SUMMER DAYS ON ICE

Exploring icefield nunataks in Kluane National Park, Yukon

That afternoon, we strapped on skis and snowshoes and set out across the ice to the Rookery, a nearby nunatak that rewards the effort with panoramic views of the icefields. Amidst a seemingly dead sea of ice, nunataks are like islands of life--rocky mountaintops that protrude through glaciers and harbour living things. Williams pointed out asters, chickweed and clusters of bright yellow Kluane poppies, a subspecies found only in the park. Among the lichen-speckled rocks we found spiders and flies, and several times that day we spotted small groups of swallows navigating through the icefields. While holed up in the rocks for lunch, two in our group spied a hummingbird!