Pa-tarmigan hunting

     So I have been doing some brief outings during rain-breaks.  Today's was another hunting attempt.  Just so you know, I have a 0% success rate for hunting in AK, so I figure maybe if I go for something almost as populous as salmon, something I see all the time and almost step on, something I can shoot with my own gun, I will be successful. 

     Partly sunny skies + no work = outing.  Despite bouncing off the walls with energy, Chugach Lucy is still recovering from surgery and I didn't think she would handle the gun well so she stayed home.  I headed out to 1 of 2 areas to hunt ptarmigan with a .22, Peters Creek.  After a relaxed hike up and in to Mt Eklutna I saw nothing.  Then I hiked back toward Bear mountain.  Nothing.  I didn't see any wildlife except for 1 magpie.  I did feel pretty BA hiking around with a gun though and I was really tempted just to unload a clip at something. 

     Despite my hunting un-success, the hike was amazing.  On the way up a came across a high pass from which a spring sprung.  Had I been thirsty or low on H2O I would have enjoyed it even more.  The colors on the mountainsides were perfect and the caribou moss was as thick as snow on some of the peaks.  The smell of the start of fall was in the air and the cool blues/grays could be seen on the periphery of the horizon.  Termination dust on the high peaks could be seen out by Hatcher Pass and deeper in the Chugach.  There was also a hint of the still, peaceful cold that I associate with fall. 

     I think this is prime hiking season: colors are great, temperature cools so I don't burn up on the ascents, berries are ripe for the picking and my winter stoke is rising.  After walking around that whole area I sat down and ate some blueberries and cranberries, figuring I might as well be productive in another way.  This is a hot spot for blueberries: the largest and most ripe I have seen all season, particularly on the southern slopes.  They are dense like grape clusters.  I snacked on those for awhile then headed down.  I will try the other site next time but want to practice quickly field dressing so I can do some ski-hunting this winter/spring when more areas back in the valleys are more accessible. 

 

    

 

 

 

    

rain-break hike to ptarmigan pass

     So I am mostly anti-rain and haven't been out for anything long recently.  Yesterday I had the opportunity during the spontaneous multi-hour rain-break to get something in.  I had been wanting to get out to ptarmigan tarn or green lake for some time.  I elected to go for ptarmigan tarn and then ridgewalk peak 4/3/2/flattop back to Glen Alps to keep my legs in shape with some vertical and hopefully good views.  Chugach Lucy just had surgery due to a wad of grass causing a stomach obstruction so she was resting at home. 
     I decided to jog out powerline trail past the bridge to hidden lake, more of a fast-forward to solitude as it is a common turn-around for the masses.  Then I started up the gully to to tarn.  The colors are starting to change with the vibrant reds being most abundant.  The valley bottoms remain a lush green.  Though the pass is relatively low there isn't much climbing before one is afforded views of the valley and surrounding peaks.  Fortunately the clouds were higher and it wasn't raining.
     I noticed that this time the tarn was two-tone, a portion was the typical blue-green and a small somewhat isolated pocket was green which I thought was interesting given it was all connected and had similar depths.  After spending some time at the tarn I decided to take the ridgeline back rather than descend to a heavier-worn path.  On the ascent I stopped for a dense patch of blueberries and also noticed the cranberries were ripe.  A perfect mid-hike snack.  The views of the valley below were the perfect landscape and I found myself thinking of skiing already.
     The clouds were amazing to watch, see the video below to see what I mean.  They came and went on the south side of the ridge but it was clear on the north.  With them they brought a calm and moist mysteriousness like something out of a movie, completely disorienting, shrinking the world to the size of what was visible.  Then with a quick jump to the ridgeline or shift in winds everything would open up like it was a whole new place. 
     Though I didn't see any big game I did see 2 eagles fly rather close over me, walked with some ptarmigan for awhile and had a stare-down with a ground squirrel in the mist.  I would think that the ptarmigan would be more skiddish and the ground squirrel more bold, but they seem to be the opposite of that.  I have never been closer than about 15 yards to a ground squirrel but almost step on ptarmigan all the time.
     I hope the precipitation lets up or turns to snow.