Yellowstone Trip

Yellowstone National Park, Montana and Wyoming

Quick trip to take the grand kids to see some of the sights in Yellowstone. Started with Old Faithful and the walk around the geyser basin. Old Faithful did its thing but just wasn't as impressive as I had made it out to be. They did like the other parts of the basin though. And the ice cream.

On the way to the cabin we were staying in there was a big traffic jam. A herd of bison had decided to  hang out near the road. Caia took a good picture of them.

Fire and s'mores were a great hit. Highlight of the day. I have to do better on day 2.

We spent the morning of day 2 hiking and exploring the canyon and falls. Morning wildlife was a chipmunk by our route. Falls were impressive and they really liked the views of the canyon. I'm getting better.

After a hike around the Artist Paintpot area of the park we went to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. They liked seeing the bears...

...and this little rodent.

More fire, s'mores and the evening was a good end to a good day. Then it was the last day. Went to the Norris Geyser basin where someone had lost a hat. Caia made out like it was her hat. Cute photo!

Next stop was the Mammoth area with its unique look.

An elk just decided to take a siesta right in the middle of the lawn by the main headquarters. Can sure tell this cow elk has never been hunted.

Last stop was at the big stone gate at the north entrance. They had more fun climbing on the rock walls around the main entrance than should be allowed. Then it was time to drive home. Good short trip. I hope it wet their appetite for more trips in the years to come.

Scalplock Mountain Summit

Glacier National Park, Montana.

Pretty morning after the clouds of last night. Thought the snow would be less on Scalplock Mountain so off I went. Beargrass was really showing itself in a mass bloom and it continued most all the way to tree line.

The water crossing at Ole creek was high. If the swinging bridge wasn't in I would have had to turn around. Lots of snow melting, with lots more to come in the next week or two of warm weather. Can't tell from the photo but the water was more than waist deep. Had to wait for the bridge to stop swinging to be able to take this picture.

Most of the miles going up are in the trees so only fleeting views of the surrounding mountains. Once they do start to show the views are really impressive. This view is looking into the heart of Glaciers south end.

The final few hundred feet with the Fire Lookout Tower in view are pretty bare. One thing about this tower...it has the most solar panels on it of any fire tower I have seen.

Found the USGS summit marker this time. Didn't find it the last time I was up there.

Yoda has been my travel buddy all week, so I finally took his picture on the railing of the tower. He travels a lot without any effort. Must be using a Jedi mind trick on me!

After enjoying an early lunch with the great views, it was down the mountain and back to my vehicle.

Had planned on staying another night in West Glacier but by the time I got there all the campgrounds in the area were full. Called it a trip and headed home instead.

Firebrand Pass, Elk Calf and Flat Top Mountain Summits

Glacier National Park, Badger-Two Medicine Proposed Wilderness Area, Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana

Broke camp first thing in the morning and left Two Medicine. On the way out of Glacier I stopped to see Running Eagle Falls. Such a short hike from the road to the falls, it is always worth it. So much water was coming over the top of the falls you can hardly see the water coming from the middle. Still pretty no matter what the water conditions are.

I headed for the Lubec Lake trailhead and the trail up to a Goat Survey site below Firebrand Pass. As I got closer to the pass, the clouds built up and a bit of rain fell. After an hour spent looking for Mountain Goats I packed my stuff up and headed back down to the trailhead.

While there was a shortage of big animals, lots of these ground squirrels were about. This one stayed pretty close. If he was looking for a snack from me he was disappointed.

Lots of little plants growing. This is a tough place to eek out an existence. I like how the plants grow right on top of each other even though there is plenty of space to spread out.

I decided to go from Marias Pass and head for Elk Calf and Flat Top Mountains in the Badger-Two Medicine area. The area I was in is still recovering from the Skyland fire from many years ago. Had to get around lots of trees to get up to the ridge. This photo shows the relatively clear scramble I had along the ridge.

And there was some talus towards the summit. Saw some pika and heard more calls from them as I climbed through the area.

I didn't expect a marker on top of Elk Calf Mountain, but I found one. At least it had half of the name on it. They all seem to be done differently. Half the fun in finding them is to see what they will say.

Lots of flowers blooming in the open space left by the fire.

I thought it only fitting that there was Prairie Smoke growing in the old burn.

After Elk Calf I went the 2+ miles up and down along the ridge to get to the summit of Flat Top Mountain. It really did have a large flat summit area. After checking all the rocks on top I determined this was the highest and therefor the true summit of the mountain.

From the summit it was a quick cross country down to where I had left my vehicle. After all day running around I was looking forward to some dinner.

