Saturday, December 3, 2011

An Afternoon Adventure.


There has been a problem with the comment area. My technical team might have this straighten out, so if you want to tell me to shut up or comment on posts, I think its back in order.
A publishing milestone today. One week. And they said it would never last.
I'm slowly learning how this technology works. Today I discovered tracking.
There were over 400 readers.
413 in Canada, 16 in the US, 15 in Russia, 5 in Malaysia, 4 in Germany, 2 in Japan, 2 in the Netherlands and 2 over in Turkey.
Goes to show there is a bunch of people out there with too much time on their hands.
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An Afternoon Adventure.
It has cooled off again, getting quite nippy at night. Today was a beautiful day to live in the mountains. 
Since we had the high water last week several coho salmon made their way up into the receding creek down in front here. I would have liked to have taken some pictures, but  avoid harassing them as experience tells me these fish only have a very narrow window to do their spawning thing before the creek gets too low for them, or predators are attracted by the splashing.
 Coyote, bobcat, lynx and the long fingered tracks of the raccoon get frozen in the sand as they monitor the spawning fish. It was only a handful of salmon that came in from the main river while they had the chance. Yesterday looking out the window I noticed the fish in the creek had disappeared over night. A little more scanning around and I notice several red splotches that are pretty obvious out across the snow covered channel. I don't know who it was that got lucky, the eagle maybe, but for sure nothing goes to waste.


 This big buck came down off the mountain before the freeze, had a lick of the salt block and walked down the river side trail.
I see wolf tracks more often than I did years ago.

Cooler weather and deer tracks often bring out a primitive desire to go live off the land for an extended period, or maybe a picnic at least. I figured I could probably fit it in, and trudged across the frozen expanse as far as my ATV. I've been dying for the snow to get a crust so I could get up the mountain. I had my old frozen ruts from last week to follow up as far as the intake but it was undisturbed from there on. The only tracks I saw were of that big buck a few days ago on his way to lower ground.

There has been considerable water running up here during that storm last week.

Fire Mountain on left, Glacier Lake is back in the valley.



2000 feet elevation, looking over into Garibaldi Park.


In minutes a fire was going and  I cracked the thermos of tea to celebrate. I had brought some spare-ribs up with me that I threw directly on the fire and ate with my bare hands, flinging the bones over my shoulder. My primitive urges sated once more. Well, that one any ways.
The fire melted a deep hole. I kicked snow into it and started down.
That is InShuckch Mountain way off there.
The sun set in the valley and the temperature dropped drastically.
Like any mountain woodsman back from the hills, when I got to the cabin, I turned the thermostat up a notch, checked the satellite Internet for email, then went and warmed my toes in the hot tub.
Enough primitive urges for one day.




4 comments:

  1. Please don't stop! I love the blog - Can't wait to read it everyday!

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  2. I would love to know more about what your life is like living out there. How often do you go to town? Are you ever snowed in for extended periods of time? How do you have the internet? Etc.

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  3. I get into 'town' every week or ten days or two weeks or when I need something. I would just as soon stay home, but sooner or later I need something and have to go in and trade with the 'townies'. Not so much any more,but he road used to be closed for extended periods. I have a dish that brings in the internet.

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  4. Robin. Excellent! I was there once only -- whith you of course!! -- at one of the annual Easter fishing trips. Perhaps '66. Long way from here now by innumerable measures. Kim

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