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Cerberus

12:01 AM

@Mitch Yes, long ago.

Tomorrow is a work day...

tchrist

4:07 AM

He’s licking his lips, dreaming of venison.

But they return the favor.

And now for something completely different.

He’s saying, “That’s it! Next year I’m staying in Central America all year!”

Johan Larsson

4:27 AM

from today?

tchrist

Not the snow, no.

Although I did some butt-skiing in snow today.

I haven’t processed today’s batch yet. I’m too exhausted from the hike.

Johan Larsson

sounds like a good day

tchrist

The oriole shot is from May 12th.

Well, I let myself get a bit dehydrated, I think, and got a bit careless. Fell hard once and caught myself on the heel of my dominant palm. Big bruise.

This is at 11–12 kf though, so these things can happen if you’re not careful.

Johan Larsson

did you walk alone?

tchrist

Usually.

But it is a very popular trail.

There were many people on it.

Some dogs.

Johan Larsson

4:32 AM

are phones working there?

tchrist

Oh Lord God, never.

This was in Indian Peaks National Wilderness area. Not even chainsaws work there, let alone phones.

Johan Larsson

ok careful sounds good then

not try to jump over creeks to stay dry etc.

tchrist

I “never” do that.

I did have to ford several cascading waterfalls, but there were places to put your feet.

Not dry places, of course, but places. I’ll put my foot down on solid in the water rather than risk falling.

Johan Larsson

how far did you walk?

was it raining?

tchrist

I’m trying to figure that out right now.

There was quite a bit of snow in some places, little in others.

Johan Larsson

4:36 AM

I often drik too little when it rains

tchrist

Oh, there was no rain, just cobalt skies and searing sun and freezing wind.

I think I walked about 3 miles out and ~1300 feet up. Then I came back.

This is right at timberline by then.

Johan Larsson

timberline meaning only bushes onwards?

tchrist

It’s this hike.

@JohanLarsson Yes.

At timberline proper, the pines become Krummholz shrubbery.

Johan Larsson

it is high, in Sweden trädgränsen is 900m in the south and 450m in the north

tchrist

That’s like nothing. Ours is 11,500'–12,000 depending on north/south part of the state and also which way it is facing.

Krummholz

Krummholz or krumholtz formation (German: krumm, "crooked, bent, twisted" and Holz, "wood") — also called knieholz ("knee timber") — is a particular feature of subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes. Continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds causes vegetation to become stunted and deformed. Under these conditions, trees can only survive where they are sheltered by rock formations or snow cover. As the lower portion of these trees continue to grow, the coverage becomes extremely dense near the ground. Common trees showing krumholtz formation include European spruce, mountain p...

I’ve no few krummholz pix from today.

“Banner trees”, too.

Know what those are?

It’s when because of the wind, the branches grow on only one side, so it looks like a flag waving.

Oh, the Krummholz page on Wikipedia includes those, too.

I saw lots of yellow-bellied marmots. There are quite loud, too.

And cute little tassel-eared grey squirrels. And chipmunks. And white-crowned sparrows.

Johan Larsson

4:44 AM

Krummholz is a nice word

tchrist

@JohanLarsson It is. There are art galleries named “Twisted Pine”.

@JohanLarsson I have pix from today looking very like that, except that that is autumn coloration not spring.

And it is early spring way up high.

Johan Larsson

in the north we have only birch, in the south there are conifers.

tchrist

Strange for us it is the opposite: birch give out before the conifers.

Well, aspens give out. There is shrub willow up there, too. Cute little pussy-willows are still showing.

We don’t really have much paper birch in Colorado. In Wisconsin, the birch starts in the northern part, with the pines, when the mixed hardwood forest gives out. If you go north into Canada far enough, I believe eventually even the birch must give up.

Conifers are much more resilient than broad-leaved trees.

Johan Larsson

yeah they look tougher

tchrist

I did find little tiny aspens no bigger than me with tiny, tiny reddish leaves just peaking out. The red will go away when there is more chlorophyl, until fall.

I also found more Calypso bulbosa, which cheered me greatly. It was right near the end, when I was exhausted, minorly injured, and just wanting to get in my car. I had missed them on the way out.

Lots of shooting stars (Dodecatheon) with deep magenta. Oh, and up on the tundra, the little miniature “pincushion” flower-types are starting.

There are analogues for all the big plants but in pincushion mode.

So super-tiny miniature versions of normal flowers, all in a mound.

Forget-me-nots, primrose, more.

These are tundra flowers here.

I wil try to put some up tomorrow.

I have to go to bed. Talk to you tomorrow.

Johan Larsson

4:54 AM

nite

user116848

Hi guys :D

Johan Larsson

hej

user116848

@tchrist So tchrist where is this nice place in Central America where you visited?

user116848

@tchrist Oh! I guess you went to bed after all. Talk to you later then :D

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