June 30 - Cecret Lake (Little Cottonwood Canyon)

Back to UT hiking today. Just doing a short hike up to Cecret Lake. It will be even shorter if the Albion Basin summer road is open but that usually doesn't happen until July 1 (sometimes later depending on when the snow melt).

Cloudy morning in the mid-70s when I leave at 8:30am.

There's not much snow left in the mountains now - just a little here and there.

I get to the end of the road in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The summer road into the Albion Basin is still closed; opens July 11, the latest I've seen in 4 summers. Lots of equipment on the road getting it ready.

So I into the Albion Grill parking and walk up through the upper meadows to the actual Cecret Lake trail - about 2 miles (1500ft) one way.

Lots of birds chirping this morning but I only see the robins.

The summer flower peak bloom is a week or two away as only the bluebells are in full bloom. The Paintbrush, Cinquefoil and Geraniums are just starting.

I find some Shooting Star blooming in a very wet area.

I make it thru the trees and into the big meadow. Lots of green and lots of buds ahead. And the first peeks of Devil's Castle ahead.

Soon there's a split in the trail - gravel or dirt. I take the dirt trail on the way up. I'm looking for moose and twice I think I might see one but they end up just being humans.

After passing a couple of ski lifts, the trail heads back into the woods and follows a beautiful looking and sounding stream.

The White Columbine are blooming here.

I see Marsh Marigolds here.

I finally get to the trail that will take me to Cecret Lake. The sun is poking out now (yea!).

I see some buttercups blooming both large

and small.

There are some few small creek crossings but large rocks lead easily across.

The views of Devil's Castle are getting better with every step.

I'm at the final stretch to the lake up thru the rocks.

I come around there final corner and there's Cecret Lake with Sugarloaf Mt watching over.

Surprised to see only 2 other people here. But that's fine with me.

Great views this morning.

I walk around the lake to the other side.

I see some of the Tiger Salamander larvae in the water - they look like fish with legs

I spend a little time on the other side and debate about going higher above the lake but the clouds are rolling back in (there's an 80% of mountain storms this afternoon).

I decide to head back down.

With the still sun out, I keep a lookout for butterflies. I see one Two-banded Checkered Skipper on the rocks coming down from the lake.

Back in the green lush vegetation, I see a Silvery Blue nectaring on Forget Me Knots.

And a White (unknown species) even further down.

I take the gravel trail back down instead of the dirt path to change things up. There seems to be more plants in bloom on this trail. Still mostly bluebells but the Tall White Jacob's ladder is a close second.

There are also Forget Me Knots, Paintbrush as I continue my way down.

At the end I look back and see the dark clouds over the trail. Good timing on my part.

Great hike!

June 18 - Alaska 2016 - Day One Seward Hwy

Arrived in Anchorage around 11am local time last night. This is Day 1 of an almost 2 weeks trip. The first 4 days are on my own - 2 days in Anchorage and 2 in Fairbanks - and the next 8 are the official Nature Trip.

The current weather forecast is not favorable but today is at least supposed to be partly cloudy so at 7am I pick up my rental car.

First stop on Seward Hwy is Potter Marsh. The marsh sits right off the highway and is at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. The marsh was created in 1917 when the embankment for the railroad was constructed blocking tidal flow from the Turnagain Arm (which the Seward Hwy is following at this point).

I'm there by 8:30am. There are two large boardwalks providing perpendicular views of the marsh. Not many people here yet but there are a few. Definitely partly cloudy but the wind is very strong.

Time to look for some birds (and hopefully, mammals).

I head out on the one boardwalk - wonderful views!

I see some Canadian Geese, Yellowlegs

Arctic Terns

and some ducks huddled up.

The swallows are flying everywhere. I'm actually quite fascinated with the one Swallow; he's preening.

There are large tracks in the mud -- not sure if they're moose or bear.

But unfortunately, I see no moose or bears.

I move to the other boardwalk paralleling the hwy.

This side is a bit different in vegetation and there are flowers on this side - just past bloom Iris and some yellow flowers.

In the muddy areas, there are lots of bird tracks.

I find 4 adult geese and 3 goslings. The babies are still fluffy and are chowing down.

Great stop but time to continue moving. I will be stopping at the marsh again on my way back to Anchorage.

The Turnagain Arm has one of the largest tides in the US - up to 40ft.  At low tide, the mud flats are visible.

The tide is currently in (high tide) on the Arm. And boy is the wind is blowing it into some nice waves.

Not much further down the road is a pull-off for Potter Creek. I take the 0.4 mile Interpretive Trail (singing songs to keep the bear away). I am hoping for a nice view at the end or along the way. Lots of Cow Parsnip in bloom along the trail.

At one point, a raven in the woods starts making a lot of noise and I wonder if its trying to warn me of a bear but I continue (w/ fingers crossed).

