Miscellany...

I am attempting to post at least once a week so here is a quick post with some random shots that I have taken since being in Alaska. 

Berries seem to be everywhere and we have spent quite a few hours picking them.  I have officially become a canner (if such a word exists) and made a batch of blueberry jam.  Cathy also made salmonberry jam which was quite delicious.  Raspberries are next.

This is from a hike to Herbert Glacier. This small inland lake along the way was very calm providing a serene moment.

The racemes on the Devil's club are starting to fruit providing a great contrast to the green that pervades the rest of the forest.  This bristly plant is used locally for medicinal purposes as well as a food source for deer.

This set of brown bear tracks was from the last set of surveys we did on Admiralty Island.  There was a sow with two cubs and a separate single boar hanging around the area we surveyed.  We did not get to see them but saw plenty of sign, noticeably more than the June surveys.  I am guessing these were tracks from the single boar since I did not find any smaller tracks nearby.  As much as I am appreciative that we did not bump into a brown bear while scurrying through dense game trails, there is a part of me that is disappointed I have yet to see a brown bear.  There is still time however.  Not surprisingly, we finished the surveys without seeing a goshawk or any indication that they have recently used the area. 

I thought I would end with another picture of the very photogenic seal from Tracy Arm in a very posed moment - picture number two of sixty-nine.