| a western road

Catch and Cook a Dolly Varden

Friday, August 23, 2013

Fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, a lot was learned about the local bait and angle. Summer is salmon season and as king, sockeye, dog and silver make their way up river from late June until early September (kings are first, then the rest proceed respectively), Dolly Varden are a prized catch, while they trail behind the spawning salmon looking for fresh and tasty eggs.

Exploring both the Quartz and Crescent creeks near Cooper Landing for a few days straight, we cherished every sunny minute of bait, cast and hook. The salmon paid little attention to the lines and each evening one plump catch hit the frying pan. (And starting off the day with blueberry oatmeal crisp can't be beat.)

Presently, a rainy Denali National Park has delivered calm days, cool nights and countless animal sightings. Autumn seems to be approaching quickly as the surrounding wilderness prepares for the quieter and chillier of seasons. Some amazing photos and more notes on the area soon.

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The Haul Road

Monday, August 12, 2013

Hello, Alaska. So we've been here for a little over a week now and we've driven north to south. Four hundred plus miles up the Dalton Highway, also known as the Haul Road, past the Arctic Circle, through the unearthly, spectacular Brooks Range, and to the Arctic Ocean. Decked out with extra gas tanks and two spare tires, we took the infamous Dalton Highway on and achieved our goal. After adjusting to endless daylight, we seem to be missing it already.

Now, over 800 miles south of the Arctic, we're on the Kenai Peninsula, searching for silver salmon. Fly fishing. Check. Delicious arctic grayling. Check. Salmon and Alaska Range, here we come.

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Plain of Six Glaciers

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

We haven't found the words to describe the beauty that surrounded us while visiting Canada's Banff and Jasper National Parks on the Icefield Parkway. So for now, a few photos of our hike to Plain of Six Glaciers last week. The nine mile trek took us up above Lake Louise and alongside Victoria Glacier.

We've seen so many places in the last two and a half weeks. Between glacier hikes and mountain vistas, four time-zones and international border crossings, we're just trying to take it all in. Lucky us, the sun stays up late here.

By the time you read this, we should be somewhere on Alaska's Dalton Highway and to the Arctic Ocean in another day. For more photos find some mostly chronological shots of our journey on Flickr.

Bear Country

Saturday, August 3, 2013

When we started off on this trip we anticipated seeing a lot of wildlife. And we have. So far, we've seen bison, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, mule deer, whitetail, elk, moose, feral horses and an array of bird species. But the animal we've spotted on the most occasions has, undoubtedly, been the continuously celebrated, and feared, bear.

Since entering Glacier National Park 10 days ago, and driving north to Canada, through Banff and Jasper National Parks and into British Columbia, we've seen 20 bears - 16 black bears and four grizzlies. Three of the grizzlies were eating in the bushes just off the highway northwest of Grande Cache, a sow and two cubs. Earlier that day we saw another sow, a black bear, and her three cubs crossing the road, near Maligne Lake in Jasper.

While we were hiking in Many Glacier at Glacier National Park, in the states, we were watching a cow moose grazing in a shallow lake. Wading in the clear blue waters of the lake's edge, we were looking for the bull moose that we had just heard was in the area. Suddenly two our right, about 200 yards away, we noticed some movement. It was a black bear, running our way. An adolescent, maybe two years old, he quickly noticed two humans standing between him and whatever he was eager to run towards and stopped in his tracks. Curiously, he looked at us for a second or two, then ran away from shore, up into the trees. As we continued on our hike to the second lake on the trail, we saw him again, up the hill and in the trees. He seemed to know were were around and wasn't too shy, but wasn't too interested in saying, "hello" either. (Which pleased us.) After another minute or two he eventually scrambled over fallen logs and up the hill out of sight.

Now in the Yukon Territory, we should be in Alaska in a day or two. Surely we'll stay alert, and always safe, for more encounters with the bold and beautiful bear.

Photo Notes: The first five photos are of a black bear we spotted on the side of the road just after crossing the USA-Canada border. He paid no attention to us as he rummaged through bushes for buffaloberries. The next photo is of our first grizzly sighting in Waterton National Park. Then, the third set of photos is of a mama black bear and her three cubs in Jasper. We didn't snap any shots of the sow grizzly and her two cubs later that day. It was a quick sighting and we were busy staying alert as she was 200 or so yards from us, even though we had the safety of our vehicle between.

