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posted: August 3rd, 2018 |
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This page begins with July 3rd and a trip to Upper Grapefruit Rocks, on the Elliott Highway. We had a great time and found an abundance of amazing flowers. After we finished up at Grapefruit Rocks we went back towards Fairbanks and stopped to climb a short distance up the Wickersham Dome Trail. We stopped after maybe 1.5 miles and called it good. In Row 14 we begin a July 17th and 18th trip up the Steese Highway to Twelvemile Summit and then Eagle Summit, where we camped in our canopy on the night of the 17th. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin July 3rd |
As it says up above, on July 3rd we went out to climb Upper Grapefruit Rocks. The trail can be found at about 39 mile on the Elliott Highway. The first shot in this row shows Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), the second photo shows the Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla) and the third photo shows a Northern Groundcone (Boschniakia rossica).
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 July3rd_001_Grapefruit Rocks_EpilobiumAngustifoliumRC |
 July3rd_002_GrapefruitRocks _AquilegiaBrevistylaRC |
 July3_001_GrapefruitRocks _Boschniakia_rossicaRC |
Still climbing towards the top of Upper Grapefruit Rocks, the first and third shots in this row show examples of Death Camas (Anticlea elegans) and the center shot shows another Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla).
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 July3_005_GrapefruitRocks _Anticlea_elegansRC |
 July3rd_003_GrapefruitRocks _AquilegiaBrevistylaRC |
 July3_006_GrapefruitRocks _Anticlea_elegansRC |
Here is one more shot of the Smallflower Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla) and then two shots of Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum). We feared that we had missed the season for this Orchid, but it ended up being perfect timing to find thousands of them at their peak.
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 July3_013_GrapefruitRocks _Aquilegia_brevistylaRC |
 July3_016_GrapefruitRocks _Cypripedium_guttatumRC |
 July3_019_GrapefruitRocks _Cypripedium_guttatumRC |
Here are three more shots which feature the Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum). Isn't this absolutely amazing?
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 July3rd_023_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
 July3rd_029_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
 July3rd_039_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
And here are another three shots of the Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum). Can you believe our good fortune?
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 July3rd_040_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
 July3rd_053_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
 July3rd_054_GrapefruitRocks _CypripediumGuttatumRC |
In this row are three scenery shots which show increasingly zoomed-in shots looking toward Lower Grapefruit Rocks.
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 July3_054_GrapefruitRocks _LowerGrapefruitRC |
 July3_055_GrapefruitRocks _LowerGrapefruitRC |
 July3_085_Grapefruit Rocks_SceneryRC |
Here is a shot of another Spotted Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium guttatum), then a patch of Canadian Dogwood (Cornus canadensis) and finally, an example of Tufted Fleabane (Erigeron caespitosus).
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 July3rd_082_Grapefruit Rocks_CypripediumGuttatumRC |
 July3_086_GrapefruitRocks _Cornus_canadensisRC |
 July3_087_GrapefruitRocks _Erigeron_caespitosusRC |
In first position in this row is another example of Tufted Fleabane (Erigeron caespitosus). The second shot is a scenic shot from the topmost of the Grapefruit Rocks. The third shot is a Northern Green Orchid (Platanthera hyperborea var. hyperborea).
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 July3_088_GrapefruitRocks _Erigeron_caespitosusRC |
 July3rd_101 _GrapefruitRocksRC |
 July3_090_GrapefruitRocks_Platanthera _hyperborea_var_hyperboreaRC |
Here are two more shots of the Northern Green Orchid (Platanthera hyperborea var. hyperborea). The final shot in this row, a Pale Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja caudata), was taken after we left Grapefruit Rocks and started climbing up the Wickersham Dome trail. The Wickersham Dome trailhead can be found at about milepost 28 on the Elliott Highway.
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 July3rd_110_GrapefruitRocks_Platanthera HyperboreaVarHyperboreaRC |
 July3rd_109_GrapefruitRocks_Platanthera HyperboreaVarHyperboreaRC |
 July3rd_117_WickershamDome _CastillejaCaudataRC |
These three shots were taken as we climbed up towards Wickersham Dome. The first shot is a Tall Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum ssp. villosum) and the second and third shots show the Elegant Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja elegans). Isn't it elegant!
