Jan 15, 2012 Baranof
18°-14° COLD! CLEAR
The other-worldly moon was the main attraction in the bay this morning, bursting with light against the cool early morning sky. We gathered eggs off the boat and had a hearty breakfast of biscuits, eggs and sausage in lieu of the cold weather. The thermometer dipped to 18 degrees today and continued to drop. We continued the moving process and organized the cabin, but the day could not be wasted indoors. The intense sun, blue skies, and crisp air brought by the high-pressure system from the north, coupled with dropping temps that had produced a hard crust of snow, made for perfect snowshoe conditions. Another trip to the lake was in order. We tromped around the muskeg forest, it’s snowscape striking. With a blanketing of snow, contours of the land transformed into ski moguls, the terrain smooth and fluid. Angularities were all but absent. In places, the snow’s surface was pockmarked like the moon. It was such a cool sight! Marten tracks were present all the way up to the lake. They must have sniffed out our tracks from yesterday. We headed for the knob where we’re sometimes able to get cell phone reception, but had no luck. From this vantage point we watched the extreme wind velocity at higher elevations produce spindrifts on the 3,000 foot mountain peaks all around us. Mini-blizzards blasted us and we turned our backs to the wind and ducked for cover. The wind sent us running home.
We made our first dinghy trip to the lodge, with hopes of doing laundry and checking internet. Dave & Anke invited us for a dinner of biscuits and Thai soup, followed by coffee and cookies for dessert. We rowed home through peaceful waters under a star-studded sky. Word is that John made it to Sitka but, battling strong winds, broke his tiller just outside the Sitka harbor. Fortunately it happened so close to port!
