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 This isn't exactly wildflowers, but I do love the aspens too. :)  Thimbleberry blossom with some remaining raindrops.  Indian paintbrush. Always such vibrant colors to brighten things up!  And lots of lovely lupine! Another quick hike in the mountains today.
And always something to see. :)
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 Last week's trek up Big Creek was Megan's pick and included a plethora of blooming trillium, one of her favorite flowers. (It's been so nice to have her join us on hikes again as she regains her health and strength after her long and arduous medical ordeal these past few years.) I was also in tune to noticing the many various textures nature has to offer along the trail on this hike. Thought I'd share some of it with you. :)      As trillium ages, it turns from white to pink to purple. Interesting to see the color changes. :)  Love this texture!  Always walking the logs. :)  The few remains of an old tree.  Fresh new leaves. :)  Woodpecker holes in a standing dead tree.  Interesting creature reaching up to the sky. ;)  Another interesting tree creature with two eyes and a snout. Do you see it? Lichen always adds interesting texture to the trees.  New tree growth.  Lovely color! :)  I love the color and texture of the various mosses and lichen.  Big Creek has a lot of lichen hanging in the trees. Always fascinating to me. :)  See you on another Out Here mountain adventure. :)
 Having a bit of fun with my camera settings on a quick morning hike up Kootenai earlier this week. Mountain wildflowers are blooming and the water is rushing!       Whether a short hike or a long one, we always enjoy time spent in the mountains! :)
Our recent snow has melted off again now, but here is a little video of what things looked like here in the Bitterroot Valley just a few days ago. :)
 View of Ward Mountain on our hike up Goat Mountain a few days ago.  From our spot up on the rocks, we were looking down on a mountain bluebird below.  I'm not sure what he was looking down on below him. A little video on our spring training hike up Goat Mountain.
 Winter camping can be more challenging than the other seasons of the year, but I've discovered it can still be a lot of fun when the weather isn't too severe and you go prepared for cold weather and with the right mindset for it. :) I'd been planning to get out earlier this winter, but for one reason or another, and another, it just hadn't been working out for us. When the upcoming forecast was again showing an incoming winter storm on my days off in mid-February, I was tired of waiting and decided to just go anyway. So Jamie and I packed our gear, knowing we would likely have some wind and snow. I can't say I was looking forward to the possibility of wind, but I was actually hoping for some fresh snowfall. We embraced the weather and had some winter camping fun!  No driving to our camp spot, so we parked and walked in.   We got a late start and spent the majority of day one setting up camp and gathering firewood, so I only got a few photos of surrounding views before it got too dark.    We were able to gather plenty of wood to cook and stay warm. Last pic for the night.  The snow was starting to move in more on day two.  Looking east, only a bit of the creek was showing through.  The creek was mostly covered looking to the west.  The snow gives a foggier look to the cliffs.  The later it got, the more the snow really started moving in on us. We packed up camp and went for a hike before heading back home.  We had a blast hiking in the snow, like so many of our winter mountain adventures. :)  No shortage of views and fun along the way! :)        Eventually the melting snow on my camera lens was messing up my intended photos, but I thought the effect on this last one was a bit interesting. And the fresh snowfall I had been hoping to get made our whole experience extra awesome -- despite being quite soggy by the time we headed for home. :) __________________________________________
On this camp trip, I decided to make a goal to get in at least one camping or backpack trip per month. We had a blast on our mini-backpack adventure in March, and I'm still making plans for this month, so keep your eye out for more to come. :)  Making time for the little things. :) Got out for a little walk and campfire up on the mountain with my family today.  We enjoyed a partly sunny day overlooking the Bitterroot Valley and Sapphire Mtns.
 Going through some of last year's pics...
Autumn view of a snowy mountain peak in the Bitterroot Mountains. The beauty of God's creation is all around! :)  Yesterday's hike in the Soft Rock area ... looking over the trees on the east side and across the valley to the Bitterroot Mountains on the west. Como Peaks, Lonesome Bachelor, and El Capitan are some of the peaks that can be spotted from here. :)
This was a quick hike, so I didn't take time for many pics. I have more photos to share in a future post from previous hikes in this area.  A little day hike into Mill Creek Canyon last week.  Soooo beautiful! What more can I say?  It's a loooong ways up! Makes me feel like rockclimbing. A little too cold for that right now!  Entering the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness a couple miles in.  Love the rocky cliffs! :)  We headed up to a mostly bare rock field for a little break.  Cliff views up behind us from our break spot in the rocks.  Our view looking further up the canyon from where we sat. The surrounding snow is deeper than it looks when you get off the mostly packed trail. We did some post-holing through the snow to get up to the bare rocks. Sometimes, you do what you gotta do. ;)  The rock field we chose to hang out in had some nice sunshine for a bit, but once the shade moved over us, it was time to get moving again! Winter is great for hiking, but our breaks tend to be a little shorter unless we take enough time to have a fire. :)
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authorNikki Weiss 
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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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