Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels

Main Street

Posted on April 13, 2012 by westerner54

Bisbee, Arizona

Miles City, Montana

Helena, Montana

East Helena, Montana

Livingston, Montana

Sometimes I need a reminder to stop and see the wonders of my own neighborhood, and I appreciate bloggers who — Thoreau-like — keep their focus small and remind me to do the same. Two of my favorites are Some Little Crum Creek and Walks Under the Trees. They both focus on the geography of smaller places, and each new post is energizing.

Yesterday we returned to a section of the Missouri River that we hike so often that I sometimes forget how gorgeous it is. It’s a short three-mile hike below Hauser Dam and Beaver Creek, favored by fishermen and bald eagles, and….me.

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged Beaver Creek Montana, Hauser Dam, Missouri River, Montana, Montana hikes, river hikes | 10 Comments

From Xi’an to Fez

Posted on April 6, 2012 by westerner54

Hauling a 5 year old to the middle of China for 4 months can have its drawbacks, I supppose. But looking back on it these many years later, I can’t remember what they are. And now that the 5 year old is a wonderful, curious and adventurous 27 year old, she’s providing us with grand excuses for trips to exotic locales.

We taught English in Xi’an, China for the fall semester of 1990. As a result of the student protests and the tragedy of the massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989, foreigners were few and far between in Xi’an in 1990. In our very large university, there were a total of three English teachers. There were no other families.

But our intrepid child fit right in. My students adored her, and she attracted crowds whenever we did anything:

Look at that girl! She's eating! Will she like it??

This constant attention had its traumatic moments, but the experience did instill in her a love of travel, and a most wonderful curiosity about the rest of the world. When she started college she was determined to learn Arabic, which has meant that we have had the benefit of visiting her in both Tunisia, and, just last spring, Fez, Morocco.

Lillie had been living in the Fez Medina for seven months when we visited last April. The medina is winding labyrinth of tiny streets, lined by ancient houses, hidden souks, mosques, medersas and cafes. It’s a large walled city with no motor vehicles (because of the narrow, narrow, streets) but thousands of mules and donkeys. Finding your way through the medina is a huge challenge, and it was a number of days before we were brave enough to start exploring on our own. And even with her good directions, we were lost within 10 minutes. But what a wonderful place to get lost in. The sounds, the smells, the medieval scenes around every corner…it is stunning.

My daughter's house is at the end of this "street"

neighbor next door

View of the medina from the roof of the house. Lots of living takes place on the rooftop terraces.

Talaa Kebira, one of the main streets in the medina

The grown up 5 year old buying us a chicken for dinner

And the chicken later that night!

And the sounds as well as the sights of the medina:

Posted in Adventure, Africa, Morocco, Photography, Travel | Tagged China, family, Fez, Morocco, travel, Xi'an | 7 Comments

Spring in Yellowstone: Critters and Empty Roads

Posted on April 2, 2012 by westerner54

A handsome black wolf stopping by to check out the campsite is a pretty auspicious start to a weekend in Yellowstone, don’t you think?

We arrived at the Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone at about 6:00 on Friday evening. We set up camp, and while Bill was getting out the chairs, I walked down to the pay station to make us legal. I put the envelope in the box, turned around, and was stunned to see a beautiful black wolf strutting down the road toward our campsite…only a hundred feet from me! Amazing. We’ve seen wolves many times in Yellowstone, but rarely this close, and never in a campground.

I watched him go around the bend, and then hurried back to the campspot, hoping that Bill had not missed this sight. He hadn’t….not by a long shot. He had just set out the chairs and sat down with a whisky and potato chips when the wolf trotted past, stopped, turned, and stared intently at Bill. He said it seemed like it was for minutes, but was actually only seconds. The wolf then turned and loped off down the road.

Of course, neither of us had a camera anywhere close.

I do, however, have a video of three wolves from the Canyon Pack that we took in the fall of 2010 in Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley. I think this beautiful black wolf could be related to this pack, since one of the adults in the pack was black. Or….who knows? Here’s the video, which gives you a good sense of how self-assured and regal these animals can be:

What a great start to the weekend.

March is a dandy month to visit Yellowstone, especially if the weather cooperates even a little. There just are not many people in the park in March. There were only two other campers in the Mammoth Campground (which is why the wolf was taking that particular shortcut, I’m sure) and the roads are beautifully car-free:

Lamar Valley in March

Three bison had apparently died by the Blacktail Ponds last week, and we watched a coyote and some ravens finishing up the last of what must have quite a feast for the wolves and bears. The coyote didn’t seem at all nervous, so I’m sure the wolves were long gone. We’ve watched coyotes sneak into a wolf-kill, and if the wolves are anywhere nearby, they are constantly on guard. This one wasn’t worried at all.

And the nearby bison were clearly no longer stressed:

That afternoon we saw more coyotes, bighorn sheep, and an elk who didn’t like me looking at her.

Anyone who’s been to Yellowstone will recognize the buffalo blocking the road problem!

