Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels

Eaglets Growing Up

Posted on June 26, 2013 by westerner54

I’ve been watching three eagle nests this spring, and all of them now have eaglets who are getting ready to fledge: the first one is high in a cottonwood and not too easy to see now that the cottonwood has leafed out, but the other two are totally accessible and great fun to watch. The one above is near the little town of Craig, and I’ve been watching the parents patiently sitting on the nest all spring. The nest is a prime example of a Bald Eagle nest: tightly constructed, high in a gorgeous Ponderosa pine, with plenty of soft nesting material for the three juveniles:

Mom on the nest in April

Three eaglets in the nest last week

The second nest is on the Missouri River. There are two young in that nest, which doesn’t seem to be as well engineered as the first one: it always looks to me like it’s about to slip off the branch it’s built on. Earlier this month I caught one of the parents on a branch, with junior showing off a little:

This morning I decided it was time to check out the nest again. When I arrived I could see that one of the juveniles was sitting on the branch where the parent had been last time: progress!

A closer look showed that the eagle was making some pretty odd head contortions:

ouch!

and some equally goofy “wingersizing”:

The sibling soon popped up and they checked each other out on either side of the dead trunk.

Next the sib started a pretty vigorous exercise program of his own, which definitely interested his brother.

I waited quite a while for one of the parents to return with a snack, but no luck. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to see one of these guys make its first flight: how cool would that be?

Posted in Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged Bald Eagles, eagle nests, juvenile bald eagles | 10 Comments

At the Rodeo Part II: “If Jesus Had Been a Norwegian” and Yikes!

Posted on June 19, 2013 by westerner54

The Wilsall Rodeo started with a dandy performance from the slightly math-challenged Ringling 5. You’ve no doubt heard their top ten song “If Jesus Had Been a Norwegian.”

There are not so scary moments during a rodeo – although I’m not sure the calf would agree!

But there are an awful lot of “yikes” moments. I seem to spend most of the rodeo in terror for either the stock or the riders, but it sure is exciting. Photographing the action seems to help – when I’m focused on getting the shot I’m not so focused on clutching my poor husband’s shoulder when a cowboy gets in trouble!

(By the way, check out the dudes in the background. Great hats, great belt buckles. They didn’t just make up that Marlboro man.)

Posted in Life, Montana, Outdoors, Photography | Tagged Montana Rodeo, Rodeo, Wilsall Rodeo | 20 Comments

At the Rodeo Part I: Youngsters, Not-So Youngsters, and One Heck of a View

Posted on June 17, 2013 by westerner54

Wilsall, Montana, June, 2013

Posted in Life, Montana, Outdoors, Photography | Tagged kids at the rodeo, Montana Rodeo, Wilsall Rodeo | 8 Comments

Does This Bear Spray Make Me Look Fat? Accessorizing for Glacier.

Posted on June 13, 2013 by westerner54

I bought a new canister of bear spray this year, since my old one was one we’d found along the trail a few years ago, and I really wasn’t at all sure that it would really work when I needed it. And I do believe that if you need your bear spray, you really need it to work.

So I went with this basic black model, which is quite chic and rather slimming, don’t you think? I even gave it a test spray, and yep, it works.

Glacier National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and it was particularly beautiful this past weekend, as you can see when I take myself out of the picture:

We arrived at Many Glacier Campground on a windy Friday afternoon. The grand thing about camping in early June in Glacier is that the campground was delightfully uncrowded, and the hotels in Many Glacier weren’t yet open, so it’s a special time of year. The sun was going down behind the mountains, and some weather was rolling in.

From our campsite we watched mountain goats and bighorn sheep on the hillside above us.

It rained that evening, but the next morning we woke to clearing blue skies,

and my husband’s breakfast special: fried potatoes and eggs with plenty of green chilis:

Yum…

We planned to hike to Grinnell Lake, but first Bill had to challenge me to a bear spray shootout.

He’s such a Montana boy. Wisely, I didn’t let him draw on me.

The hike is gorgeous, of course. Later in the year you can go all the way to Grinnell Glacier, but now the route is blocked by snow.

Along the way we ran into a handsome spruce grouse and we spooked an elk with a tiny new fawn:

No bears, but there was some very fresh scat in the middle of the trail that definitely got my attention!

Does a bear poop in the woods? No! On the trail!

After our hike we decided to try out the Cut Bank Campground on Saturday night. It’s a small campground at the end of a 5 mile gravel road, so we hoped it would be even more empty than Many Glacier. And it was – there was only one other camper there. He was an interesting guy, too: he was getting ready to man the Scalplock Lookout for the summer, a job he’s had for thirteen years. Not a bad life.

On the way to Cut Bank we pulled off the road to eat lunch, and discovered that Yogi had already claimed the spot! He seemed to like watching us as much as we liked watching him.

Cut Bank is the trailhead for the hike to Triple Divide Pass: a divide where the waters flow in three directions: to the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. We hiked just a short way up the trail, but it’s definitely worth a return visit.

The views from the campground aren’t too shabby, either.

