Fog Day

I woke up to a thick blanket of fog covering my Mom's house this morning. It reminded me of many many mornings back in my former 'geophysicist hiking the north' days. Fog was always a welcome sign in the morning if the job was helicopter supported. You can't fly a helicopter in the fog. Often it would mean a few hours of downtime while it burned off and cleared up. Sometimes it would last all day and you could get a nap and recover from the long days you had been putting in. Foggy days are the most quiet in the remote places I worked. The fog muffles any sounds made by streams, birds, even the sound of your generator if it was far enough from camp.

The only time fog was a problem was if you were many miles from camp and it was close to the end of the day. Fog in late afternoon could mean the helicopter would be unable to pick you up and you would be spending the night in the cold outdoors. If there were trees you would be building a fire, if not you would be relying on a survival bag with tent to help keep you warm.

Anyway, it was nice to see fog this morning and not have to worry about making it home at the end of the day.

Here are some of my favorite fog photos from my 3 years in the wilderness.

Fog over a river near Baker Lake, Nunavut Fall 2008

Fog hiding in valley behind camp outside Ross River, Yukon

Fog at a mine site near Lac De Gras, Nunavut

Looking down from the Mt Roberts Tramway in Juneau Alaska

Valley full of fog near Rainy Pass, Alaska

Bits of fog that haven't burned off near Rainy Pass, Alaska

Flying just over the fog near Rainy Pass, Alaska

GeoMama