Climbing the Mountain

I am not a mountain climber in leagues with those who climb Everest, or the mountains in the Himalayas but on Day 4 of Aniakchak I climbed a mountain. This mountain was not great in elevation but it was a 2000 foot climb.

We packed a lunch and water and headed up a riverine. Thirty minutes later we found a beautiful stream coming down the mountain. The water was so clear, it was amazing. The stream had small falls and drops as it flowed down the mountain. The rock formation were very impressive. The camera guy and the director spent about an hour shooting film of the falls. While I waited for them to finish filming, I was examining all the beautiful flowers that were growing near by. All the flowers were new species to me so I was busy taking pictures so I could go home and identify them all.

After the falls we continued to climb. We got to an area where we could see the rapids we would float down the next day. From that altitude they didn't look so bad. The start of the river goes between two mountains. The area is called the gates. No matter where you look at them you have to be impressed by their size. From this height, you could find rocks with fossils in them. Fossils of plants, shells and etc... It was fun trying to see who could find the best fossil.

Onward we climbed. The climb got steeper and I had to take more breaks to catch my breath. The terrain became more harzardous as we were walking on rolling stones and rocks. If we caused a rock of any size to fall down the trail we would yell and warn the people below as my boss said rock slides were common. We had finally made it to the top to find that the view was blocked by clouds. We could see below us and see the river as it curved back and forth. But the view beyond the mountain was obstructed.

The clouds blocking our view were not storm clouds. Just your ordinary white puffy clouds. There was a large patch of grass to sit on and rest at the top. Everyone but the director and the camera guy sat down. The two of them headed back down the mountain disappointed in all the work carrying equipment up only to see nothing. The rest of us pulled out our lunches and watched. All of the sudden the clouds disappeared and the sun came out and before lay the most unbelievable sight.

There were mountains and this land that was green and flat that ran on both sides of the river. My first impression was it was like the Land of the Lost and at any moment a dinosaur would come out of the valley. The area was as pristine as habitats could get and it went on as far as the eye could see. It was nothing short of breath taking and I could not get enough of it. The clouds would float in and we would wait for another chance to see the valley.

Just before we decided we had better start back down the mountain we heard a rock slide.  We could not see it but you could hear the rocks rolling down the hill and picking up speed.  It lasted for about 10 minutes.  Once it got quiet we headed back down the trail but it was hard to leave such a terrific spot.

Changes in the Weather

The second day in the caldera and the goal is to hike to the 1931 explosion pit which is on the other side of the caldera. The caldera is six miles across. We gathered up our packs for the day and started hiking. We went up hill and down until we came to a long flat area void of all life. No plants or animals just volcanic ash and rock. Aniakchak is known for its constantly changing weather. As we were crossing the caldera the wind began to pick up.

We stopped and watched as the wind picked up layers of ash. The ash rose and swirled and moved across the caldera. It was a very wierd scene. It reminded me of a scene from the third Lord of th Rings movie where the ghost king and soldiers appeared out of the mist and rode into the kingdom.

We continued on and as we walked the wind blew harder and harder. Walking in it felt like you were one of those weather people trying to give you the latest hurricane information from the beachfront being attacked. It got to the point that the only way for me to gain progress in moving forward was to lean way into the wind. But evenutally I finally gave up and stopped. The wind however was trying to forse me backwards. Ash and rock flew at your face. The crew decided that it was no longer worth going out as it was too windy to film. So we turned around and headed back to camp.

As we walked back to camp the clouds began to pour over the rim of the caldera but unlike the cloudfalls of the days before these clouds did not disapate and the caldera began to fill with clouds that were blown across the caldera. It is a very strange feeling to be walking in the winds and the clouds. By the time we finally reached the camp the winds had died down and the clouds were lifting. The storm came upon very fast and left just as fast.

Hiking with a Fox

The second morning in Aniakchak I again was the first person up. I was awaken by a bright light in my tent. I thought someone else was up and got up to see if anything was wrong. But it wasn't a someone with a flashlight like I thought. I saw a full moon shining over the cinder cones. It was so exceedly bright that it was dazzling. Then I looked at the rest of the night sky. There were thousand of stars most were just small shimmers because of the illuminosity of the moon but it was a breathtaking sky.

