Friday, April 11, 2014

Searching for Saxifrage


Earthquake Point is high above China Poot Bay just a couple miles from the Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge. From there, you can see the front and back of the bay and the many channels formed when the tide is out. It’s a beautiful place to watch the water move. 

I hiked there recently to see if the first flowers had bloomed on the slope above the cliffs. To get to the point itself, you have to step over a deep fissure in the bedrock that cracked open in 1964 during a 9.2 earthquake and gave the point its name. Although there were no flowers yet, the south facing slope receives abundant sun during our already long days and will soon be full of Saxifrage. 

Kachemak Bay is a place filled with soft pastels throughout the year, but the flowers of summer interject brilliant colors not seen in any other season. From wild Alaskan iris to sweet smelling roses and a surprising variety of orchids, there are flowers of every shape, size and hue. I’ll go back to Earthquake Point soon to search for the small flowers that make the mountain views even more magnificent. 


 


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