Scooting up Skookum Butte
It has been 2 years since I have made the short hike to the historic lookout atop Skookum Butte. This time, Vida joined me, well, she rather tolerated me as my hiking speed was limited to a crawl due to a cause of bronchitis and asthma (together in some kind of oxygen-deprived stew of disease). […]
Glen Lake and No Name Lake – Journey through a ghost forest.
The trail was littered with downfall (thanks to last winter’s winds and the trail crews have not yet made it here), but the views – man, the views – were beyond worth a little more effort and a few scraps. Hiking partner Jeff set a brisk pace (okay, the bastard nearly killed me), but we crossed into the Selway-Bitterroot […]
Hiking to the Two Sisters
[sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Two Sisters.gpx”] The Two Sisters are a pair of stone pillars that stand above the Bitterroot River near Lolo, Montana. It had planned almost 2 years since I had last hiked to them. You have a cross the Bitterroot River, which is low at this point in the year.
Hiking Lee Ridge near Lolo Pass
Hiking the little used Lee Ridge Trail 295 starting at Lolo Pass at Packer’s Meadows is faint and steep, and the views and huckleberries are sweet.
Elk Meadows Sunday Drive
Vida and I took a spin to Elk Meadows, Packer Meadows, and, finally, Lolo Pass…a great Sunday drive. The Wildflowers
Kootenai Creek on a cool morning
Kootenai Creek is probably the most used trail in the northern portion of the Bitterroot Range, but if you wake up 0 dark thirty, you can beat the crowd (okay, crowd is an over-statement, 12 people). This morning I had the place to myself, save for Olivia at my heels. Ground is covered quickly on […]
Blue Mountain Lookout above Missoula
Clouds rolled overhead while they release precious few drops of rain. Strengthening light reveal Ruffed Grouse and Snowshoe Hares foraging on the slopes of Blue Mountain, which stands over Missoula. This is my first time hiking the final portion of the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail (or Trail 3.01 for the locals). The trail switchbacks […]
Mill Creek Downhill
Discovered this single track downhill while hiking in the Mill Creek area. Thought it would be fun, and I was not disappointed. A little too steep and a little too fast in places, but hell, it was worth it. Shot with GoPro Hero 4 at 1080 and 60 fps. Apple ProRes 422 HQ is the […]
Onwards and Upwards on McClain Creek
Jeff and I went for a terrific spring hike along the McClain Creek road leading to the Mormon Ridge trailhead, which eventually leads to the apex of Lolo Peak. The weather was unbelievably pleasant with temperatures in the high 50s when we started. It was so warm that I spied the first blue of the […]
Wolves: God’s Perfect Mistake?
The bumper sticker on the truck tailgate reads “Smoke a Pack a Day” with wolves in silhouette with an overlay of scope crosshairs. To the left of this disgusting affirmation of violence is a the ubiquitous Jesus fish emblem. I stood and ponder this display of opposing paradigms illustrated upon the same canvas. One decal […]
Flammulated Owls of Wood’s Gulch, Montana
The other night, Thomas Kallmeyer and I spent the evening along the ridges above Wood’s Gulch near Missoula. The object of our birding quest was the enigmatic Flammulated Owl. Starting shortly after 10 o’clock, the first male began giving his territorial hoot with its distinctive double-tap intro. This first calling owl was high (<50 feet) […]
Coeur D’Alene Salamander – A long time in coming
I remember cracking open the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest, and seeing the enigma – the Coeur D’Alene Salamander. The range map showed that its distribution included northwest Montana. I had never seen one, or even know they existed for matter. I had seen Long-toed Salamanders before and countless numbers of frogs. I learned […]
BAIKAL TEAL near Missoula, Montana
Today while birding along the Maclay Irrigation Canal, just south of the Maclay Recreation Area near Missoula, Montana. Within the canal and keeping company with a pair of Wood Ducks was a pale-headed teal. Upon glassing the presumed teal, it seemed to be a Baikal Teal. I managed to fired off a volley of photos (see below). […]
Great Gray Owl – Naturalist Minute – Ep. 2
Within the maze of ponderosa pine limbs, a gray specter sits silently as it casts an intense gaze my way. A magical experience, finding a Great Gray Owl comes all too rarely to the birder. Like most owls, they make their living by remaining stealthy while night hunting and go unnoticed during the day. The […]
Ponderosa Enigma – The Flammulated Owl
Say goodbye to Otus flammeolus and hello to Psiloscops flammeolus. Flammulated Owls have always been an enigma. They are tiny, secretive, and quite easy to overlook. Take the Flammulated Owl’s historical status in Montana, where the birds went largely undetected until the 1980s. The little, and I mean little, owls tend to live higher in the […]