The fireweed began blooming in early August. As the month progressed, the bloom rose higher and higher on the stalk, until hitting the very top. In the last week of August, I noticed many of the fireweed had gone to seed, with no more blooms on the stalk. This is the progression of late summer. We often say that when the fireweed finishes it's bloom at the tip of the stalk and goes to seed, then summer is over.
It has not felt like the end of summer yet, though. Throughout most of August, the temperatures were hot and summer was in full swing. We went swimming a lot, even lounging in the water at times. Our friends Randy, Tracy and their kids Gabe and Owen came for a visit.
Early in the month, Susanna got out on a 4 day, solo backpacking trip, covering a little over 40 miles. During that time, Jasper and I went out on several long, day outings, exploring the local rocky shorelines and playing in the water. Later in the month. in between wind storms, we got out on two different overnight canoe trips. The first was to Daisy Farm and the second (in the very end of August) to Moskey Basin.
I love this time of year. The mosquitoes are gone, the colors are starting to change, the weather is still warm and sunny (good for swimming!), the grasshoppers are clicking away in the brown grasses on the ridges, the blueberries and thimbleberries are fantastic...
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| Susanna at the start of her solo backpacking trip: Siskiwit Bay |
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| The wild interior |
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| That was a big one! |
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| Sunrise at Threemile Campground |
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| Jasper playing in the water at Daisy Farm |
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| Sunrise at Daisy Farm |
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| Exploring the cliffs and rocky formations on the outside of West Caribou Island |
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| Jasper happy to play with his friends! |