After admiring the heavenly skies for a few minutes I decided that I needed to go to the bathroom. Walking away from camp, I did what comes naturally and turned around to find a fox. Needless to say at first I was a little startled. But the fox who was a she, was quite friendly. Matterfact it walked up pretty close to me and got within about a foot away. Talking to the fox, I started to make my way back to the camp and the fox followed.

The sky was starting to lighten up and the sun was about to make its appearance so I decided to walk to the top of a cinder cone to watch the sunrise. Ms. Fox decided to join me. The fox accompanied me up to the top of the cinder cone walking closer to me than my dog does when I walk her. Together the two of us reached the top where there was a group of rocks. I found a spot to sit and the fox sat down next to me. Together we watched the sun rise above the rim of the caldera and as the sun rose the cloud formations were undescribably beautiful to watch. After about an hour I decided that I needed to have breakfast as my stomach was growling so loudly I thought it would scare off the fox.

She, the fox, sat by me the whole time. Watching the sunrise, me and looking for her breakfast on the side of the cinder cone. When I got up to climb back down she arose also. We walked side by side down the hill and when I reached the electrical fence surrounding the camp, the fox looked one last time at me then turned around and paraded away. It was a very special morning and I will not forget as I have never hiked with a fox before.

Climbing the Cinder Cone

Inside the caldera are a number of cinder cones. These are hills or some might say small mountains on the cladera floor. These were created by small eruptions inside the caldera. The volcanoes in Hawaii have molten lava that pour out of the domes. In Alaska, the volcanoes tend to be more gaseous, and toss ash and rock out of the dome. This ash and rocks form mounds around the explosion and when all is said and done leave a hill, a hill perfect for climbing. The cinder cone we climbed was pretty good sized and from the top had a beautiful view of the caldera.

In our group there were five men and two women. The two of us females decided that we would just hike up a face of the cinder cone we thought looked easier. The men however decided that the backside of the cinder cone would be an easier climb so the hiked off to walk around the cone. We followed what looked like an animal trail up the cinder cone. This cone was old enough to have regrowth of vegetation on it. Up we hiked, not being use to the elevation, I had a little bit of trouble hiking up. But eventually the two of us made it to the top and where were the men? They had just started their climb.

Once on the top we admired the views in all directions. We could see all away across the caldera. We could see hot sulphur springs turning the tundra in that area orange, gold and yellow. Flowers of all colors were blooming on the top of cone, only the flowers were small, tiny plants. Still beautiful though. After taking pictures, we unpacked the lunch we brought and stretched out to wait for the men to arrive. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on top of the cone enjoying the view while the camera people took pictures. Did I mention that the main objective for the trip was to film Aniakchak for a movie. Basically, I was there to carry equipment though we monitored birds and animals along the journey.

From the top of the cinder cone we saw caribou running across the caldera. We saw snow buntings flitting to and from the small bushes. Redpolls and savannah sparrows were also seen. Then we saw a bald eagle fly over the lake. Not a bad start for monitoring and a great way to spend the day. After about three hours we hiked back down. This time the females followed the guys just to observe the hot springs.

My first morning in the caldera and the rest of the team is asleep. So what did I decide to do? Go hiking. The sun was just coming up and there were rolling fields of tundra waiting to be explored. I climbed to the highest hill and sat down to observe the world around me. The peaks of the mountains around the caldera had snow on them and were glistening in the morning sunlight. Glaciers with thier beautiful blue ice lined one wall. I got up to see what was over the next hill and that's when I saw them. Five caribou lying in the grass in a valley. They weren't exactly beautiful. They looked kind of scuffy. When they saw me they stood up and all thier heads turned to face me. Animals in Aniakchak hardly see people so they weren't sure what to make of me. One of them came running my direction then stopped. They were amazing to watch. After we stared at each other for a few minutes they turned and walked over the next hill. I guess I wasn't very interesting to them.

