Was up in Johns Hopkins Inlet last Thursday to scout for candidate climate station sites. Forecast was very poor before and after, but Thursday was the weather window we were looking for, so we jumped on it. I flew over on the air taxi Wednesday afternoon, and we met at the dock at 7 AM. Justin took us up in the Capelin, first dropping us at Topeka to check on one of the existing sea-level sites. The Glacier was active, calving every couple minutes with deep, thunderous cracks. We got picked up and dropped again at Jaw Point, where we climbed up a crack and a snowmelt stream to just over 1000' to scout sites on a bedrock bench. Absoultely spectacular views from up on top... not that it was ugly from the boat... Checked one more sea-level site after that (at Tyeen), then made the run back down to Scidmore Cut where we picked up Tania and Nat who had been checking on the remnants of the humpback whale that washed up there last winter. Tania picked up her three motion and timer cameras that were used to monitor use of the carcass by brown bears, and we made the run back into Bartlett Cove. At least half a dozen humpbacks milling around a the mouth of Gieke Inlet. It was a spectacular rare sunny day sandwiched in between two nasty gales. Flight back on Thursday night had broken clouds and golden skies over Icy Strait and Cross Sound to the west, and plenty of mountain goats in the hills between Lynn Canal and Excursion Inlet.
The approach up Johns Hopkins Inlet, from the cabin of the Capelin
Johns Hopkins Inlet and glacier, with Mt. Horrible and Mt. Wilbur
On the ground at Topeka
On top of Jaw Point at 1060', head of Johns Hopkins in background
The Capelin coming in to pick us up
The approach up Johns Hopkins Inlet, from the cabin of the Capelin
Johns Hopkins Inlet and glacier, with Mt. Horrible and Mt. Wilbur
On the ground at Topeka
On top of Jaw Point at 1060', head of Johns Hopkins in background
The Capelin coming in to pick us up
No comments:
Post a Comment