New Lens!

I'm back in Sitka, and here for the last time this season.  I broke my 70-300 mm Nikon lens last week and then last saturday while in Juneau, I figured I'd get another one.  Instead, I bought a 150-600 mm Tamron lens, which is eye popping and great.  I like it a lot.  It cost me a pretty penny, though, about $1150, so that was a bit more than a replacement for what I had, but the zoom is superb, the vibration reduction is awesome, and the focus is easy and fun.  Its heavy and big though.  

I took this shot of the eagle handheld in cloudy conditions where it was looking like rain. 

Climbing Mt Baker

 I'm finding more and more sore spots on my body as each day passes, as a sign of growth, no doubt. I've climbed to the top of Mt Baker, finally, after living in the foothills for most of my life. It wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be, but there were a lot of things I have learned about climbing on glaciers. 

I went with my friend Ric, who is an experienced mountaineer, who showed me (and brought) the ropes of glacier travel. I'd been hesitant of going onto glaciers before, because I didn't know if I could do the self-arrest maneuver, build snow anchors, or do a crevasse rescue, but I have a lot more confidence in myself now that I've practiced some of these things, and I also was worried about the expensive gear it takes to go up, but for this trip I spent only 35 dollars. Ric was very gracious about loaning me some things and I got a pair of crampons last summer as a gift, so the expenses were limited. 

We went up a route that is called the “Coleman-Deming Route” because it goes up on the side of the Coleman Glacier, then along “Pumice Ridge” which separates the Coleman from the Deming Glacier, and then out onto the top of the Deming Glacier in a spot called the “Roman Wall” which is the steepest section of the route and leads to the Summit Plateau. The actual summit is a little pile of pumice and tortured rock on the east side of the top, out of reach of the photograph taken from the San Juan Islands, but is not terribly interesting.

 As this is an active volcano, there are some steam vents to the south of the main peak and in a crater that is filled with yellow snow and a smell of sulfur. I'd like to take a closer look at that some day, but I'd probably bring an air tank to do it.

We got up Tuesday morning, drove about 90 minutes and put our backpacks on to hike up the trail to Heliotrope Ridge.  The woods are peaceful and it had been a long time since I'd hiked through the mountains around here, so I was very happy to jump across rivers and stroll quietly through stands of tall trees.

 

 

 

 There are a bunch of waterfalls and river crossings that change shape during the day there, depending on how much snow is melting.  Some of the waterfalls reminded me of Hawaii, though much colder.  I was actually quite amazed at how the rocks were so similar to volcanic rock in Mexico and Hawaii that I had been near.  I guess it all comes from the same earth.  

After a little while we got to the treeline and to the snow.  We put on crampons and ropes, passed the main camp site and hiked up to the top of the ridge to Gargoyle camp.

 It was quite sunny and we took our time, but we still had quite a few hours to hang out on the top there before making dinner and watching the sun go down and finally settling down for the night.  Gargoyle Camp overlooks the Fraser River valley, Vancouver and the western part of Whatcom county.  I couldn't see Bellingham proper but I could see the islands just to the west.  It was a beautiful sunset in a wonderful place.  The sun dipped lower and lower and turned into a flaming ball of orange while the white glacial snow caught on to the color change and burst into bloom.  There were almost no clouds, but the sky deepened into a blue that made you want to hold your breath and hope that Father Time would also hold his. 

 

 

 Unfortunately the mice population up there is active at night and there was at least one mouse that wanted us to stay awake, running up and down on top of our sleeping bags and scampering in front of my face. We moved camp in the dark over to the snow and then settled down again for the night. I couldn't sleep very well, and found a few cat naps before it was time to wake up at 3:00 am. We got up and looked at the stars overhead and then cooked a leisurely breakfast, warmed up a bit and packed up camp.

 We set off at about 4:30 on firm crunchy snow and the going was quite swift. Soon the sun's light made it easy to navigate without headlamps and we were near the top of the Coleman Glacier. A cool breeze sprung up and we were comfortable still going up and still in the shade along Pumice Ridge and onto the Roman Wall. We made the Roman wall in 45 minutes, then crossed a thin wall of rock to ascend into the sun and onto the summit plateau. It was the first we had felt the sun and we were on the home stretch. We got up to the top at 9:30, then went to the summit to have a look around and I took a nap on the dust on the top of the world.

 

 

 

 

The wind had picked up by then so it was a bit cold, but we had clothes for that. After a couple hours we began our descent, at about 11:30. We had tarried on the top to wait for the snow to mush up a little so our heels would dig in easier to the snow, and in fact it was a brilliant plan. We made it down the Roman Wall in about 10 minutes and blasted down Pumice Ridge and then onto the Coleman Glacier. The sun began to take its toll on us there, because the wind stopped and it began to heat up, so we were forced to rest often, but we made it back to camp by about 2:30. The next part of the descent was with full camping packs, so it was more difficult, and to compound things, Ric's crampons began to pack snow on the bottom and become unusable. He took them off and we made a slow and slippery way down to the climbers trail, and then down to the car. 

 

 

We got to the car at about 7:00, and found that a mouse had climbed its way into Ric's truck and eaten some of the food that he'd left there. He had also left some water in a bottle that he'd borrowed the cap from for the climb. He took a big swig from the bottle and dumped some on his head to cool off after the climb and upon a second look at the water bottle found a dead mouse looking back at him from within the bottle!

I'd like to do this climb again, but probably take a snowboard and slide down the hill after the climb, and also try to do it all in one day.

 

Three Week Break!

