Early risings are one of the few benefits of jet lag. This morning I rouse Aki at 4:30 to walk the Flume. This wooden channel runs through old growth spruce along the lower slopes of Mt. Juneau, carrying water to a small hydroelectric plant near our grocery store. It bridges the old Perseverance Mine Road and a street that will bring us back to Chicken Ridge. This morning we have it to ourselves.

Bears, deers and ravens own these early morning hours. Aki walks a respectful distance behind me on the trail which usually means she smells something large and wild. At first we walk with caution but only see ravens and squirrels that tease Aki from the safety of high tree limbs.

Grey has replaced blue in the sky but on this morning it gives peace not disappointment. The past few days of hot sunny weather have melted much of the  mountain snow and the resulting runoff fills Gold Creek and pulses beneath our feet in the Flume. The sound carries away any concern I might have about bears with cubs and I stop frequently to look for feeding deer.  The woods along the trail cut off most views but we still manage to see the Mt. Juneau waterfall through a closing gap in the alders.