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sal_fontinalis t1_j7l0rln wrote

Reply to comment by AKMtnr in Mt Yukla, Chugach Mountains, Alaska [4000 x 2500] [OC] by AKMtnr

Spent a night solo in that Yukla yurt around the winter solstice a decade ago. Snowshoed back out to the trailhead next day at noon and car thermometer read -20F. I have no idea how cold it was overnight. In the Midwest now, but would always prefer dead still sub-zero AK air to the sub-zero wind chills we get down here.

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AKMtnr OP t1_j7l9l1v wrote

Wow, that is really cold, even for here! I also lucked out on the weather, it really wasn't cold at all. It was probably in the low 30's and no wind whatsoever. I could hear owls hooting in the distance and as I got back to the trail proper, I even heard a wolf howl! I'm looking at booking the yurt now but...by the time there are weekend openings...it won't be very dark anymore.

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sal_fontinalis t1_j7mojdq wrote

With all those big spruces, I remember the owls being hard to spot. That said, I could “see” them in other ways in winter - small mammal tracks in fresh snow, ending in a disturbance, with the imprint of owl wings descending and beating to ascend quickly again. Likewise with lynx tracks in the snow. Follow them far enough, and they often intersect a hare track that ends abruptly in a bit of blood and fur. That place is magic, and your excellent photograph captures it well.

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