Winter along the Klondike

Klondike Hwy at Fox Lake, Yukon

Good morning from a very chilly Yukon (minus 50 degrees C)

Driving to Whitehorse from Pelly Crossing these days can be a very lovely and lonely four-hour journey.  With temperatures well below minus 40 degrees C., one sees more wildlife along the Klondike Hwy than vehicles.  During a recent grocery run into town we spotted a herd of elk, a mink surfing through the snow, several grouse soaking up the rays of the sun and a lynx wandering across the highway.  Not surprisingly, we only came across six vehicles throughout the 260km drive.

When we left Pelly, early that morning, the mercury had read minus 40 degrees.  By the time we had arrived in Whitehorse the temperature had soared to minus 18!!  Ahh, welcome to the tropics of the Canadian North!!

Hope this finds you warm wherever you are in the world.

Cheers,
Claus


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Driving into Autumn

Klondike Hwy, Yukon

Good morning from the Yukon!

What a splendid day yesterday turned out to be.  Shortly after 3pm the clouds finally broke free to reveal the sun and a Yukon landscape draped in its early autumn glory.  I decided at the point it was time to hop into the car and take short drive on the Klondike Hwy.  Glad I did.

The combination of the fall colours, the late afternoon sun, the dramatic clouds set against a brilliant blue sky and an open road all came into play when taking today's images – the setting was perfect for the images I was looking for.   The conditions were also right for using a circular polarizing filter, which reduced the glare of the sun on the wet leaves and brought out the textures in the clouds, the road and trees.

September has started out picture perfect – first the sandhill cranes and now the fall colours.  Wonder what today will bring.

Hope you enjoy the last full day of summer.

Cheers,

Claus

PHOTO INFO:  Images photographed with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.  Tripod mounted, cable release attached - ISO 160, f/16 and 18, Manual setting.  Circular polarizer filter attached

Wildlife along the Klondike Hwy

Greetings from a sunny Whitehorse!

There's little doubt spring is here to stay.  The spruce bogs, forests and fields are alive with the musical chorus of robins, juncos, warblers, sparrows, crossbills and snow buntings.  Flying directly overhead, the first flocks of sandhill cranes are contributing their musical notes to this spring orchestra.  

While driving along the Klondike Highway this morning I spotted a pair of trumpeter swans and a very shy pair of coyotes mulling about.  Neat!

Enjoy your weekend.

Cheers,

Claus

Mamma and Baby Quill

Hello once again!
Last week while returning to Pelly Crossing  I stumbled upon a mother porcupine and her lone offspring waddling their way across the Klondike Highway.  Within seconds of parking the car the pair had made their way to safety halfway up a spruce tree.  With camera (and flash) in hand I snapped a few pictures as the critters tried to make sense of my presence.  Neat animals!

Forest Fire Season has begun

Smoke as seen near Carmacks

Smoke from wildfire near Carmacks

Smoke seen on the Klondike Hwy

Smoke from wildfire

Smoke billowing over the tree tops

The same cloud spotted from Pelly Crossing

Extreme Fire Danger warning

Here we go - forest fire season is now in full swing in the Yukon.  This weekend's lightening storms and unseasonably hot and dry weather have ignited a handful of wildfires throughout the Territory.

Last night as I was driving along the Klondike Hwy I spotted an ominous smoke cloud dominating the skies near Carmacks.  From reading fire reports and chatting with locals the smoke is from a fire burning near Frenchman Lake (some 72 km east of Carmacks).  The fire began Monday evening and continues to burn today.  Approximately 5000 ha have already been affected.  Officials are worried that the fire may reach the confluence of the Teslin and Yukon Rivers within days. Canoeists have been advised to avoid paddling near the area.

A polarizing filter was used to capture these images as the filter accentuated the textures and patterns in the smoke cloud.  The polarizer also highlighted the greens and blues in the image.  I also included a variety of foregrounds to add a sense of scale of the true extent of this powerful force of nature.

To date there have already been 26 forest fires in the Yukon.

I'll keep you posted with latest developments.

Cheers,

Claus

UPDATE:  Fri June 3rd - the fire has grown to12,000 ha!  

I wish I had my camera on hand

When will I ever learn the simple lesson of ensuring that my camera and 300mm lens are close at hand?

Late this afternoon, while driving along the Klondike Hwy en-route to Whitehorse, a lynx suddenly appeared on top of a snowbank a few short meters from the highway.  We stopped the truck in time to watch the critter saunter down the snowbank before it ventured back up where it sat and stared at us for a few seconds.  What a perfect shot that would have been - a lynx with its tufted ears bathed in full sunlight.  Sad thing is, my camera was stored in the back seat under our luggage.  Dam !!

Now that spring is around the corner I'm hoping these chance wildlife encounters will become more frequent.  No worries - my camera gear will be ready to go in order to capture those unexpected and treasured moments.

Good night