Day 6: July 10th
Today is the day for hiking west of Kealok Creek. The tundra contains many lakes, some large enough to take hours to walk around. Teshekpuk Lake is about 30 miles long and 20 miles wide, and surrounded by even more lakes. Not far from camp, we find a collapsed building with mattresses, oil drums, batteries, a camp stove, skillets, and a variety of cans. All are rusty including an Arctic cat dated 1973. It makes you think, that whoever was responsible for this site was ready to spend the money to bring it all here but not to remove it. What chance does the earth have if this way of doing things is not stopped? One of the reasons I am writing this account of my visit to Alaska is my wish to highlight the need to realize that we are all guardians of this special wilderness.
On to the beautiful things of the north slope, by one of the lakes we come to an arctic tern’s nest filled with one small speckled brown and tan egg. She lets us know to move on by gliding and flying over our heads. More new flowers and these are a purplish white valerian and a yellow groundsel. I find a puffball similar to ones in Missouri, but I am too far from home to try this mushroom. We saw some scoters from a distance, as well as two greater white-fronted geese with eight goslings following in a parade on the opposite bank.
Our group splits up. Toni, Alena, and Mark keep going along the lake. Richard goes back toward Kealok Creek. Charles and I head for Teshekpuk Lake where we see a pair of sandpipers guarding their nest. A climb up a sand dune gives a great view of the lake and its southern beaches. It’s too wide to see across and too long to see either end. An arctic ground squirrel starts barking at us from his hill. Farther west down the beach, we see a white spot which turns out to be a tundra swan with three young. She flies when we are 200 yards away and the grayish black signets head for the water, too young to fly.
The group meets at camp for lunch. The wind is increasing and bringing with it much colder air. I am writing this in my little solo tent that is barely managing to stay upright. I venture out for supper to see that the wind has played with the clouds which are streaked in long deep furrows. The waves on Lake Teshekpuk seem to be reflected in the sky.
The arctic sun plays the best game with the land, making an oval from east to west, and at this time of the year neither raising nor setting
Today is the day for hiking west of Kealok Creek. The tundra contains many lakes, some large enough to take hours to walk around. Teshekpuk Lake is about 30 miles long and 20 miles wide, and surrounded by even more lakes. Not far from camp, we find a collapsed building with mattresses, oil drums, batteries, a camp stove, skillets, and a variety of cans. All are rusty including an Arctic cat dated 1973. It makes you think, that whoever was responsible for this site was ready to spend the money to bring it all here but not to remove it. What chance does the earth have if this way of doing things is not stopped? One of the reasons I am writing this account of my visit to Alaska is my wish to highlight the need to realize that we are all guardians of this special wilderness.
On to the beautiful things of the north slope, by one of the lakes we come to an arctic tern’s nest filled with one small speckled brown and tan egg. She lets us know to move on by gliding and flying over our heads. More new flowers and these are a purplish white valerian and a yellow groundsel. I find a puffball similar to ones in Missouri, but I am too far from home to try this mushroom. We saw some scoters from a distance, as well as two greater white-fronted geese with eight goslings following in a parade on the opposite bank.
Our group splits up. Toni, Alena, and Mark keep going along the lake. Richard goes back toward Kealok Creek. Charles and I head for Teshekpuk Lake where we see a pair of sandpipers guarding their nest. A climb up a sand dune gives a great view of the lake and its southern beaches. It’s too wide to see across and too long to see either end. An arctic ground squirrel starts barking at us from his hill. Farther west down the beach, we see a white spot which turns out to be a tundra swan with three young. She flies when we are 200 yards away and the grayish black signets head for the water, too young to fly.
The group meets at camp for lunch. The wind is increasing and bringing with it much colder air. I am writing this in my little solo tent that is barely managing to stay upright. I venture out for supper to see that the wind has played with the clouds which are streaked in long deep furrows. The waves on Lake Teshekpuk seem to be reflected in the sky.
The arctic sun plays the best game with the land, making an oval from east to west, and at this time of the year neither raising nor setting
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