 I've been busy these last three weeks!  I got back on July 12, then went out sailing with Lindsay for four days in the San Juan Islands.  We had a nice time over at Matia island and at Stuart before heading back to Bellingham.  Altair is in great condition, and I am planning the trip down the coast this fall.  I expect to leave October 1 from Bellingham and then try to get to San Francisco two weeks later.  From there, the plan is more uncertain as I wait for Lindsay to catch up.  She works until the end of October, so she'll find a way down after that.  Then southern california, the channel islands, and Mexico! 

I've been doing a lot of modifications to Altair to prepare for the trip, including installing a fridge/freezer, adding lots of shelves and storage compartments, and buying a small dinghy that could have a motor on it or a sailing rig.  It is a plastic lapstrake rowing skiff that is made by Walker Bay.  The Walker Bay 8.  It's 8 ft long.  I haven't named it yet, so I'm open to names, but she fits on deck nicely and rows great with one person.  With two, a little more difficult, but possible.  Three works as well.  I haven't made the sailing rig for it and when I do we'll find out how she sails.  I am excited to sail it. 
I also spent a few days re-building the exhaust system for my little diesel engine.  It is a Universal 5411 engine, with two cylinders and 11 tired horses inside, but still kicking and snorting out soot when they get riled up.  The exhaust system has been leaking for years and I have been loathe to fix it, but the time finally came and I got it done.  Now the engine is much quieter and cleaner smelling, and ready for a long trip. 

I also bought a new computer to replace the old one that is getting to the point of demise, so I figured I'd get something that could handle complex video editing.  Sadly I haven't had time to get it all set up yet and do any editing, so the report on that will have to wait.



I'm going to miss the San Juans, both for going North tomorrow and for going South in the fall.  I'm excited about the trip down the coast, but I always like sailing around in the summer in Bellingham.  Beautiful scenery, nice wind and lots of kelp and seals.  How peaceful. 

I also climbed Mt Baker, and I will write up a trip report about that in the next blog post, coming right up.  I got this picture of Baker from Matia Island, two weeks ago, but completed the climb two days ago.  It was a nice adventure and neat to get up to the top of a mountain I had been looking at all my life.

And now for a three week break in the lower 48!

 I've re-crossed the 49th parallel to end in the lower 48, with 47 reasons to fortify for freedom.  Being just past independence day, I am depending on many in the coming weeks for company and raspberries, but soon I'll go back to the last frontier of the north.  Meanwhile, how about a few more pictures of things I saw since my last blogging?  A golden crowned sparrow might tickle your retina...  I guess this one was collecting mud for a nest, or for his gizzard.  He was not too interested in flying away as I approached with my camera, so I got a nice identifying shot. 
Summer is in full bloom, though it does rain a lot, and some of the flowering plants are pushing their petals vigorously at anything with wings that can pollinate.  I don't have wings, so they seem to turn their heads away when I pass.

 I like this picture of a humpback whale breaching because he is spitting water out of his mouth in the process of jumping, kind of like clenching for the impact.  There were two jumping and playing around the boat for a while and it was a great time of watching them.

 The sea lions are our staple of wildlife that we can usually pin to a location, so we go to this one spot to find them and they are always on their haulout rock.  This shot has the Fairweather Range in the background.

 There is a cool little beach about 1/2 mile away from where we normally drop people off for a hike, and twice I've gone over for a look with nobody else on the skiff.  First I was nearly attacked by an oystercatcher defending his nest, and the second time I got a nice glimpse of the young ones.  They are sort of like dirty wretched chickens with a long bill and ugly eyes, not at all like the elegant "crow smoking a carrot" look of the adult, with those hypnotic eyes. 
I haven't been flying the kite much but just a few days ago I got a moment as we were heading towards Margerie Glacier, the most famous of the Glacier Bay glaciers.  You can see it in the upper left.  We're in Tarr Inlet, and heading mighty close to Canada.  I think the boat looks pretty good from the air.

More pictures from Alaska

 I've been able to go out on a few hikes in the wilderness up here, and bring my camera along for a photo shoot.   My subjects, though elusive, proved not elusive enough for the swift snap of the shutter.  In Glacier Bay, the land is starting to soil itself as the glacier recedes and the progression of forests march in, and in the beginning of it all, there are lichens and lupins.  I like the hairy birth of the lupin leaves, wolfishly grinning at the shy sunlight. 

 Also on the Glacier bay turf I found a Willow Ptarmigan, hiding in plain sight with bright red eyebrows.  I felt a kinship to the eyebrows, since mine also stick up far above my eyes, though not as vivid in color.  I wonder if these birds bat them at each other coquettishly. 

 Here is an otter an baby.  The baby has a nice little island of warm fur to stand upon and look out over the waves.  This was taken near the Inian islands, fast becoming my favorite place in southeast alaska. 

And of course the Tufted Puffin.  I think this might be my favorite bird up here.  He's basting by as fast as he can puff.

Back in Alaska!

Here I am again, back in the land of the last frontier!  I haven't been posting much lately because of how difficult it is to get internet, but I'll try to do better in the future.  Its a full time thing, being on the boat, but it is quite satisfying and this year the boat and the crew are both lovely.  I'm in Sitka right now and this is a picture from yesterday, flown off the back of the boat while we were anchored.  I really like how the kayaks all look together like that.
In terms of animals, I am super excited about the trips we've been going on, because we spend three days in Glacier Bay, and probably most because we go to the Inian Islands, right out at the mouth of Icy Straight, where the inland waters meet the ocean.  There are so many animals there!  This past week I had a harbor porpoise bow ride the skiff for a good 10 minutes, and play with us while we were stopped.  A Harbor Porpoise!   They never do that!  Sea Lions splash the guests and puffins bounce like potatoes nearby, and baby otters cling to their mothers as we drive past.  Amazing.
I will write more in the next post, with more pictures, hopefully in Juneau.