Wild and Scenic

In celebration of the fact that the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act turns 50 this year, Ken and I have been wanting to get back to one of our favorite spots on the Clarks Fork to get some shots of the canyon. After all, it isn't everyone who can brag they have Wyoming's first Wild and Scenic River practically in their backyard! Today seemed like a great day for a hike, even though the sky was actually too blue  to get the landscape shots I was hoping for, so we left home about 6:30 am and headed to the parking lot at the canyon mouth. 

"Wild and Scenic" signage at the canyon mouth.

 Like most of our hikes we needed to travel off-piste to get to the location we had in mind. We had about a two mile hike in followed by a relatively steep climb of 1000' up a rocky slope to reach a narrow pass where we had a small flat area to set up and wait for the light to be where we wanted it. The north side of the pass is an even steeper drop straight down to the canyon floor.

Like always, I traveled with my telephoto lens on my camera but once we got to our destination I switched it for my much shorter landscape lens. I then went to work setting up my tripod and locking down the camera in preparation. Ken was doing the same, setting up a little higher than me, on my right. I should note that Ken's hearing is pretty bad these days which can make for some interesting moments.

I was looking through my viewfinder, fiddling with the settings and trying to make sure everything was level when I heard a loud rustling on my left. In the same instant I wondered how Ken had managed to get by me I realized that wasn't possible and I looked up and directly into the face of a large black bear standing about 10' away. I am not sure whose eyes got bigger - mine or the bears! I turned to Ken and shouted "Bear!"and by the time he looked up and I turned back all we saw was the black furry butt moving away from us at top speed across the face of the slope we had just climbed.

No hike in the canyon is complete without a side trip to Bridal Veil Falls.

 Neither one of us managed to get a shot off but it was quite a thrill just to see the bruin in that location. It would have been one of the last places I would expect an encounter but it was a good reminder that we are indeed in a "Wild and Scenic" spot!

5-shot panoramic of the canyon looking southwest. 

The Clarks Fork River from a lower viewpoint.

Checkerspot Butterfly. 

Kelseya

Kelseya looks like a cross between moss and bonsai. A closer look reveals tiny leaf clusters from whose centers the flowers bloom.

I like to think of myself as a flexible person, open to spontaneous adventure. But Facebook Memories reminds me that in regard to certain things, I am pretty much a creature of habit. For at least four of the last five years, Ken and I have made the hike to the top of Flatiron in the last week of May to search for blooming Kelseya. We knew that we were probably going to be too early this year because of the long winter and cool spring, and we were right. The flowers are just beginning to form and will probably be at their peak in another 10 days to two weeks. Unfortunately our calendar is pretty jammed for the next few weeks so we decided to make the trek anyway. 

Because of the location of this particular patch of flowers, it is not easy to simply say we will be back another day. Thanks to the generosity of our neighbor in allowing us to park in his back field, we were able to do the trip in about 5 hours. Although there is no public access, we can actually hike directly from our place but it adds another difficult five miles onto an already tough eight mile hike. After parking the car, the first mile is a fairly flat walk across the prairie but then you bushwhack, occasionally catching a game trail, to the top, climbing approximately 2500' over the next three miles. 

This plant is just beginning to form its beautiful red flowers.When in full bloom each flower will measure approx. 1/4" in diameter.

 It is hard to describe to anyone the sense of awe that comes when you reach the top of the dolomite uplift and discover about an acre of land blanketed with Kelseya. There are certainly areas where you can see this amazing and unique member of the rose family without expending quite this much energy but I have never seen such a vast and healthy Kelseya garden anywhere else. The plant is endemic to the Central Rocky Mountains and grows at about 7500' on limestone. It is the only species in the genus Kelseya in the rose family.

 Looking southeast from the top gives a view of Heart Mountain and the Clarks Fork River. The coolness of the day made for comfortable hiking and less haze in the distance.

Another surprise discovery was this patch of Alpine Clematis growing from a crack in a limestone wall.

I was photographing this Northern Flicker in a tree when Ken came over the ridge and spooked him. The sun caught his wings as he flew.

On our way to the back field we saw a pair of Magpies dive-bombing something in a pile of rock. When I got out of the car to see what they were harassing I discovered this Long-tailed Weasel staring back at me. 

 At certain elevations the Shooting Stars are in their prime.

The final image is a seven shot pano looking to the northwest from the top, along the Beartooth Front.  It is easy to see why this is such a wildlife corridor in the winter months as the animals retreat to lower elevations from the snowy peaks. The Forest Service is considering allowing a four-wheeler trail all along this stretch, a move I believe would be disastrous for wintering wildlife.

