This should be called the season of the ground squirrels, as they have emerged to sun bathe and yell at us for trespassing. This one has a brilliant reddish stripe down his forehead.

Along with the squirrels are the ptarmigan, they have descended upon this area in the hundreds of thousands. I did take a picture of a huge flock, but it looked like nothing more than bumpy snow. This guy is running his fastest to get by me, on furry claw feet.
Some creeks never fully freeze over, such as this one. We stopped and checked for fish.
This time of year the weather is either blindingly bright or solemnly overcast. Your eyes get tired after a while from staring at endless whiteness.
Here you can see part of the village....and behind it you can see down 'Big Contact' valley. We were high up a opposite mountain enjoying the veiw and some roasted caribou ribs over a willow fire....as a bunch of kids flew down the side in bright plastic sleds and the more adventurous adults tried their hand at snowboarding