Thursday, September 24, 2009

Aishihik Tors

This morning, the frost still on the ground and warm breezes coming from the South, i walk to the highway to be picked up by this small group of beautiful people.
We are going to hike up to the tors.
Mary has all the coordinates where the hike is to start. We have some trouble finding the beginning of the trail, but we can see the mountain. And after not too long we are on the right trail and start our hike around 9.45 am.
Soon we are on the grassy slopes, and almost right away we are surrounded by the neatest brown rock. Rocks with swirling patterns in it. We stop by a little cave, but are eager to go on. We follow a wonderful ridge, in fall colors, with amazing tree trunks, similar to the one in my post 2 days ago, but more amazing and lots of them, big trees, where the life trees around them didn't reach that size yet.
Easy enough we come in the high country, above the tree line.
It's a climb and i see most of the group going straight up towards the snow and rocks, As in where there is little vegetation left and the ground just a jumble of rocks, covered in snow.
Here i am lucky to follow Mary, because i feel very tired and don't know if i can keep up with this crew. Somehow Mary knows how to circumvent the top and miraculously we come out ahead.
Now seeing the tors in the distance, my energy returns.
I feel like a sheep following sheep tracks, stepping from rock to rock slipping over snow. A long legged 'moose' reaches the tor before me, here he is!
No moose tracks up here though, just lots of sheep, ptarmigan, foxes and wolf tracks.
It is amazing how many tracks, One of us sees the ptarmigan on the ground. But the wild life we do see today is lots of Hawks. (can i call them like that as a group?)
Is it Kestrels chasing Falcons, Eagles checking us out? I do recognize the Ravens for sure who are doing their soaring among these hawks.
We have a lunch, at the tors, sheltered from the wind, huddled under a tarp.
Two of us go on, to more amazing tors higher up, with more incredible views looking North.
I went back and we take our time. Wait :) for the others behind a little clump, well worn by the wind, Spruce trees, while talking mountains, that surround us.
The other two catch up, we come back on the ridge, and the colors look more vibrant, after having been in the world of snow.
We encounter more rocks it seems than on the way up, but all too soon we arrive where the trail ended and sit upon the rocks, before entering the forest.
All rosy, i am home at six. Thank you for taking me guys!
(i will post more pictures on, je zon photostream)

No comments: