February | 2022 | Journeys on a Trawler

We’re in that ugly phase of Winter, when the landscape is just rather dreary and we’re waiting not-so-patiently for Spring. There just hasn’t been that much to photograph – the trails are soggy and boggy, wooden boardwalks are wet and slippery, and we either want the kind of snow we can go play in, or we want flowers to burst forth. I got so far behind on editing photos from the Summer, that I’ve decided to relive a bit of it and share some scenes from August.

Ice from the Sawyer Glaciers at the head of Tracy Arm tends to be intensely blue… sometimes it’s the only real color on a monochrome, overcast day. The tide moves these big icebergs around, and if they’re lucky they will escape through the narrow cut between the shallow bars are the entrance to the Arm and float around in the passages, like this one.

We had to hide in an anchorage for a week while nasty storms blew, waiting for a break so we could head up to Pack Creek to see bears. Yes, more bears. There will never be enough bears for me. Good thing Jim enjoys them too!

The fishing was slowing down as the season progressed, but a few bears were still out in the creek as the incoming tide brought more fish up the creek.

Standing gives a better angle of view, helping to spot those tasty salmon!

This pair of second year cubs decided it was easier to try and steal someone else’s fish than chase after their own. At this point in their lives they should be less dependent, but these two were quite the opportunists.

Although the fishing action was pretty far from us, the deer strolling by were almost close enough to touch.

Anywhere there are fish (pretty much everywhere!) there will be eagles, like this young one…

…and this kingfisher that hung out on the bow rails of the boat for a while. I love their beautiful coloring and expressive, spiky head feathers.

Once again, the Blog has been neglected – we get busy, and there hasn’t been as much to photograph for a while. I’ve started receiving emails from friends asking for “proof of life” since the Blog appeared to be dormant. Rest assured, we are well… just a little overwhelmed by a long stretch of difficult weather.

First, it started snowing just after Thanksgiving, and it didn’t stop until about mid-January. The snow piles got pretty big… and we were pretty exhausted.

We had single digit temperatures for weeks – which is very unusual for here. The snow was so deep and so light and fluffy that my attempts to snow shoe were a little scary – it wouldn’t have mattered how big the shoes were. I stuck to some packed areas where snowmobiles had been running. Still, the view of the Coastal Mountains and Frederick Sound are worth it, and nothing makes me happier than being outside.

The super cold temperatures gave us some pretty frost formations – everywhere I turned there was something different.

For about six weeks, we moved snow around every single day – which left little time to get out and photograph. When the snow finally stopped, it warmed up to almost 40 degrees F and started to rain, creating a thick layer of ice underneath everything. After a few weeks of that, the snow piles are shrinking, a few optimistic plants think that Spring may be in the offing, and we can finally venture out on foot without fear of slipping on the ice. Winter isn’t over yet, but we’re long overdue for a break from the worst of it and it’s good to be outside without a shovel in hand.

People wonder why we want to live here, and this Winter has certainly been less fun than usual, but it is so breathtakingly beautiful… we can’t resist!