Part 6

There were clouds, a sprinkle or two of rain, and a little sunshine on the 26th; wind brisk to moderate, southwest to west; temperature, 36° to 47.5°; ground becoming practically bare. Three Caribou were seen beyond Little River, and a doe and a fawn on the south side of Windy River.

The 27th was mostly cloudy, with a thick snow flurry; wind brisk, northwest; temperature, 33° to 40°. Two tundra ponds, previously frozen, were mostly open. Three bucks, a doe, and a fawn were noted on the south side of Windy River.

September 28 was mostly cloudy; wind brisk to light, north-northwest; temperature, 28.5° to 40°; a little snow on the ground disappearing. Seven large bucks (six in one band, moving northward) passed over Camp Ridge, and a dozen other Caribou (including does) were seen beyond Little River.

The 29th was chiefly sunny; wind very light to brisk, west to southwest; temperature, 29° to 48°; ground bare. A band of about 15 Caribou appeared on the north side of Windy River at its mouth. They included four large and two smaller bucks, the remainder being does and fawns. They were apparently traveling south.

The 30th was cloudy, with a sprinkle of rain; wind light, westerly; temperature, 39° to 48°; ground bare. A few black flies were brought out by the mild weather. During an all-morning trip to Point Lake, Charles saw no Caribou, but in the afternoon he reported about 200 on the eastern side of Little River. There were also half a dozen bucks on the south side of Windy River.

October 1 was a rare, fine, sunshiny day in the Barrens; wind moderate to brisk, south to southwest; temperature, 37° to 61°; ground bare; tundra ponds mostly ice-covered. A blowfly crawled over a caribou carcass, and possibly a few black flies were abroad. Two bucks passed from the shoal water of Duck Bay over Little River Ridge. Charles reported about 40 Caribou moving north a mile or two north of camp, and I saw a single buck likewise engaged. During the preceding week or so Fred had seen a good many of the animals between the upper Kazan River and Nueltin Lake; they were moving south and west.

The 2nd was another clear day; wind moderate, southwest; temperature, 41° to 65°; ground bare. About five does and fawns were seen at dusk in the spruce tract near Four-hill Creek.

The next day was drizzly and foggy throughout; wind light, southwest to southeast; temperature, 41° to 43.5°. No Caribou sighted. Eskimos arriving in camp reported them scarce along the way from the upper Kazan River.

October 4 was a dismal, dark day, with steady light rain throughout; wind very light, easterly; temperature, 36° to 42.5°. Fred reported 20 Caribou north of camp.

Snow fell throughout the 5th; wind light, north-northwest; temperature, 31° to 35°. No Caribou sighted.

With 6 inches of snow on the ground in the morning, there was some additional precipitation during the overcast day of October 6; wind moderate to brisk, northeast; temperature, 31° to 33°; waters clear of ice. No Caribou sighted.

October 7 was a generally cloudy day; wind moderate to very light, northerly; temperature, 24° to 29°; watercourses largely open. In the morning Charles reported a couple of hundred Caribou swimming southward across Windy Bay; he considered this a part of the final southward movement into the timbered country--apparently initiated by the recent snowstorm. Later he saw an approximately equal number 2 miles north of camp, moving toward the bay; and Fred encountered about 50 on the north side of the bay.

Late on the 8th clouds gave way to sunshine; nearly calm to a gentle breeze from west and southwest; temperature, 26.5° to 33.5°; 6 inches of snow on ground. I obtained a distant view of about 100 Caribou resting near Glacier Pond. Perhaps less than a quarter of them were old bucks; the remainder, younger bucks, does, and fawns.

October 9 was largely sunny, with light rain in the evening; wind light to moderate, southwest to south; temperature, 29° to 38°; ground with a 6-inch snow covering. No Caribou sighted.

Some snow fell on the 10th, though the day was partly sunny; wind very light, south to west; temperature, 33° to 36°. No Caribou sighted.

Clouds prevailed on the 11th; wind no more than very light, westerly; temperature, 33° to 38°; about 4 inches of snow on ground. Charles reported about a thousand Caribou scattered over a long hill several miles to the northwest; they were not traveling.

October 12 was marked by clouds, mist, and rain; wind light to moderate, southwesterly; temperature, 32° to 40°. No Caribou sighted.

There was a little sun on the 13th; wind light to moderate, west to east; temperature, 37° to 45.5°; ground largely bare and tundra ponds open. In the afternoon we set out for Simons' Lake, and camped about 4 miles up the Windy River. No Caribou sighted.

On the 14th we reached the upper end of Simons' Lake, for a several days' stay at a deserted trading-post. There were snow flurries and a little rain; wind brisk, westerly; temperature, 35° to 36°; ground mostly bare. A band of about 15 Caribou, a solitary buck, and many tracks and droppings were seen along the way.

October 15 was partly cloudy; wind very light to light, west to northwest and east; temperature, 21° to 36°. Four Caribou sighted.

October 16 was a stormy, cloudy day; wind brisk, easterly; temperature, 30.5° to 34°. About a dozen Caribou were noted in the vicinity of Simons' Lake.

A strong easterly gale during the night, with heavy rain, was followed during the day of the 17th by steady rain, with moderate to light easterly or southeasterly wind; temperature, 35° to 38°. A single Caribou seen.

October 18 was partly cloudy; wind brisk to light, westerly; temperature, 31° to 41°; waters open; some small patches of snow in sight. Four Caribou (at least two of them bucks) passed by.

The 19th was partly cloudy; nearly calm to moderate wind, west and northwest; temperature, 30° to 40°. About five or six bucks (three of them together) appeared, perhaps moving south.

The weather on the 20th was raw, dismal, and gusty; wind brisk, northwest; temperature, 27° to about 35°; some ice on Simons' Lake; a little fresh snow on higher hills. No Caribou sighted.

October 21 was somewhat foggy; nearly calm; temperature, 25° to 32°; Simons' Lake partly frozen; ground generally bare. A lone fawn was seen as we started on the return trip to the Windy River post.

The 22nd was largely sunny; wind very light to brisk, southwesterly; temperature, about 30° to 46°. A medium-sized buck was seen near the mouth of Windy River.

The 23rd was largely cloudy; wind brisk, southwest; temperature, 35° to 39°; ground practically all bare; bay and river open. A buck started to cross to the north side of Windy River, but went back.