Today the BIObus crew set out to do some hand collecting on a woodland trail. It was a drizzly morning, but we managed to uncover some crawling insects from beneath logs and under bark at the sides of the trail. After a few hours of collecting, we became curious about Taylor Lake, which was located at the end of the 6 km trail. We figured that the lake might have some interesting insect fauna, so we set out on the hike. The hike started out fairly easy, but as we got further, the trail took an unexpected turn”…up. Without realizing, we had begun a march up a 600m slope to a glacial lake that was near the top of the mountains. The climb felt left us with a burning, yet not unpleasant sensation in our butts and legs, but once we hit the snow, things got a little more difficult. Being June and all, we had not expected to need winter boots, however up in the mountains, the snow was waist deep in some areas. We all ended up at the top, winded, hungry, and with cold wet feet.
Despite our little complaints, when we saw the lake, they were immediately forgotten. Taylor Lake was a scene taken straight from a postcard. The mountain peaks surrounding the small lake were perfectly reflected in the glassy surface, and the sun reflected brilliantly off of the snow. After we finished snapping shots, we noticed an abundance of insects around us, even on the cold snow surface. We were a little too cold and tired for more collecting, but we did notice many flies and spiders dodging our feet as we trudged back toward the path.
To top it all off, we had the pleasure of looking a bald eagle in the eye as he or she swopped right past us. What an epic day! I’m sure our sore gluts will remind of us our adventure tomorrow.
~Carlene
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