Skunked... but it sure is purdy out there!

So my boss arranged his annual hunting trip out on the Dempster on the weekend of the 1st and I tagged along to take photos and wish I could participate in the actual hunting part. To purchase tags for hunting in the Northwest Territories, you have to be a resident of at least two years. I'm only four months into my second year here, so no dice. We were looking for Caribou or Moose. George, the manager of another store and his son Josh also made the trip out as well, I think it was Josh's first hunting trip.

As you probably figured out from the title, we didn't get anything. Well, that's not true, Terry did get one spruce grouse. Given how much gas and resources the trip cost, I am calling it the $1000 chicken.

Regardless of the costs, it was excellent to get back out into nature for a bit. Made all that much more pleasant by the fact the mosquitoes and bulldog's are pretty much gone.

I did get a tonne of photo's, including almost a dozen panorama shots. I picked some of the best ones for your enjoyment. Some of the colors out there at this time of year are intense enough to give you a glorious eye-ache. Enjoy.

The Peel River Ferry Crossing

A Long Straight Stretch

Foggy Tundra

The Gorge, Near The Richardson Mountains

Fall Colors, My Eyes Are Bleeding In The Best Way

Seriously, Its Like Driving Through A Painting

The Marshy Spots Turn Very Yellow

Welcome To The Ukon Border!

It's Freakin' Big Out Here!

Wicked Hillside With Striated Rock Formations

The Foggy Mountains Were Hauntingly Beautiful

Desolate & Forlorn Are Other Words That Spring To Mind

Terry Giving Me His Universal Signal For We Are Leaving, Get Back In The Truck

It's Not Hard To Tell Where The Waterways Are In Fall

The Wide View

More Glorious Greenery

Sky Meet Fog Meet Mountain Meet Tundra

A Large Chunk Of Road Has Collapsed Into A Sinkhole Here

Here's A Close-Up Of The Sinkhole

Early The Next Morning

It's Still Big Out Here!

If You Didn't Know Where We Are, Looks A Lot Like Cowboy Country

Epic Skies

A Vast And Foggy Peak

Josh Looking Out Over The Tundra

Mountains In The Distance Everywhere, And Blankets Of Color

A Lonely Lake, Probably Land-Locked So No Fish..Damn

More Colors, Everywhere You Look The Palette Is Different

These Panoramas Turned Out Fantastic If I Don't Say So Myself!

Sunrise Proper!

More Lush Verdant Green

Another View Of This Large Swath

And Another With Mountains In The Distance

A Foreboding Mountain Peak

Lots Of This Dark Stone Covered In Sea-Foam Green Lichens Out Here

Just A Canyon... A Damn Purdy Canyon That Is!

Tundra Plants

Close Up Of Dewey Little Plants

So Much Space, Seriously You Could Land A Deathstar Out Here!

Ok, So I Lied, We Did See A Caribou...Well, Part Of One.

So Many Different Colors

I Kept Expecting My Eyes To Get Sick Of The Colors... But Nope!

Another Lonely Stretch Of Road

So Much Farther Away Even Than It Looks

Seriously, Would Probably Take Two Weeks To Reach The Far Peaks

More Mountainous Goodness

We Did A Lot Of Driving Around

Tired And Fed-Up We Left A Bit Early

Back At The Peel River Ferry Crossing

Remember Kids, You Can't Stop The Shocker's!

If you don't understand that last graffiti I'm not about to explain it, but it sure did make me laugh.

Well, that was pretty much it. After that barrage of color, the rest of the world seems a little grey. I don't know where those stupid caribou were hiding, but we did see some tracks. We also seen a grizzly in the distance a couple of times, but not close enough for my zoom lens to show anything other than a brown spot.

Hope you got some enjoyment out of all these!

Until next time,
JJ