Tag Archives: Mt Monarch

Mammaries 29 – 31 July 2012 Part Four

The following morning I had a bonus. Although the weather was still stormy, the camp was flooded with sunshine. Every lake that I could see, however, had its own down comforter of fog.

Just west of the camp was a small rocky knoll.

The view from there was wonderful.

I went up to watch the sunrise from first light (This is Mt Monarch)

first light on Mt Monarch

to full light

The temperature was very close to freezing – the dew was stiff! So both I and the dogs were pleased when the sun hit the top of the rocky knoll.

It picked out the saxifrage and stonecrop growing among the stones.

I dropped down to a meadow just above the camp.

The vegetation was thick with the stiff, not quite frozen dew.

It was a fitting end to my wonderful camping trip. Thank you Doron, Badger and Harry for making it easy for me.

Smoke

Categories: Nuk Tessli

A few mornings ago, while doing yoga in the pre-dawn light on my deck, I was surprised to see a smokey cast to the light.

This is familiar enough during the fire season, but BC has so far had a very wet time and I was puzzled as to where the fire could be. I checked on the US forestry Service’s heat detection satellite website, but could find nothing at all in our province.

The next day, the smoke was thicker. The sun rose as a red ball.

And the mountains at the head of the lake were barely visible.

This went on for two days. There was a hot and gusty wind. The smoke was covering all of the southern half of the province, but no one seemed to know where it was coming from. News items first said Western US especially California. Then I heard Utah and Colorado. But the winds here were west and southwest. How could they be blowing smoke from Colorado? Yesterday, a plane came in and the pilot said the high jetstreams were carrying smoke across the Pacific from the paddy fields in China (where they burn off the old straw before planting). Then I got an email saying it was coming from Siberia.

The wind banged around all night and this morning was warm and extremely buggy. However, I was much relieved to see the sky was clear in the east.

The west was still a bit murky; the top of Mt Monarch was cut off.

sunrise hiding Mt Monarch

But now, close to midday, even that has cleared, and it was as if the smoke had never been.

June sunrise at Nuk Tessli

Categories: Nuk Tessli

We had a rare clear morning, and I canoed with Doreen round to the best point to view the sunrise. This happens at around 5.00am right now so we had to get up at 4.20: am

Mt Monarch is on the left, Migma on the right.

As I take almost identical pictures so often, it is good to try for details instead.

Gradually, the light comes forward.

A loon obliged us by swimming close by.

The light turned from pink to white

Then it was time to go home for breakfast.

Flying in to Nuk Tessli

Categories: Nuk Tessli

Just as well I did not fly in yesterday as originally planned for it was wet and windy. Today, the weather has been chilly, but gorgeous.

I arrived at the float plane base about 7.30 am. It took at least half an hour to load all the freight (there is still a big pile stored in my van and in the hanger.) So it must have been a little after 8.00am when we hopped off the water at Nimpo Lake.

It was a very calm morning; the air was dead flat over the lakes but had a small turbulence over the forest where the sun and shadow created differences in the air movement. Halfway to Nuk Tessli we crossed Charlotte Lake. The forest is grey in the picture as a result of the 2004 Lonesome Lake Fire. Down the Atnarko River, the fire was so fierce it burned the country to the bone.

Now we are heading up one of the branches of Whitton Creek.

Whitton Creek

The mountain on the right is called Avalanch Lake Lookout – you can see the avalanche channels on its flanks. Nuk Tessli is just over the ridge at the far end.

As we got closer, we could see more of Mt Monarch.

And over the ridge we see Nuk Tessli Lake at last. It is on the left and the two lakes in the foreground are what I call upper and lower Otter Lakes.

Now we are coming in to land. The cabins are on the point surrounded by the islands.

Here are the three cabins from the air. Unfortunately there is a shadow of the prop in the picture.

nuk Tessli cabins

The lake is very high so the dock was half underwater. The plane is leaving me a huge pile of freight to carry up the steep trail to the cabin.

It usually takes about a week to clean all three cabins properly, but clients and a friend are arriving in three days so I will have to hussle. Doron, the new owner, will not be here for another 10 days.

But as I lift my head from the chores, I have the pleasure of looking southeast to Louise O’Murphy….

… And southwest up the lake to Mt Monarch.

Flying to Nimpo Lake

Categories: Nuk Tessli

I need not have worried. The next day was as calm and pristine as ever. There was a classic Nuk Tessli sunrise.

Nuk Tessli sunrise Sid, the pilot for Lakes District Air, was delayed because it was foggy at Nimpo Lake. It usually is at this time of year, especially when there is a frost.