I’ve had my morning coffee in a lot of incredible spots, but this has got to be one of the top ten.

The flowers are just starting to bloom. In a couple of weeks the lupines and sticky geraniums will add even more color to these meadows.

I’ll leave you with a final peek from one of the many ever-curious ground squirrels. This guy was a little too brave, so let’s hope he’s still around!

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Travel | Tagged bear spray, Cut Bank Campground, Glacier National Park, Many Glacier Campground, Yogi bear | 10 Comments

A Montana Morning on the Riverbank

Posted on June 6, 2013 by westerner54

I’m sitting on the bank of the Madison River: morning sunshine warming my back, yellow warblers flitting through the willows along the shore, a lone osprey making his way up and down the river looking for breakfast in the muddy river, and a kingfisher calling his rattling call as he too tries to fish: this is one of those perfect moments when time seems to stop. The memory of that moment will stay with me forever; a place I can head to whenever I find myself in a less idyllic, more stressful place.

In the distance a group of pelicans takes off, slowly circling the river, hoping to catch a thermal, but the morning hasn’t heated up enough and they gradually drift off to the west.

The green grass and the soaring cottonwoods along the bank are heaven after the grays and browns of a long winter.

The warblers are just happy to be a part of the day: they zip from bush to bush, and zoom along the bank just inches from my feet. Occasionally one stops long enough for me to get a picture,

or to quizzically check me out, looking for all the world like an Easter Peep:

The osprey hovers above the river, using precious energy to stay in one place so that he can try and scope out a fish in the rain-swollen waters. He has no luck, but he does catch the attention of a second osprey, who doesn’t want him on this part of the river.

Through it all, a lone sandpiper continues his hunt in the shallows, oblivious to the mini-drama that just took place above his head.

And me? I just sit, and watch, and soak it all in.

Posted in Birding, Life, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged Madison River, Osprey, Yellow Warbler | 12 Comments

Lone Ranger Wannabes and Other Silly Birds

Posted on May 31, 2013 by westerner54

These dudes think they’re so clever.

Like they think I won’t notice that they’ve totally ripped off their “disguise”?

You know they’re up to no good – planning a heist or a bird-napping.

Maybe if I go behind this branch she won’t notice me…

What? She’s still there??

OK. Don’t look at her.

Just be cool.

And the hairdos that some birds come up with are just to die for.

Yep. I’m the dude.

Nope. I’M the dude, dude.

Need some gel.

That’s better.

This darn wind…

Then there’s the just plain silly ones. Honestly, what’s with these bills?

And there’s always one guy who thinks he’s really sneaky.

I bet she can’t see me under this leaf.

And of course the good old-fashioned angry birds.

Gotta love ’em.

Posted in Birding, Humor, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged Cedar Waxwings, Horned Grebe, Merganser, Mountain Bluebird, Red Crossbills | 12 Comments

Prairie, Lake and Sky: Solitude at Freezout Lake

Posted on May 28, 2013 by westerner54

Solitude can be hard to come by on a holiday weekend, even in sparsely populated Montana. But we found it, in the wide open prairie at the edge of the Rocky Mountain Front: Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area. The migratory birds have mostly passed through, but the ponds and lakes of the area are still teeming with life – at least the non-human kind. We were the only people in sight.

The landscape is raw and beautiful, and the weather always takes center stage.

We’re the only campers in a vast landscape:

We watch as a storm rolls in…

while across the lake a sliver of sunlight shines on the valley.

But the clouds – and the sky – still dominate the land.

In the still of the late evening, a lone falcon makes her way along the lake shore.

And a Marbled Godwit stands perfectly still on the shoreline, until I get too close.

And a perfect day ends.

Posted in Camping, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged Freezout Lake, Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area | 10 Comments

Yellowstone: The Usual Suspects and a Surprise or Two

Posted on May 13, 2013 by westerner54

This fellow is one of the usual suspects: his name is Scarface, and I’ve seen him before in Yellowstone. He’s over twenty years old, with a mangled right ear, and..yes..a scarred face from too many run-ins with other grizzlies. I’ve only seen him from the road, which is just fine with me: coming around the bend on a trail and meeting this particular face is not on my bucket list. But it’s pretty exciting to watch him lumber across a meadow in the setting sun.

One of the great perks of living in western Montana (and being retired!) is that I can wake up on a Monday morning, check the weather, and decide that the time is right for a short jaunt to Yellowstone to see what critters are around. I did just that last week, and had a glorious three days. No wolves, although I knew they were around, but lots of other great activity.

My first evening I took a picnic supper out to one of my favorite spots to sit and watch: Slough Creek. There were plenty of wolf watchers on the hill behind me, so I knew something was going on, but no one was down on the little hill that I like to stake out. As I settled in, I saw dirt flying out of a ground squirrel hole about a hundred feet from me. As I got closer the digging stopped, and all was quiet. I sat and watched, and after about 5 minutes this guy popped up:

So cool. He posed in triumph for a few seconds, and then headed off to bring dinner to his family:

And badgers were definitely a recurring theme. The next morning I stopped by some more wolf watchers, and as they were all peering across the valley I spotted another badger right at our feet.

