Kootenai National Forest - Montana

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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

Big Creek Montana - 05-06-10

Strange stuff going on with this blog site. For some reason the latest post doesn't show up just the title and you have to click on "read more". Have no idea why this is maybe it's a format change. I dunno.

Koty and I took a wander over to Big Creek in the West Kootenai on the west side of Lake Koocanusa. Big Creek drains into the Koocanusa from the Purcells.

 

Lake Koocanusa 05-06-10

The area is a known hang out for grizzlies and black bears. We didn't see any bear signs let alone bears.

The creek was running pretty good the following are three shots that may give you an idea of what it was looking like.

 

Big Creek 05-06-10

 
Big Creek 05-06-10

 

Big Creek 05-06-10

The main thing that distinguishes the west side forest from the east side is the presence of cedars. I find cedars to be extremely elegant trees and delight in the fact that I have three at my ranch.


Cedar Frond by Kinsey Barnard

I also found this boulder with cedar needles lying on it that I thought was a work of art. I don't think a landscape designer could do better.


Forest Decoration by Kinsey Barnard

As always, Koty had a great time. I spent much of my time trying to drag him away form digging for squirrels. Siberians are diggers by nature and when they find something to dig for their determination is without equal.

 

Koty with Head in a Hole

This last shot is of Big Creek in slow motion. I always like these shots. I think it gives one a different perception.

 

Big Creek 05-06-10

So there you have it. The creeks, they are a rising.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography 
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Trillium-My First Montana Wildflower for 2010

Koty and I mozied over to the West Kootenai yesterday. The West Kootenai is on the west side of the Koocanusa in the Kootenai National Forest. You'll notice I spend a lot of time in the Kootenai National Forest. This is not hard to do because the forest encompasses 2.2 million acres and I have to go a long way from home to get out of it.

Today was the day that I made my first wildflower siting and it was a white trillium. They are typically the first guys to arrive, blooming from March to May.

The Forest Service has been control burning in the area so it was kind of smokey. I really don't get the Forest Service thinking.  Open burning starts the first of March but they don't start "control" burning until it's nice and dry and warm. And then they just go off and leave the fires burning and unattended. Smokey the Bear would have a fit! Trust me on this, Forest Service "control burns" quite frequently go out of control and I honestly do not wonder why.

My mission was to check out Arnold's Pond but there was barely any water in it and very little of interest. So, I figures to go further on and visit Dodge Creek. Here's a good lesson on why you must always take the shot when it comes your way. Never, ever say "Oh, I'll get it later". The photo below I took last year.


Dodge Creek - Montana by Kinsey Barnard

Nice photo I think. But, check out what it looked like yesterday!

We ended up taking a walk down FS 303. I wanted to walk to Young's Creek but the old ankle started squawking and I had to turn back after only a couple of miles. I didn't have my map with me but I think I was quite close. I'll have to go back and check it out. I couldn't resist taking this self-portrait. LOL! I look like a plump stump!

I also found on the road before me this little caterpillar. He was traversing the road when I found him but when I stuck my camera in his face he promptly showed me what he thought of my rudeness by curling up. Very clear body language message.

On the way home I stopped on the Rexford Bridge, I think that's what it's called, and took this photo. I thought it was a cool perspective. But, then I'm not paid to think. :)

So, that was our little junket to the West Kootenai. We'll be coming back real soon!

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©Kinsey Barnard Phtography

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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

Whitetail Deer

Not a whole lot to report except that on Sunday we were visited by six whitetail bucks in velvet. We have never before had that many bucks at one time. It was a pretty amazing site. Of course, all I wanted to do was chase them but mom doesn't let me. The photo is of three of them. Aren't they something?

It's warmed up again, darn it. Late this afternoon we hiked in the Kootenai but didn't see anything except one lone whitetail doe.

The photo below was taken at my ranch in northwest Montana. A beautiful, whitetail buck. Oh, my, deer! :)


Until next time......... ©Kinsey Barnard

Hike in the Kootenai

Hoooray! This was my kind of day! We went for a nice long hike in the Kootenai!

It's been hotter than heck here in Montana this summer but today we had nice cloud cover and the temperature was in the sixties. I can't begin to tell you how much I like the lower temperature.

Naturally, mom carries her camera with her everywhere we go. The picture you see here is of a little black bear that crossed the trail in front of us today. I'll let you in on a little secret, my mom is a perfectionist and I had a dickens of a time getting her to let me post this picture. She doesn't like to publish anything that isn't perfection. But, I have convinced her that our friends would like to see just "pictures" of the interesting things we see in a day. So she gave in.

At our ranch here in Montana we live with the black bears, grizzlies, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, moose, you name it. Even though I see these guys pretty regularly it never fails to excite me. I want you to see too!

If you want to see the good stuff you need to go to www.kotybear.com

One of these days mom will figure out how to tie this blog to the website and I won't have to keep typing it in.

That's all for today!