Jo-jo Lake

We make it half way today!
From the end of the Mendenhall meadows here, you see Jo-jo Peak. The peak drops straight into the lake on the right side.
I can say i am fortunate enough to have made it to the lake quite a number of times. All long stories in itself. There is never guaranties. In winter we go mostly by skidoo. By the way of the 911 pond ,the river, the meadows, the willow swamp, Pond Creek, and another long and beautiful way. With one steep hill, where i have to go full throttle, racing on an edge, one side you could roll of , the other side some perilous trees, till you reach;
Our treasured Pine Tree. A tree with some history; at has a deep scar! And when i say ours, i mean the few people that go here, i think most of us stop at this tree, one time or another.
The trail has been taken a few times this winter, and we travel on a previous set skidoo trail, Don only falls of a few times, where we have to lift the skidoo back on the trail. I don't fall off, my Bravo lighter and Don is breaking the trail for me. The trail deteriorates. Soon it seems all winter only one machine has been before us.
This is the way, with the group who does come out here, we all work on the trail. If lucky some of us will reach the end before break-up.

Here we enter the gorge as you kind of see in the first picture.

Soon we come to the end of skidoo tracks. Here someone has snowshoed another kilometer or so. We bravely carry on.
And this is what it's like.
Very heavy work. At the end of the snowshoe tracks, we are forced to turn around.
Which as difficult as you can imagine.

The way back we race, leaning, ducking, swerving, speeding or slowing. The river is a dream, first stretch racing through green water, luckily there's ice underneath.
On the river's bends i realize when i go fast enough and lean, the skidoo will take me through without me really steering.

Bird song

This is the blade of grass in the water in the creek 'so secret', that i got pretty wet feet getting to it. Luckily i did bring dry socks. The blade of grass is hung up on the willow, and maybe frozen to it for now, as the droplets you see are ice. Please read about it in my yesterday's post, (The real reason for asking; I am in need of a volunteer. Thank you.)

I went a long way to find this secret creek. And almost couldn't make it because i had to cross this creek which is Pond Creek.
It took me only 2 hours to ski to this point, the skiing super fast. I know from other trips, that there is often open water close to here,from a small creek flowing into Pond Creek. It's where i wanted to go to find 'a place so secret'. I could have known i wouldn't reach it. How can it be secret if i know about it. Because of the water i could not get there. After crossing Pond Creek some where else, i found a lovely spot, where the water revealed itself for just a couple of meters, further up stream.
(note for my self: The old willow has a large nest in it, check it out in the summer.)

Today i took this picture of a Spruce tree. But what i want to talk about, is the birds. Today is a cloudy day, and now it is snowing. This morning it felt like spring. I think it is the birds. In between the chickadees chattering and the Magpie talking, i hear an unfamiliar song. I phoned Mary and she thinks it might be a mating Gray Jay!
Later that day i went to play in the water with my rain boots, in 'barb's fen'.
I heard the song again, light and short, but nevertheless a song. I look up and who sits in the tree; a Gray jay. I was ready to record it with my camera (which might work) was it not that the bird didn't sing again.