Category Archives: Hiking

Malheur Wildlife Refuge

Posted on January 5, 2016 by westerner54

Originally posted on Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels:
I’m standing on the edge of the Blitzen River, watching – and being watched by – a pair of Northern Harriers.  I think they must have a nest nearby,…

Posted in Hiking | 6 Comments

The Montana Bird Project

Posted on December 8, 2015 by westerner54

Sounds impressive, eh?   Surely The Montana Bird Project has the sponsorship of the Nature Conservancy or Audubon.   It even sounds like there are concurrent projects going on in every state, all leading up to a whiz-bang finish: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Photography | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Up Coyote Gulch: In Through the Crack in the Wall and Out the Scary “Sneaker Route”

Posted on October 14, 2015 by westerner54

I’m clinging to a sandstone fin, a hundred feet above Coyote Gulch.  Stuck.  Can’t go up, can’t go down, should be able to creep sideways, but that would involve looking down, and I don’t think that’s a good idea. Well. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking, Nature, Southwest hikes | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments

Six Days in Grizzly Country: A Backpack in the Scapegoat Wilderness

Posted on August 6, 2015 by westerner54

If you’d told me twenty years ago that my 61 year old self would even think about spending six days backpacking in grizzly country, I’d have laughed you out of the room.    Wasn’t gonna happen.    I wouldn’t even consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Backpack to the “Not Unduly Spectacular.” Curly Lake, Tobacco Root Mountains.

Posted on July 18, 2015 by westerner54

I’m trudging up the steep trail to Curly Lake, thinking – somewhat crabbily – about the Montana Hiking guide’s description of Curly Lake as “not unduly spectacular.”  I haven’t been there, and right about now I’m wondering why we chose … Continue reading →

Posted in Backpacking, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Bigfoot in the Park and Other Wonders of Glacier

Posted on July 11, 2015 by westerner54

Yep.  Bigfoot.  Just check out the Montana Road and Recreation Atlas.  I’m not making this up.   So get out there and look for him! After Bigfoot hunting, head to the west side of the park to the Polebridge Mercantile … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Travels with my Coffee Cup

Posted on July 7, 2015 by westerner54

My coffee cup has had a good life. And it ain’t done yet.

Posted in Camping, Hiking, Life, Montana, Outdoors, Southwest hikes, Travel | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Spring in Yellowstone? How Can You Tell?

Posted on April 8, 2015 by westerner54

Blowing snow, blowing wind….freezing my tush off.  Springtime in Yellowstone. A ghostly coyote wanders through the blowing snow.   I don’t imagine he’s too impressed with the weather, either. The trade off, of course, is an empty park.   And … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Wildlife, Yellowstone | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Beware the Pesky Glochids and Other Tips from the Desert Southwest

Posted on March 9, 2015 by westerner54

Cacti have spines.  I know that.   I mean, it’s really pretty obvious. What I didn’t know until too late is that some cacti have really tiny spines: so tiny that you don’t notice them.  It would have helped to know … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Nature, Outdoors, Southwest hikes | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Tracking the Toughest Critter Out There

Posted on January 16, 2015 by westerner54

Grizzly bears are some bad ass critters, no two ways about it.  But pound for pound, the wolverine wins the One Tough Critter contest, hands down.     And it’s not just because they’ll take on animals many times their … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments