Got the pictures fixed, for some reason I set them to private, but they're back up, and I updated Denali and Solstice stuff.
Back to the field tomorrow, heading down the Klutina Trail to do some plots. Should be a good time. Until then...
~SPH
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Denali or Bust
Greg and I went fishing up on the Upper Chena. Not much biting, but there were fish in the region.
Some good and bad today. We got to see Denali. Unfortunately it was raining. Saw some brown bear, owl and Dall’s sheep though. Even though it was overcast, the scenery was still beautiful. The lush greens complimented the low cloud cover and the ice was still out there. Didn’t get to see any of the summits, but I already saw Denali and Greg and Kay will be going back later on in the week. The only downfall is that the park road continually kicked mud up onto our windows of our tents and limited the amount of sight we had.
Unfortunately when we got back to camp I made the ultimate fuck up. I left the rain fly on my tent open and it rained in Fairbanks, so I had to dry out my bag my pillow and one of my shirts. Overall it could have been worse, and I found out that the fly on this tent works nicely when it is closed. I’m in it at the moment and am quite dry.
One more day and then back to work and Kay and Greg head out for Wasilla/Palmer/Anchorage. Hopefully I can catch up with them on my next stint off. It was a great time seeing some familiar faces, and their company is always good in my book.
Post-Solstice
Overall Solstice was fun. We ended up grabbing some grub, went to the festivities downtown, which were glorified versions of the Boonville Fair. When we got back, the three of us chilled and played a few card games around the camp. We then started taking pictures on the hour of the three of us to prove the amount of light we were seeing. It was pretty crazy to see the full out 24 hour sun.
I went to see the Midnight Sun baseball game. That was an experience in it self. Watching a live game was great, the atmosphere and the people were welcoming, and I had a great time. I unfortunately forgot my memory card for my camera, but I did grab the commemorative coin and card saying I was at the game. The Goldpanners even ended up winning the game.
When I got back, we resumed the pictures. On the way back I saw some people dropping off a footbridge into the frigid Chena River. All I could think of was jumping off the trestle in May. Fun, but not once you hit the water...
I went to see the Midnight Sun baseball game. That was an experience in it self. Watching a live game was great, the atmosphere and the people were welcoming, and I had a great time. I unfortunately forgot my memory card for my camera, but I did grab the commemorative coin and card saying I was at the game. The Goldpanners even ended up winning the game.
When I got back, we resumed the pictures. On the way back I saw some people dropping off a footbridge into the frigid Chena River. All I could think of was jumping off the trestle in May. Fun, but not once you hit the water...
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Happy Solstice!
Off to fish today with Greg, hopefully snagging some grayling, burbot or any of the salmon. Wish me luck!
And Happy Solstice, its like the fourth of July up here. We'll be heading out to festivities in the mid afternoon. I'll be at the Midnight Sun baseball game, there's a downtown festival from 12-12, the Midnight Sun run, concerts all day and overall great time from what I hear. Greg and I are going to pull an all nighter through the solstice. We figure it doesn't get dark anyway, so it wont be as tough to stay up.
I did hit up Silver Gulch Brewing Company's Brewpub with Kayla and Greg for dinner the other night. The beer was amazing and I had a Tri-tip that was to die for. (It might have been the subsistence off of camp food for the last weeks).
And Happy Solstice, its like the fourth of July up here. We'll be heading out to festivities in the mid afternoon. I'll be at the Midnight Sun baseball game, there's a downtown festival from 12-12, the Midnight Sun run, concerts all day and overall great time from what I hear. Greg and I are going to pull an all nighter through the solstice. We figure it doesn't get dark anyway, so it wont be as tough to stay up.
I did hit up Silver Gulch Brewing Company's Brewpub with Kayla and Greg for dinner the other night. The beer was amazing and I had a Tri-tip that was to die for. (It might have been the subsistence off of camp food for the last weeks).
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Why spend your leisure bereft of pleasure?
Well back again, probably the only time this week again. I uploaded a new set of photos from the Wrangel-St. Elias/ CRV trip. Probably the most picturesque place I've seen outside the Kenai. The mountains are just looming over you and enormous. Sanford is a beast of a peak at 16,237 and the south face rising 8,000 feet within a mile, while the other side sprawls out immesurably is intense. The other mountains are prime as well.
