Today was the first day I could go out after class (~5pm) and take a picture in lighting that was closer to day than night. It was definitely getting noticeably dim compared to when I arrived for class a couple hours early, but on the other hand it was not twilight yet, either. With over 4 minutes and 30 seconds of additional daylight each day, my future walks home from class should all be in increasing brightness.

With temperatures in the mid-40s today, it was easy to forget that we could still face some additional winter weather (which it turns out is called for in the long-term forecast). I showed the kids where I often see the first crocus of the year, and while we did not spot any, I asked them to keep an eye out – it can be a little surprising how they seem to be completely absent, then one day there they are, blooming. It’s actually not too unusual for the first crocuses to have bloomed by now (though in such years, they often get beat back by later snow and/or freezing conditions). There have been scattered days with sunny conditions and temperatures in the upper 30s, but apparently nothing extended enough to promote sufficient crocus development where I’ve been looking.

Sprinkles early this afternoon prompted me to carry my umbrella on the walk to class. In the end, I probably did not need it, but it was only inconvenient a couple of times when the Southeast wind gave a little extra push. By the time we were going over the bridge, it was not even raining, which was nice – as it made it easier to take pictures of a couple of sights that struck my eyes today.

There was a kind of strange patch of fog hanging out at the entrance to Camp Coogan (see photo below). At the time I imagined it being a sort of fog glacier filling up the bay, but it occurred to me later that it may have only been right at the entrance. It would be interesting to know how extensive it was, and also why it formed and persisted there. Perhaps it had something to do with the several float houses that are in that area, as I didn’t notice any other patches of fog elsewhere.

Also, for some reason the view from near the top of the bridge toward the SSE was interesting. There’s a line of rocky islets/island extensions that line up there, with a far backdrop of a forested Baranof Island near Samsing Cove (see photo below).

Nothing of note stuck out to me bird-wise today. It was once again fairly quiet as I was leaving the house (the kids had gone on ahead of me to see some concrete getting poured at the new place). While we were at the new place, Rowan was able to find a Brown Creeper – she has managed to find one several times when we’ve been there. It seems like she finds this somewhat reassuring, as one of the things she was concerned about was how hard it would be find Brown Creepers once we moved away from the hill and its forested spots.

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Panellus longinquus fruting on Mt. Ash (Sorbus aucuparia).

A patch of fog hanging in the entrance to Camp Coogan.

Rocky island points (from near to far) Beardslee, Kayak, The Eckholms, and Long Island. I'm only sure about the last two, however.

Late morning sun illuminates the trees on the west side of Salmon Creek Estuary.

Salmon Lake trail follows Salmon Creek up from the end of Silver Bay to Salmon Lake, and then further on up the valley, ultimately branching with the main current trail going over to Redoubt Lake Cabin, and a historical trail that leads up to the Lucky Chance mines (though I’ve been told it’s difficult to find and follow in many locations). Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go out to the trail and hike around for a bit.

Bear Mountain is reflected in the calm waters of Salmon Creek Estuary.

Given the early winter season and a blanket of snow covering the trees and much of the ground, there was not too much to look at in terms of plants, but the scenery was quite stunning. There were deer tracks around, but I never saw a deer. A mink showed up on along the frozen lake shore, and there were several species of birds, including American Dipper, Brown Creepers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Mallards, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a late Hermit Thrush.

The valley bottom forest structure seems much different than I am used to seeing in Indian River Valley (the place with which I have the most familiarity). The wide spacing of trees and predominance of Sitka Spruce are particularly notable. I’m not sure what might be the underlying reason for these differences.

A thin layer of clouds partially blocks the sun in this view of the upper end of Salmon Lake.

Salmon Lake was covered in a thin layer of frozen slush/ice. It might have been an inch thick, not nearly enough to support my weight, but a mink that scampered along the ice near the shore seemed to be in no danger of breaking through. At the inflow, there was still a patch of open water above the main body of the lake.

In clearings above the lake, both the upper lake sedge marsh/meadow, and muskegs further up, the snow was 1-1.5 feet deep or so. It was not as deep in the woods, nor the openings at the edge of the estuary below the lake.

This was only my second trip to Salmon Lake, the first being in October 2007. Neither trip has been especially well timed for seeing how the distribution of herbaceous plants growing in the valley may differ from other locations, but I do hope to get back for a future visit to look into it a bit more.

While out there, I also learned that owls (probably Western Screech-owls) are a frequent visitor to the NSRAA weir site, and toads are also not hard to find.

More Salmon Lake Trail photos.