I left this morning at 4 AM to go for a trip down in the Alaska Range. Purpose of the trip was to look for Wolves or Wolf sign. The miner that works a claim out the trail is hauling equipment into his mine. He has dozed out the trail with a D-8 Cat, and it is like driving on a highway. I was running 45 to 50 mph all the way on the snowmachine this morning. The trip to the cabin normally takes three hours, 32 miles. This morning I made it in less than an hour. Saw lots of Moose, several Lynx, and many flocks of Ptarmigan.
When I got to the cabin, no one had driven into it recently. The trail leading to it was totally snowed in. As I approached I saw what looked like someone had waded through the snow into the cabin. The tracks came from out of the woods, and were massive, sinking a long way down. They had been made since it snowed last Sunday night. As I approached near the cabin I stopped and got off so I could look down into the tracks. I froze, when I saw the long claws attached to the foot print. The tracks went to the front door. They led into the cabin, with no tracks coming out.
Last year someone broke out both windows in the cabin so we nailed plywood over them. It's dark in there, and only one door. Logs are 12 to 14 inches, so they are substantial. Dirt Roof, 12 to 18 inches thick, with three feet of snow on top of that. The only way in or out is through the door, or knock off the plywood. We have a spring on the door to keep it closed. I walked around the cabin, tracks going in the front door, none leaving. My .223 Ultra seemed very little, so I got on the snow machine and went else where. This Bear is out and moving early, not a good thing. Means it is sick, or hungry. I'll check next Monday to see if it has left. No way I'm going in till there is a good set of tracks going out.
Rode over 160 miles today, saw few wolf tracks. The ones I did see were 75 miles in. They were heading up to the top of the ridges. Snow drifts too deep to climb up there. Since the trail was in such good shape and I had covered so much ground without seeing the sign I was looking for, I decided to come on back home.