Waterfalls of clouds

The night we arrived in Aniakchak we saw some amazing falls, but not from water but of the clouds. The rim of the caldera is 2000 feet high and the clouds pour over the side like a waterfall. Columns of clouds roll over the top and down the side of the rim and then disappate before touching the ground. All along the western rim clouds rolled over. It may sound like something you just want to look at for a few minutes and walk off but actually it was quite mesmerizing. We watched the falls for quite a while. My boss called it cloudfalls but others call it the niagra effect. What ever it is called it was an awesome welcome to the caldera.

The Great Caldera

Tonight I thought I would give you a little history on Aniakchak and my impressions as I landed on Surprise Lake in the caldera. Aniakchak was formed when a 7,000 foot mountain collapsed, leaving a six foot wide, two thousand foot caldera. It is estamated that 3,500 years ago a large explosion caused the loss of 3,000 feet of the upper part of a mountain. The remainder of the mountain collapsed leaving an ash filled, flat bowl. Since then many lesser explosions have left cinder cones, lava, and explosion pits on the floor of the caldera. The last recent explosion came in 1931. Though it was considered a small explosion, it left ash scattered through out the caldera and in villages up to 40 miles away.

Surprise Lake was probably a large snow filled lake that eventually began to spill out of the crater, eroding the wall until the Aniakchak river was formed. The area where the water leaves the crator is called the gates. They are high walls of rock, ash, and fossils that are quite impressive. Surprise Lake now lies in part of the caldera with hot springs feeding the lake along with melting snow and lots of rain.

I finally left for Aniakchak at 7 pm on the 10th of August. Because of cloud cover half way between King Salmon and our destination we flew high over the clouds. The first team was in the caldera and reported that they had clear skies, so the plan was to fly high over the cloud bank then entered the clear skies right into the caldera. The trip out was kind of boring as all you could see were clouds. Then after an hour mountain peaks rose above the clouds. They were snow covered and quite impressive. Mount Aniakchak was one of them. Minutes later the plane dropped into an unbelievable sight. The lake was a silvery blue and at one end a pool of orange and yellow drifted into the lake. The caldera was lit up by the snow covered mountains around the rim and the glaciers that rested on them. I knew right there I was going to love this place.

Back From the Bush

Hi, I have returned from Aniakchak and loved every minute of it. I use to think Yellowstone was the most beautiful place in the whole world. Then I got the job at King Salmon and Katmai tied with Yellowstone but Aniakchak blows them out of the water. It is incredably beautiful, enchanting, mysterious and full of surprises both good and bad.

In the next few days I will tell you about my adventures. Today I want to focus on the rigors of life in a place that may get 100 people a year. As of this moment the five members of our team doubled the amount of people who have been there so far this year. Aniakchak is known for its unpredictable weather. It is the first monument that claims weather as the reason it is a national park. We were to leave for an eight day journey at 10am on the 10th. But the morning of the 10th had King Salmon fogged in. We watched and waited all day for the weather here and there to clear so that we could leave. It wasn't until 7 pm that our flight took off.

Eight days came and went by and it was time to leave. But Aniakchak was not ready for us to leave and neither was I. Day 9 the mountain passes would not let our pilot through. Day 10 high winds kept the plane on the ground. Day 11 two attempts were made to get us out. Day 12 fog in King Salmon in the morning but by 11 the pilot made finally left to get us. Two hours later I was back on my way to reality, or at least my Alaskan reality.

I spent 12 days eating nothing but granola bars, peanut butter crackers and dehydrated foods. We were down to our last day of food before we finally flew home. I was hungry, smelled horrible from not having a shower in 12 days or washing my clothes in all that time and very sore.I was suppose to leave for Brooks Camp the day after I got back but my plans were changed for me while I was gone so I have spent the time back trying to catch up and trying to remember what real food tastes like. But I am back and starting tomorrow I begin to tell the stories from the land that time forgot. Stay Tuned.

