MOUNTAIN GOATS IN CANYON BEHIND CABIN

THESE THREE MOUNTAINS GOATS HAVE BEEN HERE ALL WINTER.  THEY WERE CLOSER TO THE BIG LODGE BUT BECAUSE OF THE WOLVES HERE NOW THEY HAVE MOVED OVER TO THE STEEP CANYON.  THEY SLEEP UP ON THE BENCH WITH THE LITTLE TREES ON IT. 

Mountain Goats and Muskrat Pushups

 This is the first winter in 6 years that Mountain Goats are wintering right behind our base cabin.  To the far top right you can see the heavily snow worked area...   That is the first thing we saw and then we started to look for the Goats.  Come down the picture to the tall single tree at bottom left of center.  They are right behind it.  We saw three but there might be more.

In the above picture there are six Mushrat pushups.  They find warm air holes and make pack them with lake weeds.  If you go in the top and put your hand down there is a big room down there for eating above the water line.

Marten Season

This Marten was got in a 160.  It is also a good Wolverine set for us.

Bryan couldn't understand why this Marten didn't fall out and swing away...  the Marten had it's teeth in the wire mesh.

 We store the Wolverine boxes up on small trees.  The Bears can swing them round and round without destroying them.  Below are Mountain Goat tracks.  They cross here at this low elevation on their way to higher ground.

Harvest Time, Trumpetors and Mountain Goat

 Bryan's been gone now for another 4 days.  He's pushing the trail while he can.  -13 Celsius last night.  The ice is starting to form around the shore and in the narrows.  10 days earlier than last year. 

 These three Trumpeter Swans landed on their trip down south.  Also Vikki saw a Mountain Goat just behind the cabin on the hill.

Steaming Turnip Greens for Canning.

 We plant a big garden in late May and then leave it on it's own with no watering, no extra care.  It is always amazing the good things that are there waiting for us when we get back here in the fall.  This year we harvested over 450 lbs of Yukon Gold, Russets, and  Prospector's Pride Potatoes,  150 lbs of Carrots, 3 lbs of Beets (failure) but lots of Beet Greens.  5 lbs of Turnips (failure) but again lots of Greens for canning.  150 lbs of Tomatoes, 25 Cabbages, and lots of Chives and Dill.

 It takes Vikki about two weeks to store or can and put it all away in the crawl space.  Bryan had already dug up most of the potatoes and washed them and put them down stairs.

The Roma Tomatoes are dried on the wood stove and when pliable put in Olive Oil.
The Chives are cut and dried and used all winter in food like Bannock with cheese, or soups.