(We finally have decent wifi so have been able to add some photos to previous posts
Old vehicle, Ghost town, Kluane Lake
View from Ghost town, Kluane Lake
Ghost town, Kluane Lake
View across Kluane Lake
View across Kluane Lake
Grizzly Bear, Kluane Lake
Our tour group, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Daisies, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
View #2, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Native orchid, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Berries, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Win on top of the ridge, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Panorama, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Picnic spot, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Wild flowers, Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
View from Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Sheep Creek Trail, Kluane NP
Sap from spruce tree, Kluane NP
Spruce cones, Kluane NP
.) There were a number of choices of ‘day walks’ and most of the group elected to do the Sheep Creek walk which was a 10 km return walk starting near the Tachal Dahl Visitor centre. The initial section of the track was a moderate slope on a very dusty track in amongst a forest of spruce fir trees. This sub-alpine region has many fir trees that are dead due to an infestation of beetles. Normally the harsh winter conditions keep a control on the numbers of these insects but he warmer winter weather of recent years has allowed the population of beetles to burgeon and hence the devastation caused. A warning sign near the track’s commencement indicated that bears may be encountered on the track and that a visitor had been killed in recent times by a young grizzly bear. As a precaution we carried a pressurised pack of pepper spray but it was not going to be required. Others in our group had bells attached to their packs which are designed to scare the bears but in reality they proved annoying to people nearby who would have preferred to enjoy the tranquillity of the forest. The track then climbed quite steeply for a kilometre and levelled out at a lookout point where the Slim’s river Valley could be seen below and beyond which were the spectacular St. Elias Mountains and their many glaciers. The blue sky and warm conditions were just perfect for this day’s work. Further up the mountain the vegetation changed to more alpine type plants and lower trees. We found two orchids one of which was in flower and appeared to be very similar to our microtis genus in Australia. The other had gone over and the large seed capsules suggested that it may have been a cypripedium orchid (slipper orchid) which we were informed is found in this area and flowers in late June. We eventually reached the main turn around point in the track at the 5 km mark at which point we had climbed 430 m from our starting point. The view from the top was made the effort very much worthwhile and the glorious weather conditions made the colours of the numerous snow capped mountains sparkle. The giant Kaskawulsh Glacier looked spectacular and behind its 200m wide face were two smaller glaciers feeding into it. The combined glaciers form the origin of the Slim’s River Two of our walking group ventured a further 200m vertically upwards on a minor track to a high ridge where several dahl sheep were sighted on an adjacent mountain slope. The 5 km downhill return walk was pretty hard on the knees despite us using walking poles. No bears or moose were sighted but many squirrels and chipmunks were seen scurrying across the path at regular intervals. Back at camp we were given the option of doing a flight over the St. Elias Mountain Range and see the 12 twelve peaks over 4000 m including Mt. Logan which is the highest peak in Canada. Unfortunately the weather closed in at the last moment and the flight was cancelled but instead we did a drive around the lake to a ghost town and on the way we encountered a grizzly bear wandering along the lake’s edge. The ghost town, Silver City consisted of four or five remaining derelict log cabins, ancient machinery and an old wrecked 1922 Dodge truck. The town was originally a mining town where silver and gold were discovered in the early 20th century. We returned to camp and prepared our stir fry meal for our group of 14 people. The very limited cooking facilities meant that the meal was prepared in sections such as onions first, beef next, etc and the cooked portions stored in a large pot. Nonetheless the meal was well received and topped off with a large bowl of fruit salad made from fresh strawberries, grapes, pineapple and cherries. With a few spits of rain (the first for a long time) we all decided to head for an ‘early’ night, once again at 11.00 pm.