From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on January 17.
I was up the mountain on Saturday, x-country skiing on the upper west-Jutland loop. The conditions weren’t great…it had rained heavily up there a week or so ago. Most of the nordic skiers seem driven to get from A to B as fast as possible. I like to putter along and look at things, take pictures, ponder ancient trees etc. Those hurried skiers don’t know what they are missing!
Anyway, here are a few highlights. [Click a photo to enlarge it.]
- Snow pitted with rain.
- Frosted subalpine fir: note the upswept bushy needles.
- Frosted white pine needles.
- Mountain hemlock with garlands of hair lichen (Alectoria, Bryoria, etc).
- Wolf lichen – I think, (Letharia vulpina): the bright yellow patch on the right of the snag.
- Ancient yellow cedar snag detail.
- View of Albert Edward & Divers/Rossiter lakes.
- View of Alexandra Peak (the “thumbs up” mountain): Sadly, this range of mountains is not in Strathcona Park.
