Hiking the Blacktail Trail

We had an awesome hike this morning, before the heat arrived.

The first thing we saw was a young black bear. I barked, jumped up and down and scared him away. Did not make myself popular with you know who. I do admit for such a little person I put out a heck of a deep bark. Poor little bear went flying off through the trees.

Kinsey saw this fungus growing on a tree trunk and thought it looked like some kind of baked meringue. Looking at things in terms of our stomachs is something we have in common. Probably if she ate it she would have been frothing at the mouth. It was pretty though.

Tree fungus

As we walked along we heard the screech of a hawk. We love that sound. For awhile we couldn't see through the trees but then it dropped down and lit in a fir tree. It perched in dark shadows so that it wasn't easy to see or take a picture. Kinsey called out to it "Hey hawk, can't you lite somewhere that we can see you?" No sooner did she say that than the hawk rose up and flew to a nearby tree top. I swear, sometimes I think she is a wildlife whisperer.

Hawk

 We went as far as an old mine shaft. Kinsey tried to get me to go in but I was not having any of it. That tunnel looked dark and dangerous to me. One time when Koty was with her the two of them went in until something growled at them and they high tailed it out for there. Never knew if it was a bear or a mountain lion. What idiots!

Old Mine Shaft

On the way back down the mountain Kinsey couldn't resist a selfie. I swear.

Kinsey & Molly Montana on the trail.

It was a great day and a great hike. Life is good in Montana

©Kinsey Barnard