Back to September |
A Fat Old lady Takes Up Climbing |
|
| Oct 10 Since our early first snowfall, temperatures have warmed up and are frequently above freezing. Much of the snow cover in the city disappeared after a few days, and even the mountains have lost much of the white blanket. We've seen mostly rain and clouds since then. Some of the autumn colors remain. We went out for a brief hike in the Falls Creek area, along Turnagain Arm. There are numerous trails that go straight up the mountains on the east side of the Seward Highway. These are scenes from the Falls Creek Trail, lower end only, less than a mile in. There are big versions of Autumn Leaves and Falls Creek at these links. Here's a dramatic view of the Chugach range, taken the same day, closer to the city. |
|
| While driving back into the city, I noticed some large white birds at a distance, in a wetlands called Potter Marsh. When I heard their call, I was sure they were Trumpeter Swans, uncommon migrants through our area. They were far away, and all these photos are heavily cropped. |
Four young Trumpeter Swans |
| Oct 17 It's been a hard autumn with one cold or sore throat after another. But the sun was shining for once. Although the lower slopes of the Chugach range were shrouded, I could see Flattop's summit. Although I was a bit under the weather still, I felt well enough to try the trail. Because of the clouds gathered around the mountains, we started out in heavy fog. Once we ascended above the cloud cover, the view was magical. We walked around the top to see all the views. While we were there, the clouds moved out, and it was clear when we decended. |
|
The foggy trail, on the way up |
| Back to September 2004 |