I make it to the end but there are no views of the Arm that aren't blocked by trees. :(
Oh well, I survived the hike!

I continue down the hwy checking out almost every pull-off along the way.

I miss the McHugh Creek Picnic Area but I'll catch that on the way back.

I stop at Bird Creek and get lucky enough to follow 3 other folks thru the woods and to the river. A little mucky along the river but worth it.

Next stop is Bird Point; these one is my favorite stop as it has raised boardwalks.

And it has more information about the belugas that can be seen in the Arm.

According to the information, there are 5 different populations of Beluga in Alaska. The ones here in Cook's Inlet (Turnagain Arm) are genetically distinct and are endangered.

Again, no belugas to be seen other than the ones in the parking lot.

Before coming into the town of Girdwood, there's the Tide Water Slough - love it!

But the history is sad as the slough and the dead trees sit on the old site of Girdwood before the big 1964 earthquake. The city, from my understanding was destroyed by the earthquake and tidal surge. The trees were killed by the inflow of salt water.

The city was rebuilt a short distance away.

I bypass Girdwood and head to the Portage Glacier area.

I finally turn off the Seward Hwy and head down the Portage Glacier Rd. It's drizzling now and I stop at the first pullout. The water is a milky blue from the glaciers.

While here, I find a couple of cool plants - wintergreen

And this parasitic plant that I can't remember it's name.

Along the road to the boat dock, I see another glacier (Byron Glacier) in the distance and after looking for the trail head in the wrong place, I do find it and head off in the drizzle.

Lots of vegetation along this trail but there are lots of folks walking. The entire way, the trail parallels a stream flowing from the glacier.

When I'm finally out of the trees - Wow!

After the hike, I head to the Visitors Center for a view of the Portage Glacier. (So hard to take a picture with the rain and the wind blowing me around.)

Hey I almost missed the iceberg!

Well that's my end point for today. Time to head back towards Anchorage.

On the way back, there's no use looking for belugas again because the tide is out and there's no water; just mud flats. Pretty amazing to see the before and after.

I make a stop at the Falls Creek Trail. There's a nice waterfall that can be seen from the road. The trail follows the creek up a little hill. I'm not sure how far the trail goes so I follow for only 10 minutes before turning back.

I make another stop a McHugh Creek Falls. Man, is it really blowing a gale!! I found out first hand how high and far a baseball cap can fly! (I did get it back.)

Again, not doing my homework and knowing how far the trail goes, I decide not to follow it. But head back to the hwy. Oops, how did I miss this waterfall on the way in?!

I stop again at Potter Creek by accident (I was thinking Potter Marsh - which is the next stop). But it's a good mistake as I see a Bald Eagle flying in the small opening by the parking lot.

I also see my 1st butterfly of the trip - a species of Tiger Swallowtail but he blows away.

I finally make my last stop at Potter Marsh. The sun is here so I'm hoping to see a butterfly or dragonfly. I don't have my hopes up because they are probably hunkered down out of the wind.

Not many birds around, even the swallows have grounded themselves.

I'm checking the wet/muddy areas along the boardwalk and I do find a Tiger Swallowtail (yea!) - a Canadian Swallowtail. (I've seen this species in Wisconsin.) I do get a good look because unfortunately, this guy is floating in the water most likely a victim of the wind.

At the end of the one boardwalk, a lady points out a Bald Eagle's nest in the distance. She said Mom and Dad were flying a bout. (I think I saw one of the a couple of miles away at Potter Creek.) I think I may see one of the chicks - a black form on the nest - but am not sure.

I do see a couple of dragonflies around the parking lot (out of the wind).

An awesome first day but no bear or moose. Maybe tonight I'll get lucky as I'm taking a sunset photo trip starting at 8:45pm and ending around 1am.

But before the Photo Trip, and after dinner, I head out to Earthquake Park. Not looking to walk the whole park, just a portion along the shore.

The park is in memory of the Good Friday 1964 9.2 earthquake. This area was once a neighborhood that either fell into the Arm or into the earth during the quake. From the looks of things, the debris was cleaned up and left for mother earth to take care of and she reforested it. And the land did drop - it's very noticeable from the road how the edge of the forest is road level and but the rest of the forest is further below.

I park and I head towards the memorial which overlooks the Arm.

By the memorial, there's a little path that heads down a steep hill (left from the earthquake) down to the mudflats. A sign warns of the potential danger on the mudflats but when I get down there, it's dry. Another group is already down there so I walk out with them.

There's a great view of Anchorage on the flats.

One guy spots 3 Sandhill Cranes with a Gulls in the distance - very exciting. They are feeding.

Standing on the flat, I watch float planes are flying over head on their landing approach. The big commercial jets are also flying over head.