A Saturday Afternoon Hike

This has been a long, unusual winter weather-wise in the high desert of NW Wyoming. We have had way more snow than usual and the temperatures have been colder for much longer periods of time. When I got up yesterday, the outdoor thermometer read 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Then sometime around 10 pm last night the wind started to blow and this morning the temperature was 45 degrees. What a difference! And the warmer weather is now supposed to hang around for a week or more.

 With the warmer temps and bright sunshine, Ken and I decided to go for a hike this afternoon. The going was tough as we kept plunging through the snow drifts about every third step but it was worth it just to be outside enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We hiked about 4 miles, going north to visit the sandstone cliffs on adjoining BLM land. The double arches in the top photo have intrigued me for many years. The bottom hole is large enough for a person to walk through.

The second photo is a close up of the kissing pig and turtle, another favorite formation. The image below is a longer view of the same cliff with the Beartooth Mountains in the distance.

As we hiked around we were amazed to see field after field of large snow balls. Apparently last night's wind lifted small snow balls off the top of the ridges and they gathered more and more snow as they headed down hill until they lost momentum and came to a stop.

A Tale of Two Winters

There is nothing quite like Yellowstone in the winter. Ken and I spend more time in the Park in the cold months than in the regular tourist season of summer. But conditions can be very different depending on the year. Last year at this same time we spent five days at Old Faithful during a period of record cold temperatures. The high while we were there last year was -30 degrees. We were warned by everyone not to ski because of the frigid conditions. But we know our capabilities and so we went ahead and enjoyed day after day of cross country ski adventures where we had the backcountry all to ourselves. 

This year is a marked contrast. The road in by snow coach from Mammoth was bumpy because of lack of snow in so many areas. The temperatures were at record highs with averages in the mid 40's each day and night temps barely making it to freezing. Again we were warned to stay off the ski trails, this time because of incredibly icy conditions caused by the daily freeze-thaw cycle. Even walking the boardwalks was a challenge because of the ice. And again we ignored the naysayers and enjoyed the incredible peace and beauty of near empty trails. 

 We saw very little wildlife on our trip into Snow Lodge. Even the swans on the Firehole River seemed to be in hiding. One exception was a pair of healthy looking coyotes who were hunting rodents along the river's edge.

Once we arrived at Old Faithful we threw our stuff in our room and headed out on a hike around the boardwalk. This Hairy Woodpecker entertained us for a while as he searched for bugs in a downed log.

 There was a small herd of bison hanging around the Upper Basin for most of the time we were there. I know they must have been enjoying the chance to get at the winter vegetation without having to push through inches or even feet of snow.








Our big plan for our time at the lodge was to try and get a winter shot of Grand Prismatic - no easy feat in a normal year but definitely possible this year with the incredible stability of the snow making the avalanche danger much smaller.

On our first morning back at OF I ventured out alone with my camera before sunrise in the hopes of capturing some special light on one of the features in the basin. As it turned out the light was extremely flat and nothing very exciting was happening with the thermal features. I wandered around for about an hour, enjoying the amazing opportunity to "own" the boardwalk with not another person in sight. About 7:30 am I found myself back in front of Old Faithful debating whether or not to return to the inn and join Ken for breakfast when I saw my first fellow humans of the day. As social creatures are wont to do they approached me and began making small talk. It turned out they were a very nice couple from Atlanta, Georgia; newlyweds despite being about my age. After we exchanged a few pleasantries, I heard the woman ask a question that I have only heard before as a punchline.

Her: So what time do they turn Old Faithful on?
I laughed politely then turned to see her indignant expression and realized she was dead serious.  Her husband, to his credit, was looking decidedly embarrassed.
Me: Ummm…they don't turn it on. It is a natural phenomenon.
Her: Well then, how did they turn it off during the sequestration last year?
Me: They didn't. That was a joke.
Her: They certainly did! I read that they shut it off to save water while the Park was closed.
Me: They didn't. It was a joke.
Her: I DON'T THINK SO!
At this point her husband, embarrassed for her, interrupted in an obvious effort to save face.
Him: What is that can you're carrying on your belt?
Me: (relieved at the change of subject) That is bear spray. With the warm weather we have been having, a few grizzlies are already leaving their dens.
Him, to his wife: Honey, I should get you some bear spray since you like to hike so much.
Her, obviously still upset: Why on earth would I need bear spray? The only bears in Georgia are black bears and they don't hurt people.
Me: (Bite your tongue, bite your tongue, damn…can't do it) Ummm…actually black bears are just as dangerous as grizzlies. Any wild animal is dangerous if it feels threatened.
Her: Well you obviously have a different kind of black bear here than we do in Georgia because OURS DON'T HURT PEOPLE!

