Mourning Cloak

yesterday was a gorgeous day. In the morning I sat on my bench in the morning sun, having berry breakfast, talking on the phone for a long time. Amazingly on a day like this butterflies appear out of nowhere. This Mourning cloak looked fresh and new, it probably recently emerged. This one too will over winter, it is the first butterfly in the Spring. In my notes often April 16 and 17. Well let me write it down here exactly; 1998 April 16, 1999 April 16 ,2000 April 21, 2005 April 22. For missing years I might not have written it down , but also very likely I didn't see them that year in early Spring. According to 'The Butterflies of Canada' book, it comes out of hibernation in April, has a brood flying in June/July and a second brood in August. I am so glad I saw it and will look for it in April , wondering where it will be all winter sleeping. My other reference book ' Butterflies of Alberta' by John Acorn. Tells me in England they call it 'Camberwell Beauty' I like that! But I will stick to its Canadian name, which to me sounds like; morning cloak. And yesterday that is when I saw it on a beautiful morning, when the day is was cloaked in silence. ( I do not claim to be a poet, but forgive me for trying).
Beside the Mourning Cloak I saw two more butterflies, a Sulphur and a Comma.

Autumn

Today I set out to make some photos of the beautiful fall colors we are experiencing here in Mendenhall. Both these pictures are taken on the same walk around 'moose skull lake'.

Highbush Cranbear

Yes Anke, I did see bears lately. Thanks for asking.
It is bear no. 10, a beautiful brown Grizz.

Anyway after being in a state of 'not knowing what to do' all day.
( I do get a lot of chores done on a day like that. Like; I might as well do something I don't like).
After I worked on my berry blog, I got inspired , jumped up, off to the Highbush Cranberry patch. The best section is where 'elfin creek' goes underground, close to the power line. I plan to get to it, taking the first part of the 'beach trail' and then turning west on to the bush road behind Mendenhall, which ends up on the power line access. My thinking cap not taken off yet, I by accident continue on the beach trail, crossing the road. well that is OK , I will follow 'elfin creek' from where this trail crosses it. Of course this was a most fantastic coincidence, right away by the creek, I am picking berries. On both sides of the creek there are berries everywhere. The Highbush cranberry is one that likes to be noticed. It's leaves often bright red, sometimes still green and even pinkish. The berries brilliant red today. Sometimes they are yellow orange. And you smell them before you even see them.
Beside the creek, through the horsetails, it looks like there has been some animal activity here. Later on I also come upon an old stump that has been taken apart lately, that is to me bear sign.

The forest here is always beautiful, but definitely this time. At one point I am in a whole field of berry bushes. It is then that I hear something suspicious. I start talking to whatever is out there. The poplars here are very tall and stand very close together. As the wind is softly blowing, it might be that they sway into each other, making sounds.
While talking and picking I move a little faster towards the power line, if I would be safe there, but at least it is more open. I am close to it because the creek has moved underground now. Which actually makes for a different look again. The forest floor brown with old leaves. The water obviously flows over it at times.
No more strange sounds, I pick some more here in the open, the berries most abundant here. I have picked this berry also at the coast. And when I say abundant ,it is nothing like in the Panhandle of Alaska. There they are like bunches of grapes!

I return home following the power line, the shortest route. But where it cuts that same bush road I, erroneously, (but you never really know these things.) I turn East. Which I do have to admit is turning back on where I heard the strange sounds, but staying south of it.
And I'll never know if what I come upon here, is what made the sounds. Suddenly I am eye to eye with that Grizzly. This time I have no time to even think to run away, because the bear turns with a deep growl and is off. Faster then I could even think. That is the trouble with bears, beside being potentially lethal, they are amazingly fast.

Southern Lakes

To keep things in order, I will post here, sometime in the next few days, my wilderness experiences of Sept 1.

Here I am! (Sept 7)
On the morning of September first I woke up in the camper. In sunshine above a mist covered lake. This small lake is along the highway just South of Squanga Lake. I always thought it was part of Squanga. Looking at the map, some water of Squanga probably goes underground to flow into the smaller lake. But really Squanga flows by the way of Snafu Lake into the Lubbock River which flows into (big) Atlin Lake. Where as, the small lake flows via an unnamed creek straight into Little Atlin Lake. Now the Question is where is the divide? Does all that water ends up by the way of the Yukon River in the Bering Sea?

Any way evening before we drove up an old mining road to camp in the middle of those two flows.We found a beautiful camping spot in an old gravel pit. We woke up with sunshine, but as I went for a walk continuing the mining road, it started to drizzle. The road was overgrown with Alders. I said I would be back in an hour , and had to turn around before I come out of the Alders.

Next pit stop was Tagish road to pick more Saskatoon berries. Excellent!

Don is working on tuesday again at Marsh Lake, where he will park the camper. Close by, we explore the McClinton River, and I am sorry to say that I didn't find it very eventful. I am sure people who live their have different experiences. We drove the McClinton road, parked the van and I walked following ATV trails, the one I was on was very, very muddy.The forest too thick to walk through. I did find a little trail that gave me a little bit of a view overlooking the river it self.

To finalize our stay we went to the beach on Marsh Lake, which is truly lovely and I am sure that is why people live around here. Still I was the only one enjoying the beach. looking at the waves rolling in, and building sandcastles.

Semipalmated Plover

Winter might wait a while!
On the morning of August 31 at Squanga Lake, we saw this , what I think is a juvenile Semipalmated Plover. According to the Yukon bird book, the adults are long gone by this time.
It does say some juveniles stay a little longer , but I like to think that this one is still here, because the weather will remain warm.
On the shore of Atlin Little lake an hour earlier we saw a Spotted Sandpiper in winter plumage, but it too had not returned South yet.

