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In our beloved Alpine Lakes Wilderness, there is a small region called Enchantment Lakes, considered the most beautiful mountain valley in the area. Pale granite, countless lakes connected by little streams and waterfalls, golden larches in autumn, and . . . → Continue reading Enchantment Lakes. Ten Years Later.
Aka Canachites canadensis. I’ve seen plenty of girls, but I’d never come across boys in war paint before. And then out stepped this handsome fellow—even though it was autumn and hardly the season for boys to be sporting that kind of look. The ISO was cranked . . . → Continue reading Spruce grouse
We got back a week ago from a week-long hike through some of our beloved Alpine Lakes country — places that, for a substantial part of the route, very few people ever visit, but which are absolutely . . . → Continue reading Alpine Lakes High Route Traverse and a Side Trip to La Bohn and Mt. Hinman
Okay, the plural probably isn’t really applicable here. There was only one bear. According to the information on the hatchery’s website, when there are a lot of bears around, access is closed to people, to avoid conflicts. But there were plenty of people, and there was . . . → Continue reading Alaska. The Great Salmon Saga: Bears
At the end of July, we spent about a week travelling around southern Alaska. For the last couple of years, I have traditionally been unable to keep up with everything, although I very much hope to eventually . . . → Continue reading Alaska. The Great Salmon Saga: Sea Lions and Gulls.
Glacier Peak. Part One: The Summit The morning of our return home greeted us with fog. No — FOG. . . . → Continue reading Glacier Peak. Part Two: The Foggy One
From the year before last. After our hike up Dickerman Peak, we finally came to the realization that we hadn’t been to Glacier Peak for twelve years, and somehow that just wasn’t right. It’s a beautiful . . . → Continue reading Glacier Peak. Part One: The Summit
From the year before last. Dickerman Peak. Overall, it’s a pleasant but fairly straightforward half-day hike. Most of the trail winds through forest, but near the summit (which still reaches 1,746 meters / 5,728 feet) it emerges . . . → Continue reading Dickerman Peak
Velella, a.k.a. the by-the-wind sailor, a.k.a. Velella velella. A tiny inflatable raft (it comes equipped with an internal chitinous air chamber) with a sail. Usually about 7 cm across — the smallest seaworthy vessel on the planet. A colonial hydrozoan. These little sailors are distant relatives . . . → Continue reading Tiny Sailboats of the Great Ocean
I decided to show this little flower separately as well. It really is just so cool. Tropaeolum polyphyllum. In Chile and Argentina (where it is endemic to the local mountains) it is called “soldadito grande de la cordillera” – the great little soldier of the mountains. . . . → Continue reading Great Little Soldier of the Mountains |
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