The Cloud Wolves of Kaska Coast

  

 

Click on any photo to enlarge it. I have taken all the photos in my blog.

 Hello again! Are you warm? Because I've just returned from a trip to Kaska Coast of the Hudson Bay in Canada, and boy was it freezing! "What did you do there?" you may ask. I was on a wild wolf "safari" in a place so remote that you take a little plane that lands at the short airstrip in front of a lodge, and apart from the staff and other visitors, there's not a living soul anywhere close. Well, not a living human soul - That area of sub-arctic Canada is bustling with moose, caribou, owls and other birds, foxes, polar bears, and of course - wolves! (After all, can't go on a wolf safari if there are no wolves.)

During the winter, the polar bears are out on the frozen sea, so wolves are the king predator of the area. So all you need to do is dress warm and go look for them. And boy - it is cold out there in the winter!

See what I mean? Yes, that is me, thank you.

The wolves in that area are not hunted, and they see so few people each year that they are not afraid of humans. And contrary to common legends - no, they are not out to kill humans. Quite amazing how the animals from whom came all the beloved dogs we're so attached to, are portrayed in stories and legends as those mean, vicious animals. Does this little cutie look harmful to you? (Spoiler alert: wolves are among the most efficient predators on earth)

In, fact, while humans are not allowed to actively get closer than 100 meters to a pack of wolves, the wolves of Kaska Coast would often just get closer to you, curious and trying to figure you out. And it's not that they sit there waiting for you; it's a game of tracking them and then hoping to see them. You want 100% chance of sighting? Go on a giraffe safari in Africa.

Wolves live in packs, and a pack is a family: mom, dad, and their kids. One or two new kids are born each year, and every so often one of the kids will leave the pack, and go look for another loner to start their own family. A pack has a territory that's often about 200 square miles or more, which it protects and controls and doesn't let other packs enter. They live in that territory, hunt there, and hang out. They often stay together, and look like a bunch of dogs playing in the park.

 

Fun fact: when the wolves roam their territory, they just run and run.  When a wolf needs to pee, they would just do that mid run, on the path, and they would pee like female dogs do - on all four, sitting low. Except, that is, for mom and dad - they would pee outside the path, usually on a tree or bush, and do it both like male dogs (one leg up) so they can pee higher up. Hey - it's their job to mark the territory of the pack and make sure the scent stays longer!

Wolves are very intelligent, have strong social and emotional instincts, and if you look close into a wolf's eyes - some people swear they see wisdom in them.

 

A wolf pack is also one of the most efficient hunting and killing machines. They could chase a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) moose, running at 30 miles/hour, for three days and nights until the moose can no longer run, and then get it. Each wolf would then eat close to 50 pounds (25 kg). Also important to remember: like most land predators, wolves will almost always go for the weak and slow, in a way contributing to healthy evolution. This is as opposed to human hunters, who go for the biggest and strongest prey because hey - they're heroes with a rifle! 

 

But listen to this: mom and dad would wave all the kids away, except for the most recently born. Then those young ones would eat, and following them - the parents, and only then would they let the older kids come and eat. Reminds me of the families I know! 

 

I don't know about you, but after I eat 50 pounds of moose meat, all I want to do is go to sleep for three days and just hang out with my family. Turns out - so do wolves!

 

Yes, the pack would spend the time sleeping, hanging out, playing, and sleeping again. They don't seem to care if it's snowing hard!

But then they also get some of those nights where you just want to lie on your back and look at the sky:

Special thanks to Churchill Wild who hosted this tour! And don't forget to browse the other posts in my blog.

Winter Is Settling In

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So, winter is finally arriving in various places. (Not where I'm at right now!) Camping season has largely ended and hiking season assumes, well, a different shape.

Alaskan winters are very harsh, especially inland. But early enough (or late enough) in the season you can get a sense of what it's like to spend the winter there. 

They all are trying to catch a bit more to eat before it's all covered in snow. From elk to the Grizzly bears.

Only some seem to be really happy, pointing with pride at their newly minted winter home!

Further to the south and east, at Glacier National Park, winter is as notable and felt, with the combination of lakes and mountains very striking in early winter.

Still, it seems as if Mother Nature likes hikers so much, she keeps the trails open!

This way, with snow beginning its long hold over the country, everyone seems to be content with it - from mammals, 

to me!

Read my post Black (and White) Magic In The Arctic

Who Can Tell Where's The Trail?

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Yes - Some trails, even in the wild, and even after a snow storm, are very visible. And almost always, what you see in the end is worth the hike!

But sometimes the trails aren't that easy to spot. So in this post, we'll see who can tell where's the trail. I hiked these trails a couple of months ago at Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana. 

Take this one for example:

That one was easy, wasn't it? And certainly worth the 7 mile walk (one way) to get this view:

So how about this one?

Easy to spot - Scary to walk! 

Not until you reach the next one:

That one wasn't actually too scary to hike so long as you didn't look to your left hand side! (And made an effort not to slip)

But gain - Worth the hike when you reach your destination.

Now that we've sharpened our eyes and minds - a few more elusive trails. Can you spot them?

It may sound strange, but it's actually nice to hike these trails in the snow.

Sometimes, though, you can spot a trail even before you start it - 

Oh yeah - This is serious stuff. Better take some bear spray with you hiking Glacier Nat'l Park!

And on occasion, it's not the beginning of the trail, neither the destination that matters, it's the surprise awaiting you somewhere there, along it.

Read my post The Beauty In The Beast for other cool pictures and stories!

Ooh I Miss The Alaskan Spring

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God it's hot! But I found a solution for that! I spend most of my days sitting in an ice bath, looking at pictures of Alaskan spring on my tablet. Try it - It works!

