North Sister Bowl

 

Another June hike to the alpine and another day amongst the wildflowers.  On Sunday the kids and I took the doggies up to the bowl behind the North Sister.  We did not go to the top but just to the saddle between the North and Middle sister. The bowl, not the summit, was our destination. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and puffy clouds.  The clouds created dramatic shadows.

On the way up I remembered that I first cleared the trail over 25 years ago.  I looked carefully and found some of my machete cuts on the old dead and dry spruce limbs. Back then there was no trail and the tundra also extended a lot further down.  Now all the spruce trees are very tall.  A lot has changed in 25 years.

Back then there were no formal trails up many of the road system mountains.  Instead of trails the mountains had 'routes' that you had to know to follow.  Basically the routes were the way up the mountains with the least amount of bushwhacking. You had to know where to start and which ridges to follow. In the last 25 years these routes have turned into trails.  Now there are foot treads and bridges, and it is very easy to find the 'route'.

Patrick

False Hellebore

Low Tide Run-about

 

Yesterday I went on 2 walks.  The first was to Buskin Beach at low tide with Nora, and then the next walk was up the Seismic trail to a small lake (see post below). At Buskin Beach the tide was very low - the lowest I have seen it there this year.  So the beach flats were very wide and perfect for running dogs. They raced all over the place and particularly liked running in the shallow water just offshore of the beach.

We got back to the car and I think the dogs expected that we were going home and that that was it for the day.  Time to go home and nap. But then after we dropped Nora off we went on another hike.  First the ocean and then the alpine (see below).

Patrick

Beach Pea

Seismic Pond

 

These are pictures from yesterday's second hike. It was a short hike up into the alpine to the small lake on the Seismic Trail.  The dogs love this pond. As we climbed up the trail the weather started to clear off.  The day started grey and it was still cloudy when we finished. But by the time we got home the sun had came out.  Maybe we should have waited a bit before we started the day's hikes.

The wild flowers are really putting on a show.  It seems that's all I have been taking pictures of for the last week, and yesterday was no exception.  It has also gotten super green, but while hiking up and looking to the south I could see that there is still a lot of snow up on the north side of Erskine Mountain.

At the pond the dogs got there second run-about of the day in shallow water.  This time fresh rather than salt water.  They did not seem tired at all.  But when we got back home it was definitely nap time.

Patrick

Chocolate Lily

Sitka Alder

Kamchatka Rhododendron

Yellow Paintbrush

Wild Geranium

Some cool rain and fog

 

It has been dry and relatively sunny here on Kodiak for the last few weeks. That's generally a good thing. But yesterday I welcomed a change in the weather and a walk in the cool, cool rain. It was foggy and everything was wet and so, so GREEN. I thought Kodiak had reached 'peak green' before it rained, but the rain ratcheted it up to another level.

I gather it is very hot in the lower 48 and this news makes me appreciate the rainy weather even more.  Here it is supposed to stay cool, rainy, and foggy for the near future.  I don't mind. I appreciate my walks amongst the green leaves and mist. 

Patrick

wildflower walks

 

Arctic Star Flower

Now that ski season is effectively over as a day to day activity it is the season of wildflower hikes. Instead of taking the dogs for a hike and a ski, we climb up hills and enjoy the flowers. And wildflower season is just getting started. Here are some pictures from the last couple of dog walks.

Patrick

Wild Geranium

Blueberry leaves

Whorled Lousewort

Rose Orchid

Fleabane

Kamchatka Rhodendron

Nagoon Berry