Love the wildflowers! Arrowleaf balsamroot up Kootenai today. :)
 Hanging out with the chipmunks and ground squirrels on this week's hike to Blodgett Overlook. May 2022.      Zoomed in view of the snowy mountains further back in Blodgett Canyon.  Overlooking Blodgett Canyon from above.     Zoomed in view looking down on Blodgett Creek and the trail following alongside.  Zoomed in view of the rushing creek in Blodgett Canyon below.  Love the view from the rocks! :)  It's flower time again. Prairie crocus in bloom on the Larry Creek trail. April 2022.
 I love to see the sandhill cranes! :)   We saw this pair of sandhill cranes just outside the refuge last month. They are quite the interesting birds to see. This last photo is not up to par on the focus, but I wanted to share a pic of the two together, and they didn't stay close together for long.
  This male Brewer's blackbird entertained us while we hung out along the water on a recent Big Creek hike. That is, until we heard a couple of loud gunshots right behind us that caused him to take off somewhere else. I did get a few photos before he left. :)    Driving back from our "check on the owls" trip to the refuge yesterday, I stopped in the road as I questioned, "Was there something up in that tree we just passed?" Of course I had to back up to see, and sure enough, there was a Canadian goose watching us from above. We always seem to see something somewhere. :) "Let the wind blow.... blow as hard as it can." (Song lyrics that came to mind on the trail yesterday.) It really blows on the open Kenai trail at the refuge on windy days!! Which is why we had the trail completely to ourselves. :)  Our view looking northeast with the Sapphire Mountains. The clouds were a stormy blue to the east, and a dreary gray to the west. The in-between felt pretty turbulent.  Our view looking southwest with the Bitterroot Mountains. I really do enjoy this kind of atmosphere. It's such a contrast to the fair-weather-sunny days, adding a different dimension to our experiences in nature. Just a little reminder that God's beauty is all around us, no matter what the weather is currently doing. :)  It was a beautiful, sunny day for our afternoon hike earlier this week. And as a bonus, Jamie and I enjoyed having the trail completely to ourselves. (Except for several deer.)  We had a few small stretches of bare ground, but most of the trail was snow-covered.  Hiking is a rejuvenating way to spend time, any season of the year. :)  In the beginning, you get glimpses through the trees.  Further along the way, things begin to open up for a bit.  Let it blow! The bursts of strong wind felt wonderful in the warmth of sunshine.  Jamie gets a bit blinded with the combination of sunshine and snow.  As the trail comes closer to the lake, the snowy slope merges right into the snowy lake.  The snow deepens the farther in we go. We missed getting photos of the deepest part, though.  The closer we get to the southern ridge near the western end of the lake, the more the sun disappears on us behind the ridge.  <--- Rock Creek and Como Trail junction. ---> (Several lakes are in my plans for a future backpack trip.)  Mounding snow is such a beautiful part of winter.  The inlet where Rock Creek flows into the west end of Lake Como.  The railing on the bridge really shortens with the build-up of snow.  We chose a sunny spot with a view for our break and plopped down on the snow. :)  Late afternoon quickly turns into early evening on our way back out.  I love the play of texture on the snowy lake in the diminishing sunlight.  And the snowy peaks with the glow of fading light are lovely, too.
---------------------- I hope you enjoyed coming along on our little hike in the snow. See you on the next one. :)  A beautiful day in the mountains on a quick 5-mile hike today.
Lots of trees, a bit of snow and ice, and a few glimpses of sunshine here and there. Bass Creek to Brooks Creek. Winter 2021-2022.  Always lookin' for a little bit of mountain fun! ;)
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fitness groupLet me help you get "out here", too. I will soon be offering a hiking related fitness group with coaching and support for getting in shape and getting out in the outdoors more. Stay tuned. :)
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