Allison Stocks
WHISTLER, CA
Member since January 30, 2021
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Lynx's last look
This was the last photo I took on our Yukon trip in the summer - we were driving south from Dawson City to Whitehorse in the early morning to catch our flight home. We’d already seen an Arctic Fox trot past the car on the gravel shoulder of the highway, and I was still lamenting the missed photo opportunity when we saw a gangly creature crossing the road up ahead. In the glare of the morning sun I couldn’t tell exactly what it was - honestly my first thought was a baby moose. I must have been drowsy because we quickly recognized it as a lynx, and I nearly screamed because I had wanted to see one so badly. We pulled over and I managed to snap this shot of the fuzzy feline as it coolly surveyed us from across the road before ducking into the forest a few moments later.
Well hello there!
We spent much of our trip on the Yukon's Wind River straining our eyes trying to spot Dall’s sheep on the surrounding slopes; most of the time we just spotted white rocks. When we were hiking, we’d be following the sheep’s well worn paths up and down the mountains (thanks for breaking trail, guys!) and avoiding lots of their droppings. Yet the sheep themselves remained elusive... Finally, one day in the middle of the trip as we descended from our longest hike, we spotted a group of eight sheep crossing an alluvial fan hundreds of metres below us. We hoped desperately that they were heading towards the same slope we were on, and kept straining our eyes for a glimpse of them as we quickly descended. We were nearly at the base of the mountain and I’d almost given up hope of seeing them, but I veered left in a final attempt at intercepting them. I’d only walked for a minute or so when suddenly, a single head poked up from the ridge in front of me. Ecstatically, I started rooting around in my bag for my camera. When I turned around, all eight beauties were staring straight at me. I snapped a few shots before they spooked and quickly scampered up the mountain and out of sight. It became one of my favourite moments on the trip!