...Memory Lane...

[Leeanda]

You don't need a hatchet to get through that scrub... You can just weave you're way through it. 

Nice to see your fan club is still around 😁

[ManicManiac]

@Leeanda
Really? 🤔
Hmm... I thought I'd checked it out and couldn't find away passed without possibly some goating.  I guess I'll have to check again today before going to the Frozen Delta.

Edited September 10, 2023 by ManicManiac

[Leeanda]

7 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

@Leeanda
Really? 🤔
Hmm... I thought I'd checked it out and couldn't find away passed without possibly some goating.  I guess I'll have to check again today before going to the Frozen Delta.

Stay to the right of it then zigzag left ,right.🙂

[ManicManiac]

The fog this morning suddenly got very dense... going to wait it out here for a while.

[ManicManiac]

I sat for nearly an hour (about ten minutes real-time)... the fog was showing no signs of lifting.
Decided to try and feel my way up the nearer side of the inlet to find the Secret Mountain Path again.

Don't know how I missed it... but this time found a way to squeeze through.  

As quickly as it had rolled in... the fog finally started to lift.

This is a nice little cubbyhole to take shelter in from a storm. 

This path is full of little goating opportunities.

 

Nearing the end of the trail...

Here is a convenient spot to goat down the frozen delta... but that's for later.

For now, it seems I've found an abandoned campsite...

Now I need to sit a while and think.
Do I head down to the Frozen Delta side of the region... of do I go back to the Cannery Worker's Residence to offload?  🤔 I may need to sit and think about it a while. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I decided to keep running heavy and push onward.  I don't have a lot of daylight left... but I would like to establish my next encampment over at the Washed-Out Trailers.

There's no turning back now. 🤭

Clever little hiding place... almost didn't see it.  

It's getting into the late afternoon, so I don't think I'd have time to make the route all the way around this entire side of the inlet.  Instead, I imagine it would be wiser to just cover as many of the smaller deltas as possible while keeping a more-or-less direct path to the Washed-Out Trailers.

I did take one brief detour to see what might be found on this smaller stretch of the inlet... really all I found was this wonderful view of the Echo One Tower and the Cannery off in the distance together in one rather nice shot.  

There's a Hunter's Blind there on the left... but I also feel compelled to goat up and see what's on top of this first delta.

I didn't find anything, but I'm very glad I took the time.  This was a much better vantage, and at least I know the way is clear.

Nice find... but time to move on.

And this is why I like to get to the top of each delta... I probably wouldn't have found this poor soul otherwise.

And they had the hatchet that I'd previously thought I needed to find.

Nearly there... just one more delta to hop. 🤭

There's still thin ice out here... good to know.  

I ever so briefly caught a glimpse of the ridge of a Timberwolf back... but it slipped away before I had a chance to see how many friends it had.  I stayed put for a few minutes... but they'd made themselves scarce.  I'll have to be careful on this next crossing.

Safety is literally around the corner... but anywhere behind those blind rises, could be death.
Also, that's a dead deer just ahead (that spot just below the tree). 🤭

Managed to get to the Washed Out Trailers before dark, so I spent the rest of the evening offloading my pack and doing a thorough sort and stow.

[Leeanda]

No moose sightings?  He's usually at one of those two spots.

[J.W.P]

the flare gun is still there i got it on Monday

[Leeanda]

2 minutes ago, J.W.P said:

the flare gun is still there i got it on Monday

Must be random then rather than fixed like it was...  I found mine in the backroom of the cannery.

[ManicManiac]

@J.W.P / @Leeanda
Good to know, thank you.  I was just unlucky then.  

Edited September 11, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

20 hours ago, Leeanda said:

No moose sightings?  He's usually at one of those two spots.

No... and I didn't see any scraped bark either.  This leads me to believe that the only moose I will have to contend with will be near the Hunter's Blind further along the ridge line (not far from the cave system leading to Forlorn Muskeg).

