Blog Posts

spring hike up blodgett overlook. may 2019.

5/24/2019

It was a cold, windy day for our hike up Blodgett Overlook earlier this week, but it didn't dampen the beauty of the views and wildflowers. And the ground squirrels were fun to watch as usual. :)

Arrowleaf balsamroot was in abundance.

This cute little guy played peek-a-boo with me.

Our view as we were getting close to the overlook.

Lovely wildflowers ...

... along the way.

I'm always taking pictures! :)

The little critters ...

... are fun to watch.

Love the views!

Looking into Blodgett Canyon with Blodgett Creek running through below.

Looking back to the Bitterroot Valley.

Because Blodgett Overlook is a shorter hike, we decided to hike up Canyon Creek that day as well, since they share the same trailhead. I will post info and pics of that part of our hike in my next post.

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up kootenai with a moose. may 2019.

5/15/2019

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On another evening hike up Kootenai last night, we were about 3 miles in when we heard some crashing sounds in the brush to our right. We stopped and waited to see what would appear, when this bull moose suddenly came into view. He watched us watch him, not moving on until we did. A wonderful bonus for our after supper hike. Long or short or in between, our hikes are always lots of fun! :)

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mother's day hike to fred burr reservoir. may 2019.

5/15/2019

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A day off in the middle of a stretch of very nice weather, and to the mountains I must go. :)

So we got out for a Mother's Day hike up Fred Burr Canyon to the reservoir -- 10 miles round trip. Beautiful weather and views made it a wonderful day!

I enjoy seeing the little critters ...

... and the snow melt waterfalls on the canyon walls.

My wonderful husband and youngest three girls were my hiking companions for this hike.

I love the aspens!

Maybe a future off-trail destination point?

A beautiful view looking west at the reservoir. May 2019.

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evening hike in kootenai canyon. may 2019.

5/11/2019

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It was too nice out to stay inside after supper, so we headed up Kootenai for a quick little hike. What a wonderful way to enjoy the last couple hours of daylight tonight. :)

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big creek lake. artwork by jamie.

4/28/2019

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This is my daughter's rendition of Big Creek Lake from one of my photos on our backpack trip last year. :)

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sandhill cranes + heron at the refuge. april 2019.

4/24/2019

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On a journey through life together.

I squeezed in a quick drive through the refuge after taking the girls to their dentist appointments this morning and before heading to work this afternoon. We were blessed with the opportunity to watch seven sandhill cranes and a great blue heron in various places along the way. Always fun to see and hear the wildlife. :)

Yes, I'm listening, dear.

Hmmm... is the grass greener over there?

Off to explore new places.

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three trails - one hike. march 2019.

4/2/2019

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The mountains are always calling.

Rocky areas are great places to hang out.

Trail 1: Still on our quest to get more sun and bare ground for hiking this cold and snowy spring, we thought we might check out Ward Mountain. We knew there would be snow to start, but figured we would likely hit dry ground when we got around to the switchbacks going up the south-facing slope. But nobody had kept a packed trail going up Ward this year, so we were sinking and post-holing from the get-go. After a bit of that, we decided we would be better off heading up Sawtooth.

Trail 2: As we followed the trail around the base of Goat Mountain and into Sawtooth Canyon, we had a mix of bare ground and snow. But of course, the farther we headed in, the deeper the snow got, until eventually we decided it was time to turn around once again.

Trail 3: We still had some time left, so we decided to head part way up Goat Mountain to finish our hike for the day. We enjoyed a bit of sunshine, some bare ground and rocks to hang out on, and of course, the wonderful views.

I think it was the first time we have ever set foot on three different trails on the same day. LOL! :)

No such thing as too much time in the mountains. :)

Heading into Sawtooth Canyon.

Enjoying views and sunshine on Goat Mountain.

Looking back to the Sapphires from Sawtooth.

A portion of the Bitterroot Valley and Sapphires as seen from our rocky area on Goat Mountain.

Just a small part of the lower sections of Ward Mountain and Goat Mountain. Roaring Lion runs between.

Looking southeast, the Sapphire Mountains lie on the other side of the valley beyond the base of Ward Mountain.

Thanks for following along on my mountain adventures. I'll see you on the next one...

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wildlife at the refuge. march 2019.

3/30/2019

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A nice sunny day after a streak of dreary ones, and my first thoughts after work are to get in a walk at the refuge on the Kenai Nature Trail. It's a great place to soak up some sunshine while looking for wildlife and enjoying a beautiful view of the mountains.

Some of the snow has definitely melted since our last trip a couple of weeks ago, so we had a good mix of snow and bare ground, along with some standing water and mushy mud. I think it might be possible that spring could have officially arrived.

On today's outing we had the opportunity to see a porcupine, a muskrat, a couple of ground squirrels chasing each other, along with plenty of ducks and geese. :)

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early spring hike on goat mountain. march 2019.

3/25/2019

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We were expecting a sunny day for today's hike, but the weather forecast was a little off. Instead, it was a bit chilly with the overcast skies and wind. But since we still have almost a foot of snow on the ground at home, it was nice to find some bare ground to hike on in addition to the snow.

We came across our first wildflower of the season on Goat Mountain today, discovered our first tick of the year, and enjoyed an abundance of beautiful views.

A buttercup adds a welcome bit of color to the barren landscape.

Looking to the southeast, the foothills of Ward Mountain rise up between the Sapphire Mountains and Goat Mountain.

The entrance to the Roaring Lion drainage runs between Ward Mountain to its south and Goat Mountain on the north.

Goat Mountain has plenty of rocky areas from which you can enjoy views of Ward Mountain and Roaring Lion.

The Sapphire Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the remaining effects of the Roaring Lion Fire of 2016.

As always, we enjoyed today's hike and look forward to our next one. Hoping to find more bare ground as the temperatures continue to rise, and maybe a little sunshine. :)

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ice falls up kootenai canyon. march 2019.

3/19/2019

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Spring is working on coming to our part of Montana, but the mountains will remain a winter wonderland for quite some time.

These ice falls up Kootenai were our destination for today's hike. With no movement or sound, the stillness of the frozen water on the rock creates the feeling of a moment frozen in time.

While we always look forward to our destination, we also enjoy the journey along the way. This afternoon's snowy hike gave us numerous reasons to stop and observe our surroundings, which extended the time it took to get to where we were going.

We spotted a mink's slide path down the opposing hillside and into the creek below, as well as various tracks of critters that had been pretty busy going to and fro.

We stepped over moose droppings in the trail from a cow moose we had seen in the area on last week's hiking/snowshoe trek. (At first it had appeared that she was lying down, but it quickly became evident that she was instead standing in snow up to her belly.)

We observed a waterfall on the canyon wall created by snow melt, which is a common sight and sound this time of year.

And we hiked over extra snow and debris deposited on the trail from an avalanche that had slid from above, over the trail, and continued down the other side of the steep slope until it finished settling into the bottom of the creek. (This had occurred quite recently - sometime since last week's trip in Kootenai.)

Today was a beautiful day with blue sky and sunshine, and as the day warmed up, the trail continued to get worse. The farther we went, the more we were post-holing through the deep snow. But as usual, we enjoyed the opportunity to get out for a hike in our beautiful mountains.

And to our surprise, there were no cars at the trailhead when we arrived (which is very unusual for Kootenai), so we enjoyed the solitude of having the trail completely to ourselves going in.

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