We enjoyed watching the swans on our mid-winter, rainy day walk at the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge today. There's always something to see ... and take photos of. :)
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We enjoyed watching the swans on our mid-winter, rainy day walk at the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge today. There's always something to see ... and take photos of. :)
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A few pics from a quick little hike up Fred Burr. Hoping to see a moose up here again, but not this time. The only set of tracks ahead of us in the fresh snow on this trek were possibly coyote? Always on the lookout for whatever we might get a chance to see. :)   Heading east on Soft Rock Road to hike up Chaffin Butte for sunshine and views.  Just enough snow to conceal the "C" in the earlier part of the day.   The clouds stubbornly hung around the Bitterroot Mountains. Full views another day.  Getting up to cloud level on the east side.  As we hike up, the trees become smaller and more scarce, opening up the views.  Looking down on a small piece of rural Montana.  Stopping to enjoy the changing views along the way.  You can see so much along the way up ... it makes for slow progress!  Up and up we went. The actual top remains out of sight from here.  Only a few small trees on the upper portion ... a hot trek in summer!  Getting a bird's eye view of the gentle rolling hills of rural Montana.  Another little glimpse of rural Montana in the middle of open expanses of land.  View looking further east.  So much to see from the top!  A closeup look at some of the mountains as the clouds shift for brief views.  Looking a bit cold back in the canyons. We picked a little warmer place for this hike. :)   Looking west over the valley to the Bitterroot Mountains on the other side.  Heading back down in the warming sunshine.  It doesn't take long for the sun to do its work when the clouds allow. We started out with early winter...  ... and two hours later ended with late fall. ;) As we got back down, the "C" became visible from beneath the melting snow. It was another good day for another good hike.
-------------- Thanks for following along on my mountain adventures. See you in the next post. :) Kenai Nature Trail at the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, December 21, 2019. A mix of mild temps, increasing clouds, a bit of wind, and changing skies.  Little Saint Joe and Saint Joseph Peak.  The swans are all tucked in for a little nap. Funny how they sleep.  Under the Big Sky.  There are a couple of boardwalks on this trail for crossing marshy areas during times of high water.  The continually changing light and clouds add interest to our late afternoon, early evening walk.  The layering effect of the clouds behind this lone tree fails to escape my eye.  The swans are awake and active again.  Much of this trail is in the open with a long panoramic view of the Bitterroot Mountains.  Discussing past and future destinations.    Saint Mary's Peak with a partial reflection in the water.  A downy woodpecker gives us a farewell on our way back out. Looking forward to longer daylight hours ahead. :)  Having fun on the mountain with my first telemark ski lesson on the road. A little different than cross-country skiing. Baby steps for me, as I'm out of my comfort zone again. :)  Some of our earlier snow had melted off during a warm spell, so we started out driving on bare ground, then hit ice where it had rained and frozen recently (time to put on tire chains), and eventually got to snow as we continued to climb in elevation.  At various places along the way while driving up the mountain, the view opens up to the valley below and the Sapphire Mountains on the other side.  Driving through a hallway of bushes and trees makes it interesting. We didn't get our ski rack put on for the season yet, so we had to put the skis inside. It was kind of a tight fit, but it worked. :)  St. Mary's Mountain has two main roads with a connecting road that runs between. The road to the right goes to the trailhead. We took the road to the left to ski. You get a view of the peak and fire lookout tower from the switchback road that runs between.  Up, up, and up we go. Where we'll stop, we don't know. (We've been to the end before, but we're not sure how deep the snow will get.)  Overlooking Big Creek Canyon with Ranger Peak disappearing in the distance.  Not much room for turning around or meeting vehicles on the upper part of the road. Gotta be prepared for backing up if necessary.  View of the ridge between Big Creek and Glen Lake.  As the road gets narrow up high, the bushes and trees tend to stick out in the way a bit. (Sometimes much more than just a bit.) You can't be too picky about getting roughed up a little if you come up this far, as the mountain is likely to leave its mark on you. :)   We made it to the end of the road without the snow getting too deep for us. Time to give my tele skis a try. :)
I was a bit nervous starting out (afraid of falling and tearing my MCL's again), but I had fun learning to ski back and forth down the road. Jamie's a pretty good teacher. :) 
Eventually we got back to the icier part of the road and had to stop for the day. I'm definitely looking forward to getting back out for my next lesson. Lots more to learn, and lots more fun to come! :)
My friend, Dana, and I had planned a hike well over a week in advance, but as it got closer to the day, the weather forecast didn't sound very exciting. It had been quite some time since our schedules matched up to get out in the mountains together, so we went ahead and got out for our hike and campfire anyway.  Hiking + a campfire + roasting marshmallows = a fun time in the mountains!  With a mix of rain, snow, and graupel coming down on us that day, everything was pretty wet and there was definitely a very damp chill in the air. But... we had a good time. Sometimes you just gotta get out there anyway. Don't let the weather stop you from having fun! :) A cold, snowy hike up Mill Creek for a bit after work this afternoon/evening to end November. Below are a few random photos. The views are always beautiful! :)  
   We drove up to Gold Creek to check out a couple of possible trails for a short day hike. We were thinking about hiking up to Eagle Point, but by the time we hit the end of the road, we were in a pretty good snowstorm. After discussing our options, we decided to head back down to the Gold Creek Trail near the campground a couple of miles back where it wasn't snowing nearly as much. I'm not quite ready for full on winter mode yet. ;)
 Cold weather mountain adventures are not complete without a campfire. To enjoy our time out in the mountains a bit longer after cutting our hike short, we decided to head back to the campground for a campfire. It sure felt nice in the cold!  A little blustery back there. The weather was definitely better heading back to the valley.
 A mixture of sunshine, clouds, and silhouetted surroundings is always a fascinating combination.  Sheep on the east side of the valley with the Bitterroot Mountains behind, looking into Kootenai Canyon. Things don't always turn out as we plan when we head out to the mountains. I certainly didn't plan on getting hurt this trip and shortening our hike because of it. But we always find a way to adapt and have a good time. :)
Enjoying the views on the way up.   A bit windy on top, but gotta get a few photos anyway.     Close up view further into Sawtooth Canyon.   Time to head back.  Beautiful golden grass in the late afternoon sunshine.
 Looking back across the valley to the Sapphire Mountains on the east.  Overlooking the road to Roaring Lion below. 
 A bit of sunshine momentarily lit up these trees against the dark clouds behind as we drove into the refuge.  I love this tree at the visitor center as you head to the Kenai Nature Trail. Photo by Jamie Weiss.      I'm always taking photos. And so is Jamie. :)  The Kenai Nature Trail offers a splendid view of the Bitterroot Mountains.  The mix of clouds and sunshine were continually changing as we walked along taking photos.  The clouds and the sun had quite a battle for a bit, but in the end the clouds won.    It's always fun to watch the swans and other waterfowl at the refuge. 
 A nice view of Little Saint Joe. The views from the top of this mountain peak are incredible! :)  Geese in flight. Photo by Jamie Weiss.  As it was getting late, the geese and swans were hunkering down for a little shut-eye. |
authorHi! I'm Nikki Weiss, and I'd like to invite you to follow along with me "Out Here". 
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