I head back up and decide to walk the Earthquake Interpretive trail. I'm hesitant as its on a dirt path and through the woods. But when 2 guys head that way, I follow. The trail is marked well with arrow signage and interpretive panels.

The guys take off a different direction but I still follow along the trail. Beautiful woods -mostly aspen; the ground is covered in ferns and there are black ponds everywhere.

A very up and down trail due to the various effects of the earthquake.

I think I got to panel 7 or 8 when there is a split in the trail and then no signage. Since the trail is thru the woods, going thru what looks like a meadow makes no sense so I continue thru the woods. But I still can't find any signs. There are some footbridges and a little camp but then the trail splits again. Shoot! It's time to back track - and I retrace my steps as fast as I could as I'm a bit freaked (definitely not the excitement I was looking forward to tonight). I make it back safely and head back to the hotel to wait for my final activity, the sunset photo trek.

As it's a sunset tour, it's a late one, starting at 8:45pm. Unfortunately, the clouds for tomorrows rain have moved in so there is no sun in "sunset" tonight. But the trip still runs rain or sun (and in this case lack of sun and strong winds). The tour is more of a "learn how to use your camera to get the best shots" - which I can definitely use as I shoot in auto mode all of the time.

First stop was McHugh Creek along the Seward Hwy. I was here earlier in the day but I never took the first portion of the trail. And that was good since it was all new to me now. Nice flowing creek and waterfall in the woods.

Next stop is Potter Marsh (3rd time for me today). This time we stop along the highway to see the Arctic Terns and attempt a flying photo. I didn't have a lot of success on this one. But they were fun to watch.

The highlight is seeing a muskrat. He's in the water swimming and then stops near we are standing to gather vegetation, Vegetation in mouth, he resumes swimming making a few additional stops for more vegetation. He's has quite the meal for tonight.

Last stop is up at the Flattop Mt trail head.

It seems even windier up here and it's cold. The stop is to photograph flowers that are blowing in the wind. My attempt is short-lived - too cold out.

In a last ditch attempt to see moose, the guide takes us to several "hotspots" including back to Earthquake Park but NO moose.

But we do sit at the end of the runway watching several of the commercial airplanes come in. :)
And we get a tour of all the float planes at Lake Hood.

Awesome day!!

June 16 - Mormon Pioneer Trail

Got off work a little early today so decided to head up towards Park City and check the butterflies on the Mormon Pioneer Trail. It's been a few weeks since I've been there so it's definitely time.

Sunny day and since the cold front blew in last night, temps there should be upper 60s/low 70s perfect for an afternoon hike.

The lupines, daisies, yarrow are blooming now as are the Geraniums.

The creek is all dry at this point at the lower end. I expect I will find wet sections further up but no flowing water.

Lots of green everywhere in the forested areas.

I'm hoping to see the Relict Fritillary today. They usually fly at the beginning of June so it should be out.

The first mile is extremely slow going because there many butterflies to stop for. This list is long but includes;
Field Crescents, Northern Crescents, Northern Checkerspots, Boisduval's Blue

Dotted Blue (always fun to see)

Garita Skipperlings

Common Checkered Skippers, Common Ringlets

just to name a few.

And it's truly summer as the Weidenmeyer's Admirals are flying!

I'm seeing many, many Two-tailed Swallowtail and Western Swallowtails; both cruising up and down the valley. I get a good look at a Western at the end of my day.

The dragonflies are also out; the first one I see is a Darner flying along the dry creek before the camp.

I finally make camp and I circle the pond. Many dragonflies out.

As I round the one corner of the pond, I see a mated pair of Purplish Coppers. They are being harassed by another jealous male. Eventually, he gives up and flies away.

Since it's taken me almost an hour to get to the camp, I decide to only continue to the 2 mile mark and then turn back.

After the pond, I finally start seeing Relict Frits (yea!). I count 15 today!

There are also Mourning Cloaks and a Satyr Comma out.

I stop behind the old beaver dam; it's a nice muddy area. And it's a butterfly bonanza!!

Mustard Whites, Northern Crescents,

Northern Checkerspots, Western Tailed Blues, Boisduval's Blue, Field Crescents (and more) are enjoying the nutrients from the mud!

I also see the Crescent butterfly - kinda looks like a cross between a Field Crescent and Northern Crescent.

(I've seen photos of the Tawny Crescent that looks, in some cases, like this one.) But then I've seen a Field and Northern Crescent by each other today -- don't know if they'd interbreed.

After further consultation, I was trying to make the butterfly into something it isn't - just a Field Crescent; this one just looks different to me.

Will have to research this guy.

After spending way too much time looking at the mud, I finally continue up the trail. I find a couple more muddy areas, they aren't as good as the first but still yield many butterflies.

I hit the 2 mile mark and continue back.

On the way back, I add a Sara Orangetip to the list.

Awesome butterfly day! Twenty-four in total!