Jan 18, 2012 Baranof
10° ALL DAY COLD, CLEAR
Another nippy day! Skies were clear and there was a noticeable lack of wind. A colony of ducks has established itself at the base of the waterfall and we spotted a lone seal out amongst them, he the real odd duck. To my dismay, the platelets had dispersed and the remaining ones had joined into larger sheets. The tide pushed the ice from our inner sanctum†into the outer bay, a sheet extending from the lodge all the way to Chatham Strait and nearly blocking entrance to the bay. A stretch a little over a mile and a half long! Dave & Anke reported thick ice around their dock at the lodge. Ice still encases Privateer at the waterline, which we hope is acting as a protective barrier against any other encroaching ice. The platelets left behind as the water receded at low tide looked like Salvador Dali clocks, a surreal image of rigid icy forms draped lazily over the rocks.
Now routine, we strapped on our snowshoes and hiked up to the hydro intake. Human feats of strength were called upon as we tried to wrestle the hydro pipe lower in the water, each working with a rock bar to move that beastly boulder. Though the rock stayed firmly planted, we did manage to jostle the pipe and bring it down lower.
Increasing temps are in the near future and a low pressure system is forecasted to move in from the Gulf of Alaska to battle the current northern front. There may be a wild collision of storm systems. The major weather event†continues and the VHF warns people who work outdoors to take caution.
