Before quietly thinking about joining back Anchorage where Mino will take his plane, we still made two beautiful hikes.

1. I initiate Mino to river crossings! This one was only about 32°F.

2. Caribou migration southward began, we see several made fearful by the hinting season opened since almost two months.

3. I never tire of these landscapes…

4. I find other paintings of ice…

5. … that trap pebbles.

6. The next day, we explored a valley north of Antigun Pass to climb a nearby summit.

7. We stop at a pass after a hard climb. The view is gorgious.

8. Mino rests admiring the scenery.

9. Going down, I manage to approach ptarmigans in moult.

10. This one is already quite white…

11. … while the neck of that one just starts to lose its summer color.

12. This end of day still reserve us a beautiful light.

13. VivaLaVida along beautiful granite peaks…

14. … and goes down a large valley.

15. A pond that reflects Chugapak Mountain.

16. Crossing the Brooke Range is really beautiful.

This concludes the report of our visit to the Dalton Highway. We continued towards the Denali where we spent the two last days before Mino’s departure.

17. VLV strikes a pose in an old railway tunnel.

18. Quick “wild” visit (because unauthorized) of a still active coal mine.

19. In a rather aesthetic side canyon.

20. VLV has managed to go up the riverbed to pose in front of the cliffs sculpted by wind and rain.

21. Since it is difficult to realize the size of VivaLaVida on pictures – when seeing for the first time, Mino exclaimed “Oh what a monster!” – I took advantage of her presence to give you the scale. She stands under the mirror..! 😀

22. We are approaching a small lake that will give us a nice camp for the night.

23. The south wind blows in gusts but offers me some sunrays.

24. We sleep on the windy shore…

25. The next day, we explore the mine from the top, after a track more than 35% steep !

26. The fall colors have invaded the forest…

27. … and the tundra.

28. The sky clears as the sun sets down…

29. … coloring the nearby mountains of the last boondocking for Mino.

30. Last colors on the taïga.

That ended the few weeks when Mino traveled in VivaLaVida. She walk the over 180 miles I hiked during these almost six weeks and has cooked me some really good dinners! Thanks to her. 😀

At the time of this writing, I do not know what will be the road ahead yet; so you will discover it in a future update. 😉