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 July3rd_121_WickershamDome_ PolemoniumCaeruleumSspVillosumRC |
 July3_06_WickershamDome _Castilleja_elegansRC |
 July3_08_WickershamDome _Castilleja_elegansRC |
Here is a shot of a Long-Pod Stitchwort (Minuartia macrocarpa) in first position, another Elegant Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja elegans) in second position, and then a scenic shot looking towards the summit of Wickersham Dome. Can you find the tower up on the summit?
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 July3rd_122_WickershamDome _MinuartiaMacrocarpaRC |
 July3_13_WickershamDome _Castilleja_elegansRC |
 July3_21_Wickersham Dome_SceneryRC |
Surely you can find the tower on the summit of Wickersham Dome in the first shot in this row, right? The second shot shows Kazuya at the point where we decided to turn around and head back. We'd already climbed Upper Grapefruit Rocks today, so we felt no need to climb to the summit of Wickersham Dome too.
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 July3_22_Wickersham Dome_SceneryRC |
 July3_24_WickershamDome _Scenery_KazuyaRC |
Here are the final two shots taken while on the Wickersham Dome trail. The first shot shows a Lessing's Arnica (Arnica lessingii) and the second shot shows Pink Plumes (Bistorta plumosa).
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 July3_26_WickershamDome _Arnica_lessingiiRC |
 July3_29_WickershamDome _Bistorta_plumosaRC |
| End July 3rd, Begin July 17th |
On July 17th we headed for Twelvemile Summit and Eagle Summit. It was a chilly morning and it had rained during the night, so we were taking our time and stopped at a nesting platform that was built for the Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) so that they would stop building their nest on a power pole which is close-by. Here is a shot of a young in the nest. We searched in the distance and found the adult in a distant tree, which you can see in the second and third shots.
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 July17_004_Osprey AlongSteeseHighwayRC |
 July17th_001_ Chatanika_OspreyRC |
 July17_008_Osprey AlongSteeseHighwayRC |
Now we have made it to Twelvemile Summit, at about milepost 85 on the Steese Highway. Note the weather, and also note how Kazuya is bundled up in the third photo. It was windy and cold.
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 July17_012_Twelvemile SummitArea_SceneryRC |
 July17_013_Twelvemile SummitArea_SceneryRC |
 July17_015_Twelvemile SummitArea_Scenery_KazuyaRC |
Now we are underway again for Eagle Summit. We stopped along the highway where we saw this Small Blacktip Ragwort (Senecio lugens) which you see in first position. There were also an abundance of Monkshood (Aconitum delphiniifolium) there, as you can see in the second photo. The third shot is a close-up of the Monkshood (Aconitum delphiniifolium).
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 July17_019_AlongHighwayNear EagleSummit_Senecio_lugensRC |
 July17_016_AlongHighwayNear EagleSummit_MonkshoodRC |
 July17th_011_EagleSummit_ AconitumDelphiniifoliumRC |
At this point we have made it to Eagle Summit. The first two shots show the Blunt Leaved Bog Orchid (Platanthera obtusata) and the third shot shows a Sudetic Lousewort (Pedicularis sudetica).
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 July17th_008_EagleSummit _PlatantheraObtusataRC |
 July17th_009_EagleSummit _PlatantheraObtusataRC |
 July17_021_EagleSummit_ _Pedicularis_sudeticaRC |
Here is an example of a Mountain Valerian (Valeriana capitata) and that is followed by another shot of Pink Plumes (Bistorta plumosa). It's now 9:55 AM, so there are a large number of photos which were taken on July 17th on the following page too.
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 July17th_015_EagleSummit_ ValerianaCapitataRC |
 July17th_018_EagleSummit_ BistortaPlumosaRC |
| End Page 1, but July 17th Continues on Page 2 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this adventure, beginning at 10:04 AM. |
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