SABLE MOUNTAIN/ TATTLER CREEK

This past weekend the sun came out and gave me one of the best backpacking trips I have had in this park. I would like to think it was my own special little birthday present. This section was really stunning. It was easy to gain some really good elevation. The alpha female of the grant creek pack was out on the road. I have seen her several times this summer. She is getting thin. She has seven pups this year and it is showing.

A DAY IN DENALI

Sometimes it's hard to stop for a moment and capture the day to day life here. It is often taken for granted. There are some events here that really make me stop and appreciate. Every year the violet green swallow chicks come out and learn to fly on the same day. Some are hesitant to come out of their nest boxes, like the guy in the picture. They are all fluffy and so cute. The squirrels are continuously carrying around mushrooms twice the size of their bodies. The snowshoe hares still are trying to figure out how to get into the garden. On a rare occasion this summer, the mountain still comes out.

SABLE RIDGE/CATHEDRAL MOUNTAIN

These pictures are from a trip I took a few weeks ago to Sable Ridge. This really is a beautiful spot. My friend Scott likes it so much he went two weekends in a row. I saw the biggest Griz I have ever seen in my life on this hike. It spotted me too. We kept a respectful distance from one another. On the bus we spotted six wolves. None were feeling photogenic.