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A fairly long posting here, for May 25, one of the very best days, as in "mesmerizing" of our entire winter sojourn. We sat outside most of the day, on the south side of the cabin, out of the north wind, feeling warm and reading in the sun. I slipped between dozing and waking, listening to the...

Kathleen and I paddled the Seal River in northern Manitoba in 1997. From the mouth of the Seal River on Hudson Bay, we took this image of the Seal River Lodge, 6 km (4 miles) north. Cold water below, and warming temperatures above (an inversion) produced this superior image of the lodge, which...

We enjoyed walking on the lake ice during our winter sojourn. But we were ready to paddle down the Anderson River to the Arctic Coast. On May 18 late in the evening, about 11:00 pm, the ice on Colville Lake itself finally began to stir. From far across the lake there came a groaning, as thick...

I have three more mesmerizing/interesting experiences from our winter sojourn that I would like to share. Like those seeking the total eclipse, Kathleen and I had gone to a lot of effort to put ourselves in the position to see spring emerge from winter. We drove away from Vancouver on January...

I don’t think I’ve ever seen stars reflected in a lake. I’m envious.

I strongly believe that I communicated with the Ravens. I practiced making their common calls. They eventually routinely replied, often swooping to a nearby tree. We would talk back and forth. I had no idea what I was saying, but the Raven seemed entertained.

Me too. Below is what I wrote about another experience at our winter sojourn north of the arctic circle, while snowshoeing along the frozen river leading away from our cabin. It still resonates, even 25 years later. From up the Ross River, a lone Raven approached, flying strongly with deep...

Our winter cabin was at 67° 32' north, which, for me, created a very interesting perspective regarding movements of the sun. Many of the truisms of southern latitudes have no applicability here. For example, I have always ‘known’ that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. All...

Here’s a link to some more information. Very interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcus_cloud

I think the pinky purple flower was likely Pink Corydalis (aka Rock Harlequin). Below is what I wrote after photographing the plant on our Seal River trip in 1997. The 1994 wildfire both destroyed and renewed life; everywhere above the rocky beach, pink corydalis sprouted through the...

I thought so too. Thanks for noticing!

I was thinking about Odyssey's comment in the Total Eclipse thread to "Keep in mind there are so many smaller miracles equally mesmerizing which we miss on a daily basis." True enough. I wondered with Kathleen what events in our lives truly stand out as mesmerizing, great or small. One of the...

Carly Simon says the second verse refers to Warren Beatty. https://people.com/books/carly-simon-says-youre-so-vain-second-verse-is-about-warren-beatty/

I fall asleep easily too. My major reading these days is the comic strip “Pearls Before Swine.” A lot easier than James Joyce.

Black-Fly, A couple of months ago I tried reading Finnegans Wake, the classic work by James Joyce. But I wasn’t up to it. The book is unique, I think, in the literal sense of the word. I once heard it said that it’s the most famous book never read completely by anyone. Have you considered or...

I think that’s it, Glenn. Our blades are white. The lower shafts are yellow. The upper black shafts, which I cut to length, and then inserted and secured with a pin in the lower shaft. If I remember correctly, I also positioned the grips before glueing them into the upper shafts. Thanks for your...

Kathleen and I always took four paddles on our wilderness canoe trips. We each had our own light, flexible wooden, otter tail paddles for lake water and easy moving water. Easy on the shoulders. Not tiring, even after paddling all day. Here we are in 2017, ready to begin paddling in the East Arm...

Back in the mid nineties, two surgeons joined our canoe club in Vancouver. Their goal was to develop enough paddling skills to go on extended river trips in northern Canada. Kathleen and I shared our experiences with them regarding appropriate gear, and mentioned that we always took a fairly...

Very glad that you enjoyed my trip report, riverstrider. After all, that’s why I post. I very much appreciate and welcome positive feedback. Thanks, Glenn, for explaining how to somewhat easily find my other trip reports. You are not alone, riverstrider, in declaring that you would not enjoy...

Kathleen and I have usually tripped just by ourselves. Most of our tripping has been north of treeline, our favourite landscape. In these situations, we rarely put up a tarp, primarily because we prefer to have an unobstructed view of the beauty of our surroundings, as here on the Snowdrift...