With the 16" on new snow, Bryan had to do the routine of unpacking the toboggan and carrying up the supplies up the steep hills and then going back and dragging up the toboggan. Our friend Gary has emailed us a few products to look for. Zardoz Not Wax, Dupont Snow and Ice Teflon Spray and Dupont Teflon Snow and Ice Repellant.
Bryan got to within 1/2 km of Wayde's old cabin on the Sutlahine. On the way back at Swamp 11 an Otter had come out of a tiny creek, checked out where he was and then went back into the small channel.
Back at Base camp he told Vikki of a really neat experience. He said he wished he'd had a helmet cam on.
Between Swamp 5 and 6 in the Narrows, a Northern Goshawk or a male Northern Harrier (it was bright silver with 2 ' wing span) was winging with a Rough Grouse 15 in it's talons 15 feet in front of him. There were Grouse feathers drifting down on to the trail. It lasted about 7 to 8 seconds before it disappeared down the trail infront of him and off to the left. All four wings were beating frantically. It was a flailing action on both parts. The hawk must have nailed the Grouse just a second or two before.
We have a Weasel check out under our cabins regularly... so it is helping keep the mice down and so we give it a little help. It tried to pull the meat under but it couldn't. So it just comes back and works away on it. Even out on the bird feeder we have a marten body that the chickadees like to work.
On the walk out in the woods Vikki came across 4 Grouse. They flew up into the trees but would later rejoin their group. Wolves catch them quite often. You'll see the Wolve tracks 20 feet apart hunting.
-1 Cel.
Down on the Inklin Bryan saw lots of Moose tracks, then out on a 40 acre islandie sandbar was a big Bull. As Bryan took the picture he noticed the area was all torn up. He'd interrupted a fight. There, about 30 feet off was another Bull Moose. Bull Moose aren't just in the rot on Sept 20.... it last until they drop their horns in mid Jan or Feb. One layer of cells around the horn goes soft and the horns drop off. Usually within 5 to 15' of each other. Then they turn into more of a steer.
The other bull.
Just before the Inklin Line Cabin Bryan looked back and the toboggan was floating. 1' of water in 2' of snow. He got off "Miss Piggy", the Scandic 800 SWT, unhooked the toboggan, shoveled the snow out from in front of "Miss Piggy", drove out. Got a 20' rope and pulled the toboggan free. If Vikki had been following on her Tundra 300 she would have been really stuck.
Bryan hung up the 5 Marten and squirrel to thaw. Ishi stood guard occasionally looking back at Bryan.... saying "Well!!!!!"
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| An American Dipper |