But he was in by 9.00am, we loaded the mountain of freight and my two dogs, and took off into the wind, which was coming from Mt Monarch.

taking off from Nuk Tessli Then swung round away from the mountains…

flying north over Nuk Tessli My cabins are on the distant point with the islands dotted around it.

Nuk Tessli cabins Soon we flew out of the mountains

leaving Nuk Tessli And crossed Charlotte Lake. Now we are on the Chilcotin.

Charlotte lake on the Chilcotin

When I did this last year at the end of the season, it was a similarly pleasant day, but when I tried to drive home, my way was blocked by a major washout. It was 2 and half weeks before I could get my vehicle home. To see the full, dramatic story of the McClinchy River floods, click this link.

But this day there was no trauma. The Chilcotin was peaceful and calm. It was uncharacteristically lush after all the rain we had earlier, but already the grasses were tawny. The roadsides were dotted with an introduced chamomile species. Forty minutes after I left the float plane base at Nimpo Lake, I was home.

home at Ginty Creek

Fish Lake Trail 25th August 2011 Part Two

Categories: Nuk Tessli

I walked across the tundra to the back side of the bump I can see from my cabin. En route I found this marmot hole thoroughly excavated, by a grizzly bear no doubt.

marmot hole As I climbed higher, I could see into the upper McClinchy River. This is the headwaters of the river that flows through my winter place at Ginty Creek. There is some very pretty hiking at the head of that valley.

headwaters of McClinchy River It is quite a few years since I have climbed the small bump. I remember two species of flowers that I have not seen for a while – one, the Fairy Candelabra, was not visible anywhere, but the mineature Lyall’s Lupin was blooming in fine style. The plant is no bigger than a clover.

miniatrue lyalls lupin But I was delighted to find a good show of Silvery Butterweed.

senecio canis

And at the top was my favourite. The Alpine Harebell. It’s trumpet is nearly an inch long, and it has virtually no stem. These great bells lie scattered among the rocks.

alpine harebell (The oval leaves just in front of it are actually a species of miniature willow.)

The bump may be insignificant, but it has a tremendous panoramic view. Looking north, one sees Avalanche Lake on the left and Banana Lake on the right. (and yes the bugs were terrible up there, too!)

Avalanche and Banana Lakes And here is my lake. Nuk Tessli’s cabins are behind the islands on the right. Mt Monarch is on the left almost above Octopus Lk.

a panoramic view of my lake my cabins

Fish Lake Trail 25th August 2011 Part One

Categories: Nuk Tessli

Now that the Octopus Lake Bridge had been fixed, I could hike up the trail towards Fish Lake. I used to do this once a month at the beginning of my time at Nuk Tessli, when I had few planes in here and had to walk out for my mail. The trail ends at the treeline: most of the hike to the road is unmarked. My destination was off the route, an insignificant bump on the right, half hidden in mist, as seen that morning from my cabin window.

morning mist on Louise OMurphy There was a frost that morning and the canoe and dock was slick with ice. The forecast was for sunshine but the fog lay in slabs across Mt Monarch.

Mt Monarch hidden by slabs of mist By the time I reached Octopus Lake, the sun had warmed up the bugs. That is Flattop Mountain behind.

Octopus Lk and Flattop Mt I crossed the newly-repaired bridge and about 40 minutes later reached Round Lake (named by the ex-trapper.) Wilderness Mountain is dominant here.

Round Lake and Wilderness Mt. Once again, the subalpine meadows were lush and full of colour. The false hellibore was already turning yellow. It made a lovely foil for the paintbrushes….

paintbrush and false hellibore …. and the purple mountain daisies.

purple mountain daisies and false hellibore It is quite a long walk to get above the treeline. Round lake is on the left and Octopus Lake is sprawling in the middle distance. Wilderness Lake is on the upper far left. Flattop Mt dominates the middle, Monarch is on the far right.

Round Lake and Octopus Lake The flower meadows were very disappointing. Very little seemed to have happened there at all. It looked almost desert-like in its sparseness. Here is a natural bonsai pine in front of Mt Monarch.

Pine tree and Mt Monarch

Sunrise 6th August 2011

Categories: Nuk Tessli

There is a viewpoint on the lake which is the best place to watch the sunrise. It takes about 10 minutes to canoe round there. At this time of year we leave about 5.30 am by the clock. We arrived just before the light hit Mount Monarch.

nuk tessli sunrise The advantage of the canoe trip is that behind the island the lake is calmer and you can usually see reflections. Rapidly, the light changed.