Edited September 11, 2023 by ManicManiac

[Leeanda]

10 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

No... and I didn't see any scraped bark either.  This leads me to believe that the only moose I will have to contend with will be near the Hunter's Blind further along the ridge line (not far from the cave system leading to Forlorn Muskeg).

Or the middle of the bridge.. though I've only seen it once on there.. ..

But the FM exit is probably the most likely, awkward moose.🙂

[ManicManiac]

It was rather late in the morning when I woke up.
When I peeked outside, it rather foggy... but not so much as to keep me from trying to get a route in today.
I think the idea is to get over to the ridge line on the other side of the Frozen Delta and explore back up, the circle back down the same path I took the other day to get back to the Washed-Out Trailers again.

Trying to scout the way ahead... but hadn't spotted any Timberwolf Packs, yet.

Doesn't look like any are prowling the road leading towards the Cannery today either... 🤔

Doesn't look to be any packs out on the ice either... 🤔

Ah... there are at least two just a little way ahead (hard to spot in this shot, I suppose... but they're there).

Here was my first significant blunder in this region... I was working my way closer to the bridge from below.  Panicked a little when I suddenly found myself on thin ice, tripped... and fell (that is to say, I'd meant to turn around and sprint... accidently crouched instead).  Now I'm soaked up to my waist... and have hypothermia.  

Thankfully my clothing is warm enough, that I'm already starting to recover warmth.
I'm going to have to keep an eye on my condition... if I can, I'd like to keep to the route I've selected for today.  However, it needs be I will return to the Washed-Out Trailers early and work on building up a water supply.   

The next hour or so will give me a good indication of which direction I'll go from here.

😖

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I took a brief look around... but my clothing is starting freeze pretty quickly.  Best to head back to the Washed-Out Trailers. 😖

Interesting... I did not expect to find these. 🤔

At this point clothing is nearly half-frozen.  
Once they get completely frozen, they be doing more harm than good.
Time to make haste back to my encampment... I guess I'll be spending the rest of the day building up a water supply and try to dry out some clothing.

[ManicManiac]

Thankfully I keep an extra pair of socks for just such an occasion... at least I will be more likely to avoid frost bite on my toes.  

I do also tend to keep an extra tuque and wool mittens on hand as well.

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Okay... this is just how I'm spending the rest of my day.  

[Leeanda]

5 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

Okay... this is just how I'm spending the rest of my day.  

There are worse ways, especially in bleak😁

[ManicManiac]

@Leeanda
Not complaining... I did need to take time to bolster a new water supply... more just lamenting my blunder.  

But I suppose it's also a teachable moment.  One example of how to be prepared for, and overcome a mistake... especially since mistakes can be fatal on Great Bear Island. 

Edited September 16, 2023 by ManicManiac

[Leeanda]

11 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

@Leeanda
Not complaining... I did need to take time to bolster a new water supply... more just lamenting my blunder.  

But I suppose it's also a teachable moment.  One example of how to be prepared for, and overcome a mistake... especially since mistakes can be fatal on Great Bear Island. 

These things happen ,even with the best planning..   I'm sure we've all took an unexpected dunking somewhere along the line😁

I think all that crouching to avoid is probably instinct for you ...  

[ManicManiac]

Also, probably another important thing to talk about while I'm in this situation:

If we have to have a fire out in the open... remember to keep the amount of wood you put in, to a minimum.  As with what just happened to me, the wind changed direction and I now have a wind-blown campfire.

However, because I had only put on enough sticks for an hour at a time... I only ended up losing maybe 30 minutes of burn time.  While the fire is getting hit by the windy conditions... I have to nurse the fire one stick at a time to keep it going.

This way... my fire never goes out, and I don't lose out on any more burn time.
(also, I get to keep boiling water, making coffee, and drying out my clothes).  🤭

Edited September 16, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Went to poke my head out this morning.

Threatening a blizzard... staying inside to see what happens.

