  Basically Andy documented all the old buildings while Molly and I made a big map and focused on the prehistoric subsurface deposits.  Molly and I dug lots of testpits while Andy measured, described and photographed buildings.

It was a quick trip - we did the entire survey in the 2 nice days between 2 massive storms.  It has been pouring and blowing ever since we got back.

While out there Molly and I also did some exploring and found the remains of an old gold mining operation.  In the early 1900's there were quite a few of these small mines on Kodiak's west side.  I don't really know much about the industry and plan on doing some research.  A forgotten episode of Kodiak's history!
Patrick
 

Andy measures and described an old meat shed

Gold Mine machinery

An old hearth, likely prehistoric, exposed on the beach from erosion

Andy H

Molly digging a test pit and looking for archaeological site deposits (charcoal and FCR mostly)

Salmon vertebrae - remains of an ancient meal

Walks and close ups

Some pictures from recent walks.  Over the weekend I went on a short hike with Nora, the dogs and elk hunt compatriot Ray to Near Island.  Ray and I limped around the trail exhausted from the elk hunt while Nora ran ahead.

In Abercrombie I noticed that there are STILL blueberries on the bushes.  There are still enough that it would be worthwhile to pick them.  But I noticed that they have gotten watery - I do not think they would freeze well.  They are good for immediate consumption though!  I picked a few handfuls as I browsed through the bushes.  Tank and Brewster picked some with their teeth too.
Patrick

Still blueberries to pick at Abercrombie!

Chantrelle wanna be?

Nora took this picture of Rose Hips

Meat for the freezer

weekend meat-cutting party in action

This year on the elk hunt we harvested 3 elk, and everyone who participated ended up with around 90 pounds of high-quality packaged meat.  After costs (fuel, permits, food etc) that should calculate out to well under 5 dollars a pound - pretty good for organic, free range meat!  

It is only the second time in 18 hunts that we have harvested more than 2 elk.  This year we had 6 hunters while we generally go with 4 or 5 people. With fewer people the work associated with an extra elk generally seems too high.  But this year with 6 people to help carry the meat off of the mountain and with all the cutting and packaging, it seemed worthwhile to harvest an extra elk.

I also noticed while hiking with camping gear that a 6th person helps there too.  The fixed weight cost of tent, stove, kitchen are the same whether you have 5 or 6 people - so with 6 everybody carries relatively less weight.  There are more people to spread the load so to speak.

Nonetheless, I also think 6 people is the upper limit for an elk hunting party.  For one thing, with 6 people it was pretty tight on the boat.  But more importantly, I think with over 6 people on shore decision making and general 'hunting inertia' would suffer.  It would get more difficult to come up with and carry out a plan.  Patrick

Stalking the elk

Brooks' Cow elk

Andy's big bull

Elk quarters hanging in the barn

Traipsing about

On the elk hunt we get to see a lot of country.  This year we started in the spruce forests and finished in treeless high alpine.  Afognak Island is a pretty big island and the character of the country depends on altitude, distance from the sea, soils and slope aspect.  During the first part of our trip we were mostly in the lowlands and far from the open ocean.  Hence it was covered with spruce trees and where there were not trees - brush.  We finished on a high exposed peninsula that sticks out into the sea.  No spruce forest there!

Beautiful place and a great place to explore.  The hiking and camping is always my favorite part of any elk hunt.  Patrick

belly crawl stalk on the elk