At that point I decided the safest thing to do was to go have breakfast. I walked away feeling depressed. This was not a stupid woman. She was just incredibly ignorant of the natural world. How does nature stand a chance when humans are so blind to the world around them??

Once Ken and I started out on our mission of ski touring/climbing above Grand Prismatic, my depression quickly evaporated. It was a perfect day in so many ways. We managed to climb to the top of the ridge above the hot springs and I captured a five shot panorama of the area with no people and no vehicles, just pure white snow and glorious sunshine. On our 7 mile ski back to the lodge we crossed fresh wolf prints followed a short time later by fresh grizzly prints. As we entered the Upper Basin we encountered a charming woman from California who was absolutely overjoyed that she had just witnessed the eruption of Riverside Geyser. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

All in all we did about 12 miles of skiing on our first day and loved every minute of it!

Table Mountain

 On our second full day in Cape Town we were scheduled to join a tour that included riding the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. In discussing our trip ahead of time with a friend in Cody (thanks, Ann!) she suggested we hike up the mountain instead. Our guide in Sabi Sands was a Cape Town native and he agreed that climbing the landmark was certainly doable for those in good shape.

So that morning we decided to forego the tour bus in favor of a taxi that would take us to the Platteklip trailhead at the base of the mountain. On one hand we were lucky that we were planning to climb the peak on our second day as the cable cars had actually been shut down the previous day due to strong winds (not a rare occurrence). On the other hand, on the day we did go up it was abnormally hot, humid and still - not the best weather for a very steep, 3000' hike up a mountain.

Despite the excessive heat I was really glad we decided to walk and would certainly recommend that option for anyone traveling in the area. The views were breathtaking and we were once again overwhelmed with the variety and color of the plant life.

 The trail was unusual in that it was composed primarily of large boulders. Each and every step was an attempt to lift your legs high up to the next level. It was very much like setting a stair-stepper machine on maximum effort and pushing on for 2 1/2 hours.

As we got higher on the mountain the trail became narrower and the walls of the canyon we were in closed in tighter. We are nearing the top of the hike in the photo above.

 We saw a small variety of wildlife on our trek, including this unusual creature, left. The local name for this fellow is a "dassie". Officially it is a rock hyrax. It may resemble a rodent or an earless rabbit but its closest relative in the animal kingdom is, surprisingly, the elephant!

 We saw several colorful lizards such as the beautiful fellow sunning himself on a rock, above.

Yet another variety of starling - the red winged starling - came along to see if we had anything tasty to eat.

The final shot is from the top and looking south.

Once we rested up from our hike up the mountain we were able to buy a one-way ticket down on the cable car; a trip that took us less than a tenth of our time getting to the top…and a whole lot less effort!

Snotet

You're probably wondering what a Snotet is. It is Tetons spelled backwards. Our hectic fall continued this past week with a trip to Driggs, Idaho, on the west side of the Tetons. Ken had a couple days of meetings while I got to drive and hike with my camera in hand, hoping for some inspired shots. Driggs is a great town about 30 miles northwest of Jackson Hole. It is much quieter than its Wyoming neighbor and feels like a true community rather than the tourist mecca that Jackson can sometimes appear to be. The views of the Tetons from the Idaho side are just as beautiful but rarely captured - I assume because they lack the drama of the stark rise from the valley floor. 

I put on a lot of miles in a few days as I tried to take in much of Teton Park as well as hike some of the local trails. 

 This big bruiser, above, surprised me in Lamar Valley on the way home. I had hiked out to the edge of the cliff that led down to the river, hoping to capture some bison crossing the shallows. I didn't realize this lone bull was just over the hill and coming my way. I was further away than it looks with my 400mm lens but he still caught me off guard when he suddenly appeared.

 These two baldies were sharing a branch in a tree near Hoback Junction.

 I love the "plasticized" look of this common merganser as she popped up from underwater fishing at Oxbow Bend.

 This pronghorn seemed to be fat and healthy despite having horns that were obviously distorted.

 A trumpeter swan shakes off water in a pond near Jackson. This shot made me think of the movie "Ten" when Bo Derek was shaking her head as she ran down the beach!

Fall Getaway

This summer has been busy beyond believe with many obligations taking us to lots of different places. This past week we decided to get away again, just for fun, by heading into Yellowstone for a few days of beautiful fall weather. On the way out our drive we came across mama golden eagle sitting on a rock with her youngster just off in the distance. The sun was hitting her in a way that truly showed off her golden crown, making it obvious why the species is named as it is.