Squanga Lake

August 31 2008
When we arrive at the lake it is still covered in mist. How romantic. Here in the Yukon we are so spoiled, to have places like this almost all to ourselves. Today the only people sharing today are the ones that built a house (recently) 50 metres from the boat loading. That feels kind of awkward. But they have no objection to us putting our canoe in and parking our vehicles right in front of their house. We won't camp out here tonight though as we initially planned.too bad!

As the mist is clearing, we put our canoe in the water, and 'sail' off in the mirror like water. Loons are only company on the water. And later we see two swans. The lake is 9 km long, and we use a little outboard motor to get to the other end.
That's where the adventure really begins. Don and I have done this trip 2 years ago, and were successful in getting a Moose. The water soon is rippling, but it stays very calm and it turns very sunny.
This year the water is little higher, and slide over the beaver dam at the end of the lake with ease. We are now paddling in, I guess, a beaver pond, lots of ducks, marsh grass, beautiful. At the end of this pond, there is a canoe on the shore and somebody happily whistling, I hope we didn't disappoint him in disturbing his idyllic spot. We keep paddling while talking with him. Last time we got out here not knowing if we could continue, there is an old cabin and a trail to the next lake. Back then we found that the connecting creek is used by boats. This time we paddle right on trough, disappearing into the forest. We do have to get out of the boat and pull it, picking black currants on the way. The creek is maybe half a km. long, at the end a beaver dam, 1 metre high! we lift the canoe over and end up in a beautiful little lake. It is all part of a whole chain of lakes, and this one really part of the next one. We slide over another beaver dam and another? I lost count. We end up in a fairly big lake, 4 km long and 2 km wide, but with lots of islands and inlets. We canoe to investigate the south west corner. And an investigation it is.

Don likes to get out at the end where there seem to be prime Moose habitat, willows I guess. We see a good landing place, it almost looks like a man made trail. Right there at the shore is a caribou kill! After letting our presence known, we don't see animals, but their is sure lots of sign, and the smell of it all putrid. Only the antlers are left attached to a skull and part of the spine. It is sure kind of an awesome sight. We won't hang around. The only thing we see ,are two swans who leave an inland pond, as we are there.

We go to the north side of this arm of the lake, and climb on the high bank. Don has so much more feeling for the landscape, and recognizes we are just on the other side of the bank where we got the Moose in the next lake. And sure enough. When we get to the top, it is just a strip of land and we get glimpses through the forest of that lake.
The day is just gorgeous, we lay in the grass in the sun. Actually close to fresh bear scat, bright red with berries. Down below in the water some beavers are swimming. These guys have it made, their house is at the end of a spit of land,and they have no dams to maintain.

We paddle around and try our luck fishing, no fish for us, later we do see a little guy in a shallow part of this all. On the North arm we know their is an opening to the next lake, again due to the high water it is easy to get to. This is the lake we got the Moose. Which I look back on with ambivalence, but great excitement ( I am no hunter, but prefer to eat of the wild). So last time this is how far we got. Today we have time to explore this lake. As we get out on the south western arm, we climb up the high bank. The glaciers must have dropped here all those ridges, which now make islands, peninsulas and 'dikes' between lakes. From the top of this ridge we have a beautiful view into the next even more erratic lake. As I go exploring on the ridge, I find a lovely old little cabin and the trail that is been used to get from one lake to the other. It does go over a fairly high ridge, and it would mean ferrying our canoe overland. we leave that for another year.
We paddle to the North end and get out again. Their has been a forest fire here many years ago, and it makes for a beautiful open landscape. Don and I are so happy to have such a fantastic day, but from here we will turn back. We motor most of the way, still having a marvelous time. Close to the exposed beaver dam we paddle and I would have to like to shoot over it, but Don is the wiser one and we go over it carefully. Back to this lovely little creek.

On big Squanga, there is another party in a boat enjoying this gorgeous day. Lucky them.

Saskatoons

Glorious! I am sitting here inside typing, while outside the sun is shining, a light breeze, that feeling of Autumn in the air. The Sun feels HOT!

The weekend was beautiful too. Saturday Don and I took all morning to get ready for a hunting trip. Finally around 3 pm we left for the Southern Lakes. Driving the orange Van with our green teslin river canoe on top. First we go to Don's temporary residence, a small camper on the job site.
He drives the camper and I the van. We park at a pull out on Little Atlin Lake. First we are off to a berry patch right on the lake. I probably will post a photo on my 'yukon wild berries' blog, the berries are the best we have ever seen them, Saskatoons. We fill our 4 litre ice cream buckets in no time at all. It is a beautiful spot, we have picked here many years. Every time having a bit of difficulty finding the exact spot. It is a fairly steep slope right on the lake. From the road you walk through the forest and come out in the open; willows, small aspen and saskatoon berry bushes. Down the slope close to the water, it is very wet and there are always many interesting flowers that I don't get to see at home. It is all still very beautiful but most flowers are in seed. A beaver swims by and 4 loons are in the water close by.

We are here right underneath White Mountain and we see a goat on the high cliffs. Back in the camper, we make supper and go to bed. I do like sleeping in a camper, while I lay down I can look out over the lake. And when I wake up in the middle of the night, see the brilliant stars. Don and I do get up at one point. There is no moon and the Milky way looks like Northern Lights so bright.
When we do get up in the morning, we are shrouded in mist. And it is Gorgeous. Slowly and mystical the mist lifts a little, Geese and other water birds are calling.
When we drive away, we come out of the mist in beautiful sunshine!