Two Medicine Lake

Glacier National Park, Montana

After a great morning getting my training for Pika, Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep surveys it was off to do some survey work. Was done by dinner time and with so few miles covered I decided to walk around the lake. Lots of flowers in blooming everywhere.

Saw this caterpillar taking advantage of the flowers as well.

So much beargrass in bloom. Thought it set off the peak nicely.

Liked this view of Painted Tepee and Grizzly Mountain. Both are fun climbs.

Near the far end of the lake where the boat tours get dropped off their is an outhouse. It is the only one I know of with both a Men and Women sign on it. Makes me laugh every time I see it.

Some of the time I find beargrass that has a dark hue to them. Here I found both colors getting ready to bloom within feet of each other, but I don't know why the difference in them.

Huckleberry Mountain and Ousel Peak Summits

Glacier National Park, and Great Bear Wilderness, Flathead National Forest, Montana

Up with the sun and off to see how the trail to Huckleberry Mountain was. As the only other named summit in the Apgar Mountain Range I thought it would be fun to catch the two ends since I had climbed Apgar last night. Beargrass was out in full force on the lower half of the mountain. They are such a unique flower when they do bloom.

Higher on the mountain other flowers were blooming as well. Not all where white flowers although there were plenty of them.

The trail opened up and with the cool morning air it was just a really fun hike and I had it all to myself. The bump in the distance isn't the top, just a false summit enroute.

Crossed some rocks that really showed the ripples of being an old mud bed from the sea. Just got pushed up several thousands of feet.

The fire tower was a nice place for a snack prior to a little exploring around the summit area. Lots of Glacier Lillies around the summit.

One snowbank stretched out along the far ridge. It was 10 or so feet high and fun to play on.

It was just noon when I got back to the trailhead. Only 10 miles so far so after lunch I headed about 9 miles south of West Glacier to climb Ousel Peak. Tough trailhead to get to so I had never climbed it before. Turns out I had it to myself for the rest of the day. Lower slopes were steep, averaged 26% grade by my GPS. Also very dense lodgepole forrest. Not any views yet but still pretty with a wild feel.

Saw these mushrooms growing on an old log. Thought the colors were cool. It also gave me a chance to catch my breath by stopping to take a photo.

Found the wilderness boundary sight. I think it has been on this tree a long time by how they have grown together,

Nearing the top the snow became an issue. Lots of it remained. Had my crampons with and they helped the going up a lot.

When I did make it to the summit the wind was blowing early strong and it had a bit of a bite to it but the summit was snow free. Took lots of photos but they are al variations on this one. Really spectacular views. Used a rock pile as a wind break and sat up on top for close to an hour enjoying the views.

The trip down went pretty fast due to the steepness. I was tired at the end of the day. Lots of miles and lots of up and down.

Apgar Mountain Summit

Glacier National Park, Montana.

Arrived in the park and secured a campsite. With hours of light left with it being the first day of summer I decided for a after dinner hike. Apgar Mountain trailhead was pretty close so off I went.  Because of the late start time I had the climb up all to myself. I made it up to the fire lookout in an hour and a half. Pretty quick considering the elevation gain and all the stops to look at flowers.

Most say that the lookout is on the summit but it sits about 200 feet in elevation and a quarter of a mile from the actual summit. I'm glad I went to the actual summit, even though it is a bit rough due to all the down trees from a long ago fire. Good part of it was that the meadow by the high point was really blooming. It was the only spot a little sheltered from the wind so I could take a picture without everything moving.

White flowers were really the bloomers on this mountain. Besides the beargrass all over the mountain, there were the most Mariposa Lillies in bloom in one place I have ever seen.

On the way down I could hear someone coming up a long ways off. He had quite an accent but was  "hey bearing" at the top of his lungs. Even with the wind any bears within a mile of him knew he was coming. 

Blue Mountain Summit

Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail, Lolo National Forest, Montana

A really nice morning here in western Montana. I just had to get out for a little mountain time. Blue Mountain is the closest mountain to my house so that's where I went. Had to suffer through lots of flowers in bloom all along the route. The meadows along the way were really a riot of color. Took lots of flower pictures today. This is a sample of what I saw.

Except for a few fresh blow downs near the summit area the trail was in great shape.

At the summit is a fire lookout that only gets used in emergencies. Mostly when there is a nearby fire. It needs a little care but is really still solid.

On the east end of the summit ridge is a small observatory for the University of Montana. I would love to get to look through it sometime. Maybe when the eclipse happens this summer it will be open to the public.

Saw lots of birds, but this was the only 4 legged friend. I think he wanted my snack, but he was unlucky with me today. He did hang out with me the whole time I sat on the rock. Made the hike and summit a bit friendlier.