It was late winter when Aki and I first found the Mendenhall River swans. A family of four were feeding in the mouth of the River. After that we usually spotted the foursome while cross country skiing down the river. As the winter progressed we also saw true transient swans. They were jumpy compared to the resident foursome.

            Last May, another Juneau hiker told me that the foursome spent the entire winter surviving in the winter river drainage In hopes of spotting them now, I lead Aki down the river, careful not to slip on melting beach ice. But we see no swans. We see no birds, no deer, only melting snow and falling rain. 

Aki and I are having a beautiful, if strange visit to the Fish Creek Delta. Unblocked sun pounds down on wetlands exposed by a low tide. Three men wearing masks cast lures into a tiny section of the lake not covered with ice. If there were still fish there, they show no interest in what the men have to offer. 

            On a beach along Fritz Cove, two guys wearing high end hunting gear sit in nice folding chairs.   A small scattering of duck decoys floats just offshore. The resident mallard ducks are too far away to be shot by these guys. With their retrievers, they wait for something shootable to fly close enough to kill.

            I am wondering whether this is a closed hunting area when a small collection of Canada geese appears just north of us. After spotting Aki and I, they fly in a wide arch around us before heading toward the waters of Fritz Cove. Their route takes them close to target range for the two human hunters. One fires three shots at the geese, who manage to fly away to safety.