Day 11 - Descend the Rest of the Way Down to the Jago River Valley
Another snowy morning turns into a warm, sunny afternoon, leaving us with beautiful views of snow-dusted hills all around as we descend back down to the Jago River Valley to return to our starting point near the airstrip on the Jago River.
25 Photographs
1
Another snowy morning, but we’re getting used to it by now. It would be nice if it weren’t so foggy, so we could actually see the hills around us!
2
Drew: “Ok, I shall just wave my hand, and the clouds shall magically go away...!”
3
Wow, Drew! How’d you do that! The clouds indeed are lifting as we descend towards the Jago River.
4
Before long, the clouds are almost gone, and it’s another beautiful arctic day!
5
These Anemone bow down to Drew and his magical cloud-lifting powers... or are they just a little bent over from the recent snow...?!
6
The creek canyon gets too steep to stay in, so we take to the hills...
7
...which are spotted with the little white Dryas flowers, among many others.
8
The sun comes out and Perry is jubilant: “Whee, it feels like Spring!”
9
Spring has sprung, and so have our appetites, so we pick a scenic spot and our chefs Cherie and Gary prepare the lunch.
10
Ah! There’s nothing like a beautiful day in the mountains...
11
Margaret: “Yes, it’s just so beautiful, I could burst out in song! But I’ll spare you, and instead I’ll just sit here and braid my hair!”
12
While lunch is being prepared and Margaret braids her hair, I find lots of flowers that need photographing, so I get to work! Here’s some Purple Saxifrage...
13
...and a bushy plant in the rhododendron family called Lapland Rosebay.
14
Up close and personal (with the Lapland Rosebay)!
15
Glacial Avens reach for the sun...
16
...while the Dryas soaks in some warmth as well.
17
A member of the pea family, this Oxytrope is one of the few purple flowers that we see.
18
The four petals give this Arctic Parrya away as a member of the mustard family.
19
Cherie and Gary: “Lunch is on!” Let’s eat!
20
A short stroll brings us the rest of the way down to the Jago River, near the airstrip where we began our trip.
21
Cherie surveys the valley to be sure it’s the same as when we left it...
22
Yup, it’s the same. No mountains have moved while we were gone!
23
It’s so nice and warm again, we lay everything out in the sun to dry out a bit...
24
...including our bodies! Cherie: “Ah, what a perfect way to end a perfect trip!”
25
A few more flowers have bloomed since we left, making it even harder to contemplate leaving this beautiful land.