We hit up Porcupine Creek campground near the glorious city of Slana, population of around 30, and you can see in the pictures, that was the campground which I was standing on the ice bridge. Porcupine Creek was still frozen over a bit and standing on the ice in the middle of June was a bit different. One night, Eric and I hit a trail and bushwhacked up a ridge to the peak of it and could just see for miles over the range.
Then we hit up the Nabesna Road. It brings you down into Wrangel-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Beautiful country. Just gorgeous. I was able to get some really nice shots and took a hike down near a lake.
Back in a while with more.
~Steve
We hit up Porcupine Creek campground near the glorious city of Slana, population of around 30, and you can see in the pictures, that was the campground which I was standing on the ice bridge. Porcupine Creek was still frozen over a bit and standing on the ice in the middle of June was a bit different. One night, Eric and I hit a trail and bushwhacked up a ridge to the peak of it and could just see for miles over the range.
Then we hit up the Nabesna Road. It brings you down into Wrangel-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Beautiful country. Just gorgeous. I was able to get some really nice shots and took a hike down near a lake.
Back in a while with more.
~Steve
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Back again
So I'm back from our second stint out, the Kenai Peninsula is truly Nature's playground. There are so many trailheads and rivers down there that I can see myself staying there on multiple occasions. Its a great region with beautiful views and tons of wildlife.
Actually if you check the updates on my pictures you can see some of the up close loon and moose shots I was able to get. I hate that I can't really tweak any pictures on this computer, but I'll have things pined down a touch better when I get back to my desktop in August.
Initially we hit up Dolly Varden Campground off of Swanson Lake Road. Dolly Varden Lake was amazing, pristine, a ton of loons floating around, and overall a great site... One problem... the bastards don't know when its time to sleep. When its midnight and you have loons calling back and forth in front of your campground its tough to fall asleep. Majestic creatures, but they don't know when to shut up and sleep.
I really wish I had had my license and a rod down there, the trout fishing is apparently amazing on the Kenai. The salmon aren't running yet, but they should be by mid-June and I'll make sure I'm set by then.
After that we hit up Kelly Lake. Over near Skilak Lake. It was another gem, great view of the Chugach Range from the campsite and this is where the moose and calf pictures were from. Mosquitos were pretty bad down in the black spruce lowlands that we were working in. But the weather has held out and I'd much rather get bit a few times out there than get rained on. Alaska has been a hell of a place so far, but I wish I had my car up here, even the off days involve a ton of walking around.
Guess Kayla and Greg will be up next time I'm off so it might be a while until I post again. We'll probably hit up some of the trails and touristy shit around Fairbanks and I'll catch up with them again after we go back down to the CRV. Anyway, until later.
~Steve
Actually if you check the updates on my pictures you can see some of the up close loon and moose shots I was able to get. I hate that I can't really tweak any pictures on this computer, but I'll have things pined down a touch better when I get back to my desktop in August.
Initially we hit up Dolly Varden Campground off of Swanson Lake Road. Dolly Varden Lake was amazing, pristine, a ton of loons floating around, and overall a great site... One problem... the bastards don't know when its time to sleep. When its midnight and you have loons calling back and forth in front of your campground its tough to fall asleep. Majestic creatures, but they don't know when to shut up and sleep.
I really wish I had had my license and a rod down there, the trout fishing is apparently amazing on the Kenai. The salmon aren't running yet, but they should be by mid-June and I'll make sure I'm set by then.
After that we hit up Kelly Lake. Over near Skilak Lake. It was another gem, great view of the Chugach Range from the campsite and this is where the moose and calf pictures were from. Mosquitos were pretty bad down in the black spruce lowlands that we were working in. But the weather has held out and I'd much rather get bit a few times out there than get rained on. Alaska has been a hell of a place so far, but I wish I had my car up here, even the off days involve a ton of walking around.
Guess Kayla and Greg will be up next time I'm off so it might be a while until I post again. We'll probably hit up some of the trails and touristy shit around Fairbanks and I'll catch up with them again after we go back down to the CRV. Anyway, until later.
~Steve
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