The Winter that Will Not End!

Still waiting for spring to arrive but not making much headway so far. The photo below was taken this morning and it is snowing as I write.

Sunday Apri 17, 2011

I'm still chomping at the bit to get out and get to work and my teeth and patience are wearing mighty thin. I've got a million and one projects I would like to begin and times awasting. It will be winter again before I know it.

Around here people are back in the forest after firewood because most have run out by now. I'm good because I produce my own here at the ranch and always put up more than I need. That way I never run out and if I don't use it all it's just that much less work I have to do the next year.

Even the mule deer are still hanging around. They are normally long gone by this time.

Sweet Cheeks raiding the bird feeder

Koty isn't very happy about the weather either.

Koty, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

It hasn't even been good for photography either. Dreary. Dreary. Dreary. Friday we could stand it no more and went over to the West Kootenai. There was intermittant sun but it was windy and cold. I stopped on the bridge to take a photo and nearly got blown off it. The wind was blowing so hard it was literally playing a tune in the aluminum guard rail.

Koocanusa bridge-Lake Koocanusa Montana

We headed on down the West Kootenai road and pulled in at the road that goes to the Little Northfork.

On days like this I focus (pardon the pun) on designs in nature. The forest is my MOMA and it's where my moma aka Mother Nature does some of her best work. The arrogance of humans, particularly in the art world, makes me chuckle.

Lichen growing on a boulder

Tufted heads of grass growing on a bank

Looking through the clear water of a spring creek at the sandy designs below.

I find these designs in nature endlessly fascinating and beautiful. I think sometimes I must be some kind of nut. Better to be nutz than blind?

Big Creek and the Little Northfork are running pretty full and there hasn't been much in the way of melt. It has been way too cold for melting snow of any significance. I reckon the streams and rivers are going to roar when, or should I say if, spring ever gets here and the melt gets underway.

Little Northfork Montana April 15, 2011

Big Creek Montana April 15, 2011

There have been moments when the clouds have lifted and the sun shone but they have been few and far between and lasted maybe fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. It is my great good fortune not to have to go anywhere to see beautiful vistas so when those transitory moments appear I get to warm not only my body but my heart and soul as well.

The view

The mountains you see above are the Purcells and what is called the West Kootenai which is exactly where I was when I took the other photos displayed here.

©Kinsey Barnard

Kootenai National Forest - Montana

*
Yesterday Koty and I took a good long hike up the Blacktail Trail. The wild flowers this year are the best I have ever seen here. It must be the cool weather and lots of moisture.

Bluebell and Lichen

Clover

Indian Paintbrush

THE WEST KOOTENAI & LITTLE NORTH FORK FALLS

Ha! Ha! Mom couldn't make it another day without getting out for some hiking and photography. We were out doing some watering in preparation for departure to Canada when Scott, our neighbor, came down the road. He said he was off to the West Kootenai with a pal. He also mentioned they were going to stop by and take a look at some waterfalls.

After Scott hiked off I could see the wheels turning. No sooner were we done with the watering than mom says, "We're outta here!" To which I replied, "Yippee!" We piled our gear in the pickup and were off in a flash. Mom knew exactly what waterfalls Scott was referring to. She'd been meaning for us to take a trip over there and this chance encounter pushed her over the edge. :)

I have mentioned the Kootenai Forest several times. In fact we live smack dab in it. It's a really big forest. If your interested you can find out more about it here Kootenai National Forest .

We live on the east side so we had to take the bridge to get across the Koocanusa. On the drive down we saw a beautiful osprey gliding around. We also saw an eagle but he didn't care to have his picture taken.

When we arrived at the trailhead to the falls who do we see coming down the path but our friend Scott and his friend James! Humans have no idea how like us dogs they are. They met like they hadn't seen each other in a coon's age. I have no idea how long a coon's age actually is but I gather it's a long time. It had been about and hour and a half seen we'd seen Scott!

Mom had been a little concerned that there wouldn't be much water coming over the falls as it was so late in the season and it has been so dry. But the guys said there was still quite a bit. They took off for their hiking trail and we took off for the falls.

It's isn't much of a hike, like less than a half mile. As short a hike as it is it's very pretty. You hike in the shade along the creek, cross a bridge and there, in like a grotto, is Little North Fork Falls . It was nice and cool in there. I like cool!

Since the walk up to the falls wasn't much of a hike we drove back down the road about a quarter of a mile to a trail we had seen on the way up. We hiked up this trail for about an hour until the wind fall got so bad we couldn't go any further. This is grizzly country but we saw no sign. We did see beautiful, old growth ponderosa. While we were walking along I nearly jumped out of my coat when one of those old beauties must have given up the ghost. There was this crack that sounded like a gunshot (I don't like guns!) and then this whomp as it hit the ground. It was no where near to us but boy it sure sounded like it.

All in all it was a great day!

Until next time ....

©Kinsey Barnard