Those badgers were a couple of nice surprises, for sure. Another surprise for me was how photogenic the wolf watchers can be:

Later that day I watched a coyote trying to get something from an old bison or elk leg. He worked and worked at it, but I can’t believe there was much meat left for him.

I watched him until he wandered off, but then saw him about a half a mile away with some large piece of booty in his mouth. He was so far away that I couldn’t get a decent photo, but here’s what I got:

Any idea what that could be? Maybe a piece of old bison hide? I needed someone with a good scope!

The weather was gorgeous, so I decided to just hang out by the Blacktail Ponds for the afternoon. Good choice. As the afternoon wore on the critters seemed to come to me: a Sandhill Crane (alone and with a beautiful Yellow-Headed Blackbird), a moose, and a big old black bear. An American Avocet even posed with a pair of Cinnamon Teals in the background.

Just glorious.

OF course, even without the wildlife, Yellowstone is glorious:

Posted in Adventure, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Travel, Wildlife, Yellowstone | Tagged American Badger, grizzly bear, moose, Yellowstone, Yellowstone animals | 36 Comments

The Osprey has Landed

Posted on May 10, 2013 by westerner54

When I’m photographing birds, my hope is that my picture will show the true spirt of the bird I’m seeing. It’s not easy. But sometimes I feel like I’m getting close.

(I’m participating in The Prairier Birder’s “Feathers on Friday” meme. Check it out at http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/)

Posted in Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography | Tagged Montana, Osprey, Osprey and nest | 16 Comments

Solitude in Zion: Not on Angel’s Landing

Posted on May 1, 2013 by westerner54

The National Parks are certainly not lax about warning the public about the dangers that we will encounter within their borders – even cactus! – and Zion is no exception. Warnings about falling from cliffs seem to pop up every time you turn around.

Not surprisingly we all become a bit blase in the face of these constant alarms. There is at least one hike, however, where the warnings are truly deserved. At the bottom of the hike up Angel’s Landing, there is a small brown sign with small letters: “strenuous climb, narrow route with cliff exposures, hazardous during storms, darkness and ice/snow conditions”. Not even one exclamation point! It’s as if a designer advised the park service on the value of tasteful understatement in their warning signs.

Not that I really think a sign would make much difference; the hike up Angel’s Landing seems to become more crowded every year. It really surprises me that this trail has not become one that requires a permit, but that hasn’t happened so far. Here’s an example of the crowd starting up this scary trail:

As for me, I don’t need a warning sign to tell me that this hike is not for me. The first time we hiked the West Rim Trail I was more than happy to sit at Scout’s Landing and wait for Bill to climb to the end. And one time was plenty for him: climbing a narrow fin of rock a thousand feet in the air with hundreds of your new best friends is just not his idea of a wilderness experience.

Here is a view of Angel’s Landing from further along the West Rim Trail:

And some folks on the top:

The Park Service has put up chains along the route to “help” the hikers. I can all too easily imagine myself frozen in fear while clutching one of these chains, and causing one heck of a massive traffic jam while we wait for the helicopter rescue.

The view from the top is dandy, but I don’t think anyone does this just to see the view.

The hike beyond Scout’s Landing is definitely more up my alley. As is always the case, the crowds thin out dramatically, and you can once again feel that you’re out in the wilds instead of standing in line at an amusement park.

About 3/4 of a mile after Scout’s Landing, you can hike over to a point that looks down on Walter’s Wiggles. The wiggles are a series of 21 tight switchbacks that lead up to Scout’s Landing, and they are quite an engineering feat.

After 4.7 miles and 2500 feet from the valley floor you reach Cabin Spring, which makes a good destination for a long day hike, or you could camp at one of the backcountry campsites near the spring. We did that a few years ago, and it was a great trip.

Cabin Spring is on top of this mesa. (You can see the spring dripping down the cliff side in this photo.)

The trail is cut into the side of the cliff. I’m just fine with a drop-off as long as the trail is nice and wide like this one is. (But it’s no accident that I’m not hiking on the edge!)

The view from the top of the rim:

And our campsite. See the Duraflame log on the ground in the background? Someone with more brawn than brains hauled that up there. And then didn’t even use it. I mean, it’s illegal to have a fire there anyway, but if you’re gonna haul the thing up, wouldn’t you at least light it? And a fake log? Really?

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Outdoors, Southwest hikes, Travel | Tagged Angel's Landing, West Rim Trail, Zion National Park | 38 Comments

Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels

Eaglets Growing Up

At the Rodeo Part II: “If Jesus Had Been a Norwegian” and Yikes!

At the Rodeo Part I: Youngsters, Not-So Youngsters, and One Heck of a View

Does This Bear Spray Make Me Look Fat? Accessorizing for Glacier.

A Montana Morning on the Riverbank

Lone Ranger Wannabes and Other Silly Birds

Prairie, Lake and Sky: Solitude at Freezout Lake

Yellowstone: The Usual Suspects and a Surprise or Two

The Osprey has Landed

Solitude in Zion: Not on Angel’s Landing

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