Campfire Nostalgia: Wind River Range Summers

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 campfire, Campfire Nostalgia, camping

Campfire Nostalgia.
A collection of stories, written by our favorite outdoor enthusiasts,
curated by AC and fostered by a shared passion for camping adventures.
Everyone has a story. A moment on a strenuous hike, laughter around the campfire,
silence under the stars. We want to hear these stories. And this is where they will be told.

Story No. 2 is from our dear friend Kelley, of MountainMamaCooks.com.

Ten miles of dusty, desolate, winding roads were torture to my 13 year old self, especially when I’d already spent the last 4 hours in the car sandwiched between my two brothers. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, my dad would navigate the car up the last little climb and we’d turn a bend in the road that would give us a peek of the lake that never seemed to warm up no matter what time of year it was.

In that moment, we all exhaled as we knew what lay ahead; a weekend (or longer) of no tv’s or telephones and staying up long after our bed time. Big breakfasts and lazy mornings were sure to be on the agenda. We’d fill our days with hiking new trails and fishing our favorite holes along the river. We’d lay on warm rocks, sipping sun tea and reading our respective books. Sometimes we’d play cards and sometimes not. The grimier we got, the happier we were. My brothers and I were lucky, even if we didn’t realize it almost 25 years ago.

We grew up spending just about every weekend and summer breaks at the mouth of Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. Both my parents worked hard and these weekend getaways were their reward; A family refuge where work, social commitments and school were left behind.

We spent entire summers playing in rivers, hiking to new lakes and fishing sunup to sundown. I learned to cook pancakes and bacon in a cast iron skillet that used to be my great grandmothers. I learned to catch, gut and fry a fish for dinner. I learned that I was a better shot with the BB-gun than either of my brothers. I learned that spending time with said brothers actually wasn’t that bad. I learned a love and respect for Mother Nature that’s just as part of my life today as it was so many years ago. Most importantly, I learned that four hours in the car and a 10 mile dirt road were a very short price to pay for what I got in return.

photos: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

The Dragon's Tail

Saturday, July 27, 2013

After checking out Bozeman and Missoula the road continued up the Rocky Mountains. National park number two on the trail north, Glacier National Park, partnered with Canada's Waterton National Park in the early 1900s to create the renowned Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Today, the two parks, which connect at the USA-Canada border, collaborate on conservation initiatives and wildlife preservation.

On the way to the park we camped near Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi (by surface area). The Flathead region is famous for cherry farming and the fresh Flathead cherries were plentiful, as their roadside stands dotted the highway. The conifer covered rolling hills, islands and mountains outlining the lake were reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest.

Locked away in towering, jagged peaks, Glacier National Park is like a secret garden, with emerald green walls and endless waterfalls flowing into the sky blue rivers and deep glaciated lakes of the valley below. The drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass, on the continental divide, is inspiring. A constant flow of glacier water streams through the sedimentary rock at the Weeping Wall. According to Bozeman's Rocky Mountain Museum, "some of the oldest sedimentary rocks in the entire Northern Rocky Mountain region are found in the Lewis Range of Glacier National Park and fossils of some of Earth's earliest life forms have been discovered there."

The snowfields above Logan Pass draw hikers to enjoy a three mile trail up through a grassy pass and down to Hidden Lake. Sunstroked mountain goats saunter along the boardwalk path and escape the day's heat in the patches of snow. A bighorn ram put on a show as he stood strong and stern protecting his ground. A park ranger noted this was a rare site to see.

Closed a mile and a half up the way for bear danger, the Hidden Lake trail was a short escape. For a longer day and the more adventurous, a rocky and snow-covered climb to the southeast of the Hidden Lake trail brings you through a saddle and alongside Reynolds Mountain, high above Hidden Lake. Walk along a steep mountain goat trail further southeast and over another saddle to reach the beginning of Dragon's Tail, a high ridgeline dividing the Hidden Lake area from the Sperry Glacier area.

Words can't describe the views from Dragon's Tail. It was incredible. Even a sweltering 90 degree afternoon couldn't shake that view. Pictures were taken, in every direction. At some point or another, we both remarked, "this is why we came here." We chatted. Ate some Flathead cherries. There was some silence. We soaked up the day and we hiked down, not really wanting to leave our perch atop the park.