 Our first day was spent just outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone near Cooke City. We have enjoyed quite a bit of time in the mountains to the north in the winter but really have never penetrated that exact area in the warmer months. We rented an ATV to get us back the 10 miles of jeep track to the Forest wilderness line and then hiked into Goose Lake from there. The photo above was taken after we left the ATV and were hiking toward the lake. The large mountain sticking up in the background is Wolf Mountain.

 In the photo above I was standing in the middle of Goose Creek shooting back to the west.

 The next morning we got up early and headed into the park under overcast skies.

The fog was hanging in the valleys as we crossed the Lamar River and began climbing to get a panoramic view of Lamar Valley once the sun broke through.

The small dots in the foreground in the image below are bison.

 This rough-legged hawk chased a red-tailed hawk out of the tree before landing. He then sat quietly while I snapped a half dozen shots of him.

 The third day we moved on to Mammoth for a hike up Sepulcher Mountain. It is one of our favorite hikes in the Park at a distance of 13 miles and 4000' vertical. We didn't see a soul the whole time although the Park still seems to be full of visitors on the roads. The elk are just beginning to move down into the Mammoth area but we saw lots of bulls with their harems up high, like this one near the top of Sepulcher, above.

 When we popped over the top of the last ridge we found ourselves eye-to-eye with a herd of mountain goats. I actually missed most of the shots because I was too close with my 100mm - 400mm lens! This fellow was the last one over the edge and he stopped to take a look back at us - to make sure we weren't following, perhaps.

Then, a minute after they had disappeared out of sight, this little head, below, peeked back over the ledge for one last look.

 On our way back to Mammoth we spotted a dark creature moving through the grass toward us. We immediately stopped and so did he. We started up again, trying our best to move away from the black bear but he followed right along, paralleling our tracks. We stopped again and he stood on his hind legs to get a better view of us. Finally he came down lower and crossed the path some distance in front of us before heading up the other side and out of sight.

The Best Kept Secret

 One of the best kept summer secrets of this area is the Woody Creek Cabin owned and operated by Beartooth Powder Guides. The cabin sees quite a bit of use from back country skiers in the winter months but tends to be forgotten by the locals once summertime rolls around.

Located a short two and a half miles (admittedly all uphill) from Cooke City, the cabin is basically luxury "camping" in a beautiful, pristine part of the ecosystem. Although you end up sleeping in Montana, much of the best hiking out of the cabin is in Wyoming, just a mile south of the building site.

Ken and I hiked in on Thursday with the goal of trekking up to Submarine Rock on Friday. The weather was threatening as we drove across Chief Joseph highway and rain started to fall as we arrived in Cooke. The thunder and lightning were impressive but we decided to push forward and make our way up the 1000' in elevation to the cabin. Much of the heavy weather was to the southeast of the trail in the area of Pilot Peak and when we arrived at the falls on Woody Creek we saw the result, evident in the photo above. The Absaroka Mountains were formed by past volcanic activity and are much more prone to erosion than the granite heavy Beartooths to the north and east.

 One of the many joys of living in this area is the ability to find "spring" in any month from March to September, depending on the elevation. The wildflowers were spectacular everywhere we went and I had a chance to play a little with my macro lens.

Our garden was overflowing with columbines of every color this year but there is something about the wild variety that is so much more delicate and beautiful than the cultivated flower.

 On Friday we woke to relatively clear skies with a little mist in the lower areas by the river. We headed out about 7:30 am, expecting a long day getting to our destination.

 The fringed gentian were just beginning to bloom, still furled in their newness.

 This ground squirrel was totally unfazed by our presence and continued collecting and eating wildflowers as we watched. This is the first time I have ever seen a ground squirrel at this elevation - approximately 10,200'.

The paintbrush were glorious in shades of red and magenta, luminous against the bright green of the grasses.

Elephant heads were growing in the marshy areas. I never tire of the amazing details of each flower with ears and trunk so like the pachyderm for which it is named!

 Once we made our way up to Submarine we had a great view of Pilot and Index, although we were looking right into the sun. It is not often one gets the chance to take a shot of Pilot from just 1500' below its summit.

 This shot of Submarine shows just how verdant the area was. The snow had just recently melted from much of this area and the moss and flora are at their peak.

The view from the top to the north shows the Beartooths in all their glory. If you look closely, you can actually see a few of the buildings in Cooke City far below on the left.

The hike ended up taking less time than we expected and we were back at the cabin by early afternoon, just in time for the next round of afternoon thunderstorms!