[ManicManiac]

What looked like a building blizzard this morning looks like it's finally abating. 

Time to hit the trail.  I have a lot of ground to cover if I'm going to make up for accidentally trying out for the Polar Bear Club yesterday.

[ManicManiac]

I won't be making the same mistake again...    Staying dry this time.

By the time I made it back the is Hunter's Blind, it was nearly noon... waiting out the potential bad weather has cost me nearly half the day.  To compensate, I'm going to be keeping my energy up with the coffee I made while I was waiting for my clothing to dry.  If the weather is clear this evening... I might consider a night hike to try and make up for the lost day.   However, I'll just have to wait and see... 

The way ahead looks clear... so far, no sign of Timberwolf Packs.  Maybe the day spent inside has an upside... I suppose I'll know one way or another when I get around the next bend.

Just below where I was standing to scout ahead was a cave.

Lantern Fuel and Flare.  Actually, probably among some of the most useful things to have found for the Cannery Rush I have a head of me.  Thankfully I do already have enough of each of already... but it's still a nice find.

The way ahead is still clear... 🤔
However, the weather is kicking up again... could be that the blizzard might actually arrive soon.
Frankly, I hope not.   ...pressing on.

The area is so empty today...  it feels wrong, but I won't complain.

Nothing much to speak of in the blind... two spent casings and a bottle of antibiotics.   

Okay... the native moose of Bleak Inlet is indeed at home today.  Duely noted. 

Kept a respectful distance as I passed by... couldn't help but take a few minutes to just watch has he went on about his day.

Just a little further along the ridgeline is the cave system that leads to Forlorn Muskeg.

Very near that entry way into Bleak Inlet... the Timberwolves have left behind their declaration of hostility.

Almost as if to say... "Tread carefully... because here we even kill other wolves who dare trespass." 

As I approached the Ravine's End waterfall... I'm trying to decide whether or not to prospect my way back across the bridge and perhaps try to get back up to the Summit at Ravine's End.  I could always sleep up in the Pensive Lookout.  I've also got some coffee for additional energy.  However... if there are no Timberwolf Packs near the Frozen Deltas... then they might be thick on the other side of the bridge. 🤔

I'll try to make up my mind on the way back to the Washed-Out Trailers.

[Leeanda]

The lack of wolves is very strange.  I hope they're not all waiting in the cannery

[ManicManiac]

Full circle... here again is where I'd goated down from the Secret Mountain Path.

I figured now was as good a time as any to see if might be able to just beachcomb my way back to the Washed-Out Trailers rather than hop from delta to delta.

Turned out the answer is, "Kind of..."  

Also, while the weather seems to be holding for now... the visibility is getting a bit worse, and the snow fall a bit heavier.
It could still kick up into a blizzard, but so far feels safe to keep pressing on.

 

I did a quick sort and stow... and realized I had more than a few Go! Energy drinks that I've been holding on to in my pack.    I decided that as long as the weather holds...  I'm going to make a hard push to get back up to the Summit at Ravine's End. 

Of course, just as I commit the route... the weather starts pushing back harder.

Still not a blizzard... so I'm going to keep pushing to get as far as I can.

In two of the cars on Long Bridge, I found clues to two more memento caches.

The weather was calming down... but it was also getting deadly dark.
If it stays this overcast... it will significantly more dangerous to try and get back to the Pensive Lookout.

It was getting so dark, that I could barely feel my way down to the broken pier near the Cannery Worker's Residence.  I crawled underneath it and sat for about an hour hoping the clouds would break.

...and break they did.

Getting close to the climbing point... but I think I've spotted at least two Timberwolf packs skulking around the area.

It's hard to make out, but there ahead is one of the Timberwolves... right near where I need to get to.  🤔

The rope is just ahead... but I'm already freezing.  I decided it might be better to stop off at the nearby cabin to warm up before trying to make the climb.

Maybe just lay down for an hour... just to warm up again.