Ready? Are y'all in the bathtub? In this post, we'll look at some wildlife pictures from my last trip to Denali Nat'l Park in May. Spring is a great time to visit Alaska in general and Denali in particular, especially if you hate people and love wildlife - You see very few of those and lots of these!

Take these Caribou for example - They've just emerged from a harsh winter and are so happy to be grazing again:

Let me absorb the view of the snow for one more second.

The Alaskan Ptarmigan spends the winter with its feathers completely white. It's cold, there's no romance in the air, and so the top priority is hiding from predators. But come spring, it's mating time baby, and so the Ptarmigan grows a set of very nice covers. I'll let you decide who's the male and who's the female here.

(Hint: in terms of dressing up, humans are different from most other animals)

Watching a Grizzly bear walking the valley not far from you is always a powerful picture. And when there's still some snow on the ground, somehow that adds to the sense of the environment which is home for the Grizzly.

Ever heard of Dall Sheep? These are unique to Alaska,  and in particular to Denali. In fact, that national park was originally created to protect the Dall Sheep! Like mountain goats, they like the steepest slopes where they're protected and enjoy a great view:

Like Dall sheep, I like the steepest slopes where I'm completely unprotected, but enjoy a great view.

Sure - Smile at that. See you putting your camera on a rock, running up a snowy path, turning around and even trying to smile - All these within less than ten seconds, and for what - a selfie???

Read my post Alaska - A Summer Vacation for Ordinary People

Sprintgtime In Denali Park, Alaska

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I say "springtime", you think "blue sky and some snowy mountains."

Well, that's part of the picture. It's hard to believe it's already a month since I visited Denali National Park during the "shoulder season" of Spring. It's harder to believe how different that was from my previous trips there, mostly done in Summer and Fall.

As I wrote in my last post Put Your Head On My Shoulder Season, this post will be short on words (well, at least considering my tendency to expand on the words side of things), and long on photos. 

Denali is a huge park, with one 92 mile-long road that is typically open only for Park Service shuttles, but during the early Spring, when the shuttles aren't running, you can drive your own car for about 30 miles. And of course - There are hardly any people in the park or on the road, and it's basically you and nature much of the time. Add to it the tendency of snow to fall when it's cold, and you get views like these:

 












Denali is waking up! While well equipped to deal with the harsh winter, when temperatures easily drop to -40, everyone is happy when it's warm (30F/-1C) and there's again some green on the ground. Look at one happy bunny, which has just turned from its white coat to its summery attire:

Did you know that in Denali, the bunny community has a cycle of 11 years? And that this cycle is a great example of food chains? This is how it works: the Snowshoe Hare (the official name of this cute bunny) thrives on  the leaves of the willow trees. They eat tons of them! The problem is - the caribou (pictured above), also use the willow tree leaves as their major source of food. So tens of thousands of bunnies eat the willow, and leave little to the caribou who in tern dwindle in population because of poor diet. 

But - The caribou is the main source of food for the wolf. So the wolves get hungry - and turn to eating the bunnies instead. Then there are fewer bunnies, more willow trees for the caribou, a greater number of caribou and the bunny population recovers because the wolves are not interested in them anymore. And this whole cycle takes 11 years.

Doesn't seem this guy cares about that, though!

 
















Yeah, the ground squirrel is more concerned about a Grizzly bear chasing it for fun and digging it out of its hole in the ground.

Speaking of bears, springtime is also a great season to hike if you don't mind some snow. In return, you get great views, crystal-clear air, and some slippery slopes.

I mean it when I say "slippery slopes!" Can you imagine how hard it is to place your camera on a rock, push the timer button, run fast but carefully on the snow and ice, turn around, and smile, and all in ten seconds? Ha.

The good thing about hiking is that you can see some tame wildlife not too far!

Oh, sorry! did I say "tame"? I meant the Doll Sheep, of course!

So as you see, springtime is fun in Alaska, and you can literally enjoy the best of both words, snow and sun!

Read my post Eye To Eye for more nice pictures

Put Your Head On My Shoulder Season

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So, I decided to travel to Alaska in mid May, right during the shoulder season. Yes, this is how the National Park Service Calls it! It turns out that Spring is indeed a wonderful time to travel there, especially in Denali where snow and sun (Yes, I know most you you prefer sea and sun) alternate. The trip was very special, and I developed some interesting observations there.

This post will be short on photos and long on wisdom. I do know that's why many of you come here to read my blog anyway. I'll get the wisdom out of my system and then we can focus on some very nice photos and stories.

So here it is:

1. It never gets dark in Alaska. They tell you the sun sets at 11:30 and rises again at 4, but I did not see any proof of that and to me it didn't look dark even for one minute. And it's only mid May!

2. The sound of rain does not make you calm and doesn't help you fall asleep. In fact, I can't understand why people spend 20 bucks on a rain-sound CD, or $100 on a machine that makes the sound of rain, when they can spend $3,000 and listen to rain pouring on their tent all night long in Alaska.

3. When your sleeping bag is rated "20 Fahrenheit", it means that's how you feel inside it.

4. Two ground squirrels just outside your tent sound like a Grizzly bear.

 

5. You don't have to serve in the submarine corps to sleep on a 49cm-wide mattress. In fact, you can walk into any REI store and get one.

6. It's very easy to read THE NORTH FACE backwards on the inside wall of your tent after staring at it all night long.

7. A fantasy for hot chocolate can be very daunting.

8. It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey to it. (Now these are words of wisdom!)

OK. Now that I got that out of my system, my next post will include some of the nicer aspects of Alaska during Spring, so stay tuned. Want a hint? Here:

In the meanwhile, read my previous post Highest or Tallest?