Then, we saw the black wolf again. We’d chosen a spot on a hillside to sit and scope out the surroundings. We didn’t see much, and were just relaxing when he ran across a meadow about a 1/2 mile away. Actually, I can’t be sure it was the same wolf, but it was a lone black wolf, and he sure seemed to be on a mission. The spot was gorgeous, and deserves a picture:

We finished the day with a crabby Clark’s Nutcracker who wanted better snacks than we had, a walk along the Gardner River, and a soak in the Boiling River. No return visit from the black wolf, but we won’t forget him.

Posted in Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel, Wildlife, Yellowstone | Tagged adventure, bighorn sheep, Camping, coyotes, elk, Montana, wolves, Yellowstone, Yellowstone wolves | 27 Comments

Snow Geese in the Fog: Shades of White and Gray

Posted on March 26, 2012 by westerner54

Freezeout Lake, Fairfield, Montana.

Seventy-thousand of them, and it looked like we’d get skunked and not see a single one. We’d arrived later than we wanted because of the dense fog that was blanketing central Montana. We parked at a spot on the north end of the lake, and glassed the area: lot of ducks and tundra swans, but no snow geese. We wandered around a bit more, ate our sandwiches, and ended up at a field at the south end of the lake, where we finally saw a few coming in for a landing:

More and more came:

and more….

until the field was covered. Thousands and thousands of them.

Hard to see, I know. But they're there.

We watched for an hour, and then decided to move to a spot on the other side of the flock so that we’d be in a better location when they all decided to take off for the lake. We found a hidden dip in a shelter belt of trees. After another half hour, the geese decided it was time to go.

Wow….

wow…wow…

WOW!

I ended up just putting the camera down and reveling in this incredible moment. I’m not a good enough photographer to do it justice. But it was one of those moments when time stands still…those experiences that remain crystal clear, with or without the photographs.

Posted in Adventure, Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged birding, Central Montana, Fairfield Montana, Freezeout Lake, Montana, Montana wildlife, Snow Geese migration | 8 Comments

Montana’s Gravelly Range: Camping in the Sky

Posted on March 24, 2012 by westerner54

The Gravelly Mountains of southwestern Montana are certainly not a roadless area, and plenty of ranchers run cows and sheep on them during the summer. But they’re one of our favorite car-camping destinations, especially in late July when the wide meadows are packed with wildflowers. Lupine, indian paintbrush, sticky geranium cover the hillsides, and you can find campsites with views that go on forever.

Last year we found the perfect spot looking out over the Madison River Valley. Thunderstorms rolled in during the afternoon, but the sun broke through toward evening, and a double rainbow arched over our camper:

I know, it looks like an ad for either the pickup or the camper. No apologies, though – I do love our little pop-up camper. Here’s a picture without the ad:

Ranchers hire sheepherders from South America who spend the whole summer in the high country watching the sheep with the help of their horse and dogs. We usually run into one or two of them as we wander around:

This really is a wonderful – and pretty much off the beaten path – area. I’m pleased that when I’m too old to carry a backpack for a long distance, I’ll still have beautiful spots like the Gravelly Mountains that I can reach by car. And when I’m too old to even go by car, I’ll have these pictures!

Posted in Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged Gravelly Mountains, Montana camping, sheepherders, summer flowers, summer in Montana | 7 Comments

Into Grizzly Country: Half Moon Park in the Scapegoat Wilderness

Posted on March 21, 2012 by westerner54

I’m afraid of grizzly bears. Especially at night. In a tent. In the wilderness.

And, as I’ve mentioned earlier, this fear has kept me from backpacking in Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks. It’s frustrating, though — Montana is full of gorgeous hiking destinations, and lots of those destinations are both in grizzly country and farther than I can go in a day.

Half Moon Park in the Scapegoat Wilderness is one of those places. The Scapegoat is one of my husband’s favorite places, and my fear of bears meant that I’d only been able to explore around the edges. So, a couple of years ago I made a decision that I really am quite proud of. I agreed to go on a 4 day backpack with my husband and two other friends to Half Moon Park. My only condition was that we had to bring enough bourbon so that I could have a shot to help me sleep each night.

The route to Half Moon Park from the Crown Pass trailhead usually takes two days of hiking, following Green Fork Creek. But husband Bill and friend Jim had discovered a “shortcut” to Half Moon so that we could get there in one day. One long day. “Shortcut” has since become code for “a pretty darn stupid plan that only men would call ‘short’.”

The trail took us up and over Crown Pass, then along Straight Creek. The typical route follows Straight Creek and then heads back on the Green Fork to Half Moon Creek. The shortcut cuts off that reverse by going up and over a ridge and down to Half Moon Creek, following game trails.

Crown Pass

It didn’t escape me that bears would also like to follow game trails…but there were four of us, and we made plenty of noise, so we didn’t surprise any animals at all. Naturally, we got a bit lost along the “shortcut”, which added more up and down. After about 10 miles we came out in the long valley that leads to Half Moon Park. I was getting pretty tired, and wasn’t paying close enough attention to where I was putting my feet, and I ended up tripping in a gopher hole and giving my ankle a painful twist. Luckily I could still walk on it, so I hobbled the last couple of miles to Half Moon Park. Usually I am nicely revived by the reward of getting to a beautiful spot, but on this night, I was simply wiped out. Bears were still in the back of my mind, but the front of my mind was pretty fully occupied with exhaustion and pain from my ankle. So I was in luck!

