Waiting for Spring

Here are some pictures that we didn't have room to put in today's email update. Spring finally seems to be here--we are enjoying a nice Southeast Alaska drizzle today.

We are at about 25 feet of snow for the winter. Breaking news--we just had our first sighting of Trumpeter Swans--seven of them just flew by in front of the lodge. I guess spring really is here! It's been two days since the last "real" snowfall. We've got three sprinklers running full speed to try to melt snow as fast as we can.

The morning sun on the point in front of the lodge.

The view from the deck between snowstorms. We had

a nine-day stretch with snow every day!

Snowshoeing over to check on some of the guest cabins.

Clearing snow after a 12" snowfall.

Sometimes it's hard to get the snowblower

up the stairs to the deck.....

but we always seem to make it!

This is our friend John shoveling the stairs
at one of the cabins at Baranof.

He has to shovel the stairs so he can get

up to the deck to clear the snow there.

John heads to the next cabin.

The Willow Ptarmigan is Alaska's state bird. They are common

in the interior but it's unusual to see them here in Southeast

Alaska. This guy walked by right in front of the window.

The commuter in one of his favorite perches.

Feral checking in on Jo--one of the younger deer who have

been hanging around the lodge lately. The heavy snow is

covering their feed, so the deer are concentrated now on

the beaches and intertidal zone where the tide melts the snow.

Lynn

Feral, the snow cat

Looking for deer.

Feral finds a soft spot in the snow in front of the deck.

That's funny.....

I walked across here......

yesterday!