Cruising through the Ninemile Valley
Vida and I decided to take a quick cruise through the Ninemile Valley (located west of Missoula) to hike the Grand Menard Discovery Trail (actually more of a stroll) and fly the DJI Phantom 4 over a few of the picturesque meadows of the valley. The meadows were covered with common camas, meadow buttercup, and […]
Chaffin Butte – Is It a Summit???
Chaffin Butte or the “C” Hill stands above Corvallis and is accessed via an easement through private property. The flanks of the hill are covered with big sagebrush and scattered stunted ponderosa pine. The soils are rocky and dry, and the plant life can be likened to those communities found in the Big Hole Valley […]
Awesome Spring Hike – Bear Creek Falls
Taking full advantage of the terrific spring weather on Saturday, we hiked to and beyond Bear Creek Falls on the Bitterroots. Only a short and relatively easy 1.5 miles from the trailhead, Bear Creek Falls is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. I have made the trip to this […]
Spring Arrives in the Rockies
This past weekend was definitely the start of the Montana spring with sun, rain, and snow…you know, spring in the Bitterroot. The Lee Metcalf NWR was alive with Great Horned Owls hooting and Red-winged Blackbirds carrying on.
First Wildflower of 2017 – Sagebrush Buttercup
Woke up this morning with a vision of a buttercup in the snow. I rushed out to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, and intensely survey the areas under ponderosa pine. And what did I find? That’s right a Sagebrush Buttercup, and as one of our earliest bloomers, it is generally my first wildflower of the […]
My First Isolation Float Tank Experience
Well, I went for my first float in a float pod at Enlyten Lab in Missoula on the Hip Strip. The experience generated a slew of experiences from boredom to self-realizing exhalation. The float tank itself is a sensory deprivation environment where you receive no input from sight, smell, sound, or sensation. Floating in a […]
Bass Creek Falls Hike – Winter Edition
We did this hike last year, but with considerably less snow. It has really dumped this year in the Bitterroot Mountains, and the Bass Creek drainage is under a blanket of the white stuff. Were we deterred? Oh hell no, Jeff and I made relatively good time to the old log dam where I flew […]
The Trump Control-Alt-Delete on Climate Change
President Trump hit the reset button on government dissemination of climate change information and further research into the issue. The Climate Change page was stripped from whitehouse.gov and the EPA has been ordered to removed all references to global climate change. The government is actually denying science from its own agencies. There has been a […]
Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge – Christmas Bird Count 2016
It was that season again…not the holidays, but the Christmas Bird Count season. Joined by Tom Forwood and Bob Danley at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. We explored the back areas of the Refuge that are typically closed to the public, and we turned up 56 species through a long day. the highlights included […]
Sweathouse Falls Hike – Winter Edition
Sweathouse Falls has always been my favorite water in the Bitterroot Mountains with its stream falls off a sheer face. Another reason that this hike is among my favorites is its relatively little use (i.e. no people). This time around, Jeff and I hiked to the falls with a fresh layer of powder snow. As […]
Rock Creek and the Welcome Creek Suspension Bridge
The other day, I was wanting to fly the DJI Phantom 4 drone at a new location, so decided on driving 14 miles up Rock Creek (east of Missoula, Montana) to video the Welcome Creek Suspension Bridge. The bridge crosses Rock Creek as a major access to the tiny Welcome Creek Wilderness Area. In fact, […]
1st Day of Winter at Glade Creek, Lolo Pass
The first day of winter and the sunset suggests a slightly longer day than the one before. I flew the DJI Phantom 4 over Glade Creek at Lolo Pass to capture the Seussian play of pillows of deep powder snow and low angle light. Grab the image below to view a 360-degree immersive images. [vrview […]
Wallman Trail – Rattlesnake Recreation Area
Winter hiking offers the bundled hiker the opportunity for solitude and challenge. The solitude comes from the lack of other intrepid souls and the snow dampening any ambient sound. The depth of the snow and unsure footing creates a scenario that can be challenging, especially when breaking trail on a steep slope. So, we took […]
The Waterfalls of Blodgett Canyon
The last time I hiked through the deep Blodgett Canyon, it was nearly 90 degrees and the sun was brutal. This time, winter was starting to creep into this ancient glacially-carved drainage. Blodgett Canyon is home to towering granite cliffs, gigantic moraine boulders, and 2 dramatic waterfalls. The falls are relatively close to one another and they […]
Sawmill Trail 24.1 – Rattlesnake National Recreation Area
Once again, we headed into the Rattlesnake national Recreation Area for an 8-mile loop hike on the Sawmill Trail 24.1 and down Curry Gulch. The day was absolutely brilliant with warm temperatures and bright sunshine. The trail basically gains a ridge and follows that ridge all the way to Stuart Peak, but we turned off […]