Aniakchak

Tomorrow I leave for 8 days in Aniakchak National Monument. Weather permitting of course. Aniakchak was made a national monument in 1978, the year I graduated from high school. It is 450 miles south of Anchorage. It is known for its notorous bad weather and exciting white water rafting. It is a remote area of recent volcanic wildlands. Aniakchak is a 6 mile wide 2000 foot deep caldera fromed by the collapse of a 7000 foot mountain. It is the largest caldera on the Alaska Peninsula. The floor is covered with small cinder cones, lava flows, and explosion pits. Surprise Lake lies in the caldera and tomorrow I will be landing there in a float plane.

My goal for the next eight days is to monitor wildlife and birds around the caldera and along the banks of the river as we raft down the 27 mile river that starts in Surprise Lake and flows through the gates. The gates are a narrow passage throught the volcanic wall that drops 75 feet per mile. When we have passed the gates the river becomes slow moving until we reach the confluence with the Hidden River where we again will shoot rapids on our journey to the pacific coast. After a few days at the coast we will be picked up and flown home. To me this is a Lewis and Clark kind of trip, as few humans go to Aniakchak. The reason being the expense and constantly changing weather. I have always wanted to go back in time and see the United States before the white man screwed it up and this will be as close as I can get. So for the next eight days or more I will not have any new entries to the blog but I hope to come home with untold stories for all of you to read. While I am gone I hope you can find an adventure or two of your own.

Psychotic Gull

The gulls in Alaska are different from any gulls anywhere. I have seen them sit on the tops of spruce trees. Sitting there like eagles. But I have seen behavior in a gull that tops it all. This gull was vicious, mean and tough and a killer.

I was standing by the river watching a flock of common mergansers. All full grown adults just floating down the river enjoying their life. When out of the sky dropped a Glacous-wing Gull, right on top of one of the mergansers. The gull pushed the merganser under the water. The merganser dived and the gull let go. When the merganser came up the gull was upon him instantly and pushed it back into the water. The merganser dived and came up only to be pushed back under the water. Time and time again this happened. While the gull terrorized the poor merganser, a bear tuned in to the struggle and started following. Finally, the duck died. But the gull did not get his meal the bear did.
This did not stop the gull for even a moment as it went straight after another merganser and started the same process. The merganser moved all over trying to get away from the gull. The gull followed pushing the merganser under the water over and over again. The bear swam after both of them. After a few minutes the merganser lost its life. The gull lost another meal and the bear, well he lost a meal too as the dead duck sank.

The bear searched for the dead duck. The gull, being very determined, went after a third duck. Finally, the rest of the flock had enough of the psycho gull and fought back. Together the flock gave chase to the gull, who finally had to give up. But then he decided that maybe merganser wasn't what he was really hungry for. The psycho gull started fishing. The bear having had a little morsel and losing another moved on to other territory. After a few minutes I saw the gull swoop down and catch a salmon. Not a small salmon but one that he could not lift up out of the water. He dragged the fish, flapping his wings, and struggling with the weight. Across the river he went. He was determined not to give up the salmon. With an enormous amount of effort the gull got the salmon to the beach. He started to feast but the other gulls thought they should share in the catch. Psycho gull fought each one of them until they flew off to a safe distance and watched as the psycho gull had his full.

Walk Through The Tundra

Today started out as a beautiful sunny day. The first in over two weeks. It was the perfect day for a butterfly survey. So Craig, one of my partners, and I went to Lake Camp to do the annual butterfly survey. To do the survey we would have to walk through the tundra. I have read lots of information on the tundra and in the readings they all talk about how slow movement is in the tundra. They were not kidding.

The tundra is not a smooth, flat area. It is a bumpy and mushy and full of surprises. I would think I was stepping on solid ground only to find that the ground was mush. I stepped and sunk up to my knees in the Tundra. You would think that you could take a simple step forward but the ground was unpredictable. I stepped on a mound and it had to be floating on a packet of air because as I stepped on it I heard a big whoosh of air. As the air released the mound I was standing on sunk. Underneath the ground is water. I now understand why you can't move very fast in the Tundra but walking slowly through it you notice wonderful surprises.

The moss and lichens and other plants are a wide variety of colors. There are oranges, yellows, and reds and in between varieties of white. It was beautiful. Then I discovered crowberries. They are small and black. I heard that you either like them or you don't, there is no in between. I tried one. To me they were a little on the sour side but I liked them. Then we found some blueberries and they were fantastic better than anything you could buy in a grocery store. If you could go to a real grocery store. The ground was also covered with cranberries but they can't be picked until a couple of night of frost. They were the good surprises lying on the ground.

The bad surprises were the bugs. This is the area that you really need a bug shirt and hood. I never saw so many bugs. They were thick. You looked down on your pants and you were covered with hundreds of little bugs. They got under my glasses as I did not have a bug net on. They buzzed in my ear and if you opened your mouth too long you were treated with a bug going down your throat. I can understand perfectly why the caribou love the tundra as their favorite food is lichen and there is plenty. I also understand why they move constantly because you can not stand still because of the bugs. What a wonderful day, good and bad.

The Stray Returns

So Craig and I went to the post office and who should we meet when we are just about there? The stray dog that followed me home a week or so ago. It was the same airdale dog. We went into the building and checked our mailbox which was empty, then went back outside for the walk home. The airdale was not is sight so we started on our way.

We noticed that the stray was ahead of us on the trail then it disappeared in the tall grass next to the trail. Both of us were keeping our eyes on the area where it went in the grass but we could not see it. Then I felt a nose push against my back. Somehow the loveable stray had got behind us. He looked up at us like follow me I know how to get to your house. And he ran up ahead and took the lead.

It is not the brightest dog as it kept trying to walk on the highway instead of the trail. I didn't want the dog to get hit by a passing vehicle so every time a car came we called it over to us. The we had to cross the King Salmon Creek bridge. The dumb stray walked right down the center of the road which does not have enough space for cars, walkers and strays walking in the middle of the bridge. We tried to call the dog over to us but it was no good. Then he got the smell of something and ran up ahead off of the bridge. Craig and I decided that we would take the trail that goes around the back of our house to try and loose the stray.

A few minutes went by and no stray. We thought we were in the clear. But we were wrong. No sooner had we thought we had lost him when he showed up carrying some paper in its mouth. It lead the way to the street towards our house when the neighbors passed us in their car. Lucky for us the stray followed them. I guess it thought we could handle the rest of the walk home. Then a beat up green pick up truck drove past us and the driver waved. We waved back. This is common in King Salmon as everyone is so friendly. You wave to everyone as you pass whether you know them or not.

We started talking about how the neighbors got stuck with the stray when the green pick up passed us again and this time in the back of the pick up was the airdale. He just looked at us and smiled. I guess we know now he is not a stray and his owner must be use to him following mail patrons home. We both started laughing.

Where Is The Sun?

For the past two weeks we have had rain. Some days it has been a light rain and a couple of days we were wondering if we should build an ark. Today when I woke up there were actual patches of blue sky. Then they disappeared. It did not rain today but in the morning there was no sun, just clouds. In the afternoon we saw quick, and I mean quick, patches of sunlight. The office manager emailed her daughter to tell her she saw her shadow but by the time she typed the message the sun had disappeared. Another coworker yelled "the sun" but by the time everyone looked up it was gone. She did explain to all of us for the 30 seconds it was out if felt good on her face.

I need to do a butterfly survey. To see butterflies you kind of need the sun. Especially here where the temperatures hardly reaches above 60. Everytime I heard someone mention the sun I would run to the window and look hoping it would clear up enough to go run the survey. Not today. Now it is 9 pm and of course the sun is shining. I think the sun has a sense of humor only I am not laughing.

Fireweed Jelly

All over the place the fireweed is blooming. It is a tall plant with bright pink blossoms. I was told today that it was time to make fireweed jelly. I haven't figured out how to make jelly from a plant that I see has no berries. Then I was told that the jelly is made from the flowers. So as I was walking home I kept studying how they make jelly from the flowers and what it tastes like as I don't really smell a fragrance from the plant and I am not sure how a flower petal can make juice for jelly. I am use to make things like strawberry, peach and grape jelly. Never tried to make jelly from a flower before but I am suppose to be getting the recipe so I can try it. It should be a matter of time before the berries are ripe enough to pick. I am kind of excited about that. I can't wait to try the different kinds of berries. But if fireweed makes good jelly like other berries why aren't the bears eating the fireweed plants? I will let you know what I find out.