We set up camp, ate dinner, and stored our food out of the reach of bears:

I didn’t even wake up in the night when a deer was sniffing around our tent. In the morning I could appreciate what a lovely spot it was:

Half Moon Park

Looking down into Half Moon Park

The next day we planned to climb Scapegoat Mountain, and once my ankle was tightly tied in my boot I actually felt pretty good. We headed off along a creek that lead to a ridge. Along the creek we saw plenty of bear scat, and tracks, but no actual bear.

Yikes

Since I was "wounded", I got to be pack-free!

I didn’t make it to the top of Scapegoat, though. My ankle was not feeling too great when we got to a plateau partway up. So Bill and I had a nice lunch break while our friends went to the top. And I wasn’t even too worried about bears up here…there really wasn’t any reason for them to be up here, and we would have been able to see them from a ways off anyway.

Not a bad lunch spot. I think I was still kind of worried about bears, though...

We camped a second night at Half Moon Park, and the third day we headed down the Green Fork to our third campsite. This hike was just 5 or 6 miles, and fairly level, so it wasn’t too taxing. Our campsite the last night was not as idyllic as the one at Half Moon, and I was pretty alarmed when I walked down the trail a bit and came upon a very fresh, very large, pile of bear scat. Clearly the bears liked this trail too.

I'm worrying about how many bears will be stopping by during the night.

Bill and I had put up our tent pretty close to the trail, but after I found the bear poop I made us move it behind some fallen logs, so at least I’d be able to hear the bears as they tried to get into our tent!

I had my bourbon that night, and do believe I slept an hour or two, anyway. Didn’t actually hear anything even remotely scary.

We hiked out the fourth day, and ended with a lovely dip in the creek at the trailhead. No bears sighted, but as we were getting ready to leave we noticed a hummingbird nest with two baby hummingbirds in it! Truly magical.

Can you see the babies?

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged backpacks, Camping, Crown Pass trail, fear of grizzlies, grizzly bear, Half Moon Park, Hikes, Montana, Scapegoat Wilderness | 26 Comments

The pugnacious Pyrrhuloxia and a fancy Flycatcher

Posted on March 17, 2012 by westerner54

A couple of dandy Southeastern Arizona birds that never make it to Montana. Love the birdbook description of the Pyrrhuloxia’s “pugnacious beak”, and the Vermilion Flycatcher is just all around dashing. The flycatcher was at the Slaughter Ranch near Douglas, and the Pyrrhuloxia was at the San Pedro conservation area.

Posted in Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Southwest hikes, Travel | Tagged Arizona birds, birding, pyrrhuloxia, San Pedro Riparian area, vermilion flycatcher | 3 Comments

The Crazies

Posted on February 29, 2012 by westerner54

Hiking Montana, by Bill and Russ Schneider, rates the climbs in their book on a scale that starts at Category 5 and ends with Category H. Category 5 hills are defined as “a slight upgrade, while Category H hills are ones “that make you wonder if the person who laid out the trail was on drugs. Any trail with a Category H hill is steeper than any trail should be.” H stands for “horrible.” Category 1 hills, on the other hand, are merely “lung-busting and calf-stretching.” Personally, I don’t equate busting a lung with stretching my calf, but there you have it.

Because the Crazy Mountains are steep, they have their share of Category H and Category 1 hikes. Two of my favorites are the hike to Cottonwood Lake, which starts from the west side of the mountains, and the hike to Glacier Lake, which starts from the east.

Rocky, steep Crazy Mountains

The six-mile trail to Cottonwood Lake is steep and rocky, but the real grind doesn’t start until the third mile or so. And believe me, when the guidebook says that a climb will “stretch my calves”, you can be sure that in my mind that grade is definitely a category “H”. Especially if I’ve got 35 -40 lbs. on my back. The last time we did this hike we actually spooked a black bear at the top of the steep climb, but I was so tuckered out that my only response was a tired grunt. The bear, on the other hand, had plenty of energy, and ran hell-for-leather straight uphill.

There are some lovely campspots about a mile before the lake, or you can camp closer to the lake. And, you often have the whole area to yourself.

Cottonwood Lake

Moonrise from the campsite

The hike to Glacier Lake starts on the east side of the mountains, from the Big Timber trailhead. The first three miles or so to Upper and Lower Twin Lake are a nice gradual climb, and the lakes are a perfect spot for a lunch break:

Twin Lakes

The trail then starts a 2,000 foot climb to the pass above Twin Lakes. It’s switchbacked, so it doesn’t move into a Category H climb, even for me, but it’s definitely a tough climb. The last time we were there it was early September, and both whortleberries and huckleberries were ripe, which provided an excellent distraction for me as we made our way up the switchbacks: