Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Fall Fishing - Colorado
The Poudre River, west of Fort Collins has a special place in my heart. I've spent far more days on it than any other river, so in a way, I consider it my home for fly fishing. I was recently back home in Colorado and my dad, brother, my long-time fishing buddy Caleb, and I were able to find the time to meet up on the Poudre for a day.
I'll say first off that we're not talking about the most productive trout water in Colorado to begin with. You have to work pretty hard to just avoid getting shut out on an average day. Add to that, the wind storm that was literally knocking trees over on our drive out, multiple snow flurries, and water freezing in the rod guides. I expected the worst, but in the end, things came together and it turned out to be one of the best fishing days on the Poudre that we've ever had.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wood Bison - British Columbia
This fall I made the move from Alaska back down the the pacific northwest. Ever since making the decision to do so, I began to look forward to taking another trip along the Alaska Highway. There's really nothing like it. The variation in scenery from end to end is nothing short of spectacular. Not to mention all the opportunities for wildlife viewing.
This particular trip will always stand out in my head because of all of the animals that we saw along the way -- moose, caribou, deer, foxes, wolves... But none of the sightings were nearly as impressive as the massive heard of wood bison that we came across in British Columbia. We counted well over 100 in this corridor.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Denali National Park
After my brother's graduation from Colorado State University in December, we started planning a trip for him to come and spend some time in Alaska. I don't get to see him very often, so it's something that I'd looked forward to all year. I wanted to plan a few trips to show him what I love so much about being here.
One obvious choice was Denali National Park. Much like other parts of Alaska, there's an incredible amount of wildlife, spectacular views, and wide open expanses in all directions. Something that's very unique about Denali though, is that aside from a few special permits, cars are not allowed on the only road that takes you in for the majority of the year.
The park entrance is 240 miles north of Anchorage. From there, a single 90-mile dirt road is the only way in or out. The park itself is roughly 6 million acres. A piece of trivia that's always put that in perspective for me is that it's larger than the entire state of Massachusetts. We stopped to pick up a backcountry permit at the Wilderness Access Center, took a required safety course, grabbed our bear canister for food, and hopped a bus for a 3-day backcountry trip.
"Known wolf packs are here... Here... Here... Here..."
This is just one of the wild weather swings that we saw on the trip in. The previous three photos were taken less than 15 minutes apart. Overall, we were very lucky when it came to the weather. The rain was mostly at night and we got to see the mountain, which can be surprisingly uncommon in the summer even where you're as close as we were.
The park is divided into 87 zones. As long as the number of people in each area is low, you can choose pretty much anywhere you want to go. You are restricted to camping in your designated zone, but can wander anywhere you like. One of my favorite things about the park is that you're allowed to camp where you want as long as you are not visible from the road. This makes for an excellent experience as you travel into the park because you only see the landscape and wildlife. After a good hike in, the rain started up again and we decided to set up under a ridge past a series of hills obscuring us from the road. We had lots to dry the next morning.
As we made breakfast we noticed that there was a clear path over the ridge behind us. After climbing over the top we were excited to see that there was a wide open valley below with plenty of room to explore.
There are no trails in Denali. At least not in the way that we tend to hike. It's all up to you to find where to go and how to get there. It can be challenging, but also incredibly freeing.
Still near the top of the hills, we notice a pair of brown bears drinking from the banks of the river below us. If we could make it down the hill fast enough, cross a field, scramble across a small stream tucked in somewhat deep brush, get up onto the next ridge, we thought we'd have a great place to watch them from a safe distance and take some photos. Unfortunately, in the time it took for us get there they had disappeared. Either way, it still made for one of the most fun hikes I've ever done.
Coming back up the ridge offered us the best views of Denali and Foraker. We took a rest and I set up a few shots as the clouds started to come back. Due to rain and efforts to cover ground quickly heading out, I didn't have my camera out for much of the rest of the trip. It was great just to catch up with my brother and enjoy the meals and walks.
... So, where are the animals, right? We actually saw so many on the trip, it became impossible to keep count. Here are just a few that we saw along the way.
As I mentioned, we camped the first night in the rain. It was such a nice surprise to wake up to clear skies and sunshine that I wasn't really even looking around as I crawled out of the tent. I was just soaking in the warmth. As we walked toward where we had decided to make breakfast, my brother noticed a small herd of caribou climbing over the ridge and practically right into our campground. For the next hour, we got to watch them pick their way down the ridge, walk across steep shale slopes, and graze on the green tundra grass. It was an experience I'll never forget.
Polychrome Pass
After taking this trip with my brother, I have many memories. When I think back in a strictly visual sense, I remember Polychrome Pass more than anything else.
Most of the road into the park is relatively flat and takes an easy route through valleys, along hillsides and around peaks. As the road approaches Polychrome, it narrows and rises up into the hills. The views are unreal.
I wanted to share with a post focused on the images and memories I had from the area.
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