My Vehicle of Choice

I live in King Salmon Alaska. I have no car, no ATV and no bike. I don't miss having a car at all. I don't miss long lines at the gas station or pumpimg gas on cold icy days. I don't miss long drives to visit relatives or how it is just easier to drive my car to the store. I don't even think about anymore. I don't worry about how many miles it is to see something as if you can't walk there here you need a plane anyways.

I have found that my life now revolves around airplanes. I find myself looking up visibilities and ceiling levels. Will the fog shut down the airport so the mail plane can't get here today. Are the float planes flying because if they aren't I may not get to Brooks Camp. Or Aniakchak or back home.

Today the big talk in the office was the fact that flights from King Salmon to Anchorage had dropped $60 one way. Normally, it cost $200 to fly to Anchorage. Right now the cost is $138. Everyone was talking about it. They were trying to make holiday plans and when to go to town to shop. They were trying to figure out how many tickets to buy and for when. I found myself doing the same. Can I book a flight to go back to the states to visit? I looked it up $300 cheaper right now. My life has become controlled by airways instead of highways.

Breakfast with the Newborns

This morning I was very tired. I had worked 12 hours shifts the last two days and in the rain. I was a little slow getting going. When I sat down to breakfast I looked out the window and there was 402 and the two cubs. They were munching on grass in the yard. I quickly ran and got my camera. Mom and cubs were starting to walk away but I snapped a couple of shots but they weren't turning out well and by the time I got things in working order the bears were gone. I was so frustrated with myself. I thought I would never get a chance like that again and I sat down to eat my oatmeal.

All of the sudden the little family was back. This time I took my time and concentrated. I got shots of the cubs climbing up the hill behind Mom into the yard. 402 decided for breakfast she needed some fiber and came and chewed on one of the logs of the cabin. The cubs tried to copy her but didn't have the teeth for the job yet. Next to the cabin is the emergency boat on a trailer. Mom walked by it but the cubs stood up on their hind legs and tried to take a look and checked out the motor. By the time the family moved on I was running late for work, my oatmeal was cold but I was in a much better mood. I am totally hooked on these bears.

Ted the Bear That Begs

We have a bear at Brooks camp named Ted. Ted is a rather good size male bear. He can fish pretty well for himself when he wants to but he would rather have other people fish for him. It is really pathetic that this massive bear acts the ways he does. At the falls tonight, Ted was at one end and 747 another good size male was at the other end. 747 caught a fish and Ted left his place at the falls and moved over by 747. He bent down low to the water and moved rather close to 747. Then he started to whine. He made moaning sounds that were rather embarassing for a bear his size. He begged and begged for a part of 747's catch. 747 on the other hand enjoyed his fish. He paid little attention to Ted who was just inches from him whining up a storm. When 747 had ate most of the good parts of the fish he let the rest of the fish fall into the water then move back to his fishing spot. Ted then grabbed the leftovers and chowed down. Once that was done he moved back to his spot at the falls and tried to catch his own fish.

747 caught another fish and Ted again moved next to 747 and began the begging routine. It was beginning to be funny the way this big bear who could possibly take on 747 and win was comfortable in begging for food. He probably could have fought for the fish and won but he never tried that tactic. What little was left of the fish after 747 was finished did not have many calories to give Ted much wieght gain.

A third time 747 caught a fish and Ted moved in to beg. This time a younger bear moved closer to see if he too could get some scraps of fish from 747. He slowly moved closer and closer. Ted kept his eyes on the new bear while begging for scraps from 747. Then when the new bear was too close for Ted's comfort Ted ran over and attacked the new bear. The two bears were on their hind legs clawing and biting at each other. Ted's growls had turned into some serious threatening sounds. After a few minutes of fighting the new bear backed down and moved down river. Ted however, went back to 747 and began begging again. It was a sad thing to watch.