Iced T

 Last friday we decided to saddle up four of the llamas and head into the Beartooth Mountains for a short camping trip. Because it was the first trip out this year for "the boys" and because there still seems to be an inordinate amount of snow in the mountains, we elected to head for T Lake, a relatively short 5 mile hike from the trailhead.

Even expecting it we were surprised by the amount of snow still present above 9000 feet. It made for some exciting moments as the llamas wanted to panic each time their legs broke through the snow crust.

When we arrived at T Lake we found the lake still frozen in many places. It looked more like early June than mid-July. The grazing areas for the llamas were extremely limited due to high water and snow cover so we were glad we planned a short stay of only two nights.

Shortly after we set up camp we had a visitor who spent quite a bit of time interacting with us while we were there. A female yellow-bellied marmot seemed to be intrigued by the llamas and kept walking right up to them before scampering away and going on to the next animal. In this photo on the left I swear she actually posed for my shot!

 One of the goals of the trip was to climb Lonesome Peak which we did on day 2. In the shot above you can see Lonesome off in the distance. It is not a technical climb but it is difficult because of the extended bouldering, especially with a 30# pack. The top of the peak sits at 11,500', almost 2000' above our campsite.

We had major thunderstorms both nights we were there and the temperature dropped below freezing, creating a new layer of ice on the lake until the sun had a chance to warm it up during the day.

The first morning I went down to the lake to pump some water for drinking. As I got to the edge I noticed movement and suddenly realized I was being watched by a very curious otter.
There were two of the animals that I could see although I was not able to get them both in the same image. The second otter was not as social and kept his distance across the lake from us.

 The shot above was taken from the top of Lonesome Peak. On the left is Clay Butte and in the distance, far right, are Pilot and Index. You can see that the snow cover is most evident at the higher elevations but there is a huge amount of white stuff still left to melt. I suspect this will be a year when some snowbanks do not disappear before next winter.

The gray skies meant the landscape shots were a little challenged but it was fun to play with photographing the many streams created by melting snow.

The shot below is of T Lake from above on the second morning. You are looking down the length of the top of the "T". The stem is off to the left midway down the lake. 

First Snow

The llamas never seem to know how to handle the first snowfall of the year! I'm not sure how Dusty managed to collect icicles on her eyelashes but they don't seem to bother her a bit.

The pinyon jays have returned for the season as have the rosy finches. Both species travel in flocks and it is always fun to see a whole tree decorated by their presence!

The pinyons are really beautiful but I need to get some shots of them in the sun so you can truly appreciate the depth of color.

Island Birds and a Goodbye

 The Island is a haven for many types of birds in the summer months.

Even though they are primarily bug eaters, this red breasted nuthatch couldn't resist flying in to snatch away some leftover sunflower seeds. Look at the feet on this guy - no wonder they find it so easy to walk down tree trunks upside down!

 I think there are possibly more goldfinch on Prince Edward Island than anywhere else in the summer. They seem to be everywhere and are constantly flitting around the trees and roadside plants.

The provincial bird of the Island is the bluejay. We always laughed at this since the decision was made based on putting the question to school kids a number of years ago. There are many more unique and beautiful birds that could represent the province but the bluejays are so ubiquitous and so annoying with their raucous calls that they were the bird all the kids thought of when asked. 

Of course, now that I live in an area where I rarely see bluejays, I rather miss their presence. That is why I decided to try and capture a photo of one on my visit but they did not make it easy to get their photo. 

The shot below is one of those that "would have been" absolutely amazing if the camera had just been aimed 6" lower. I was trying to get a shot of this bluejay in the tree. I did not even know the cedar waxwing was in the area. All of a sudden the bluejay dove out of the tree at full speed with the waxwing in hot pursuit. The smaller bird likely had a nest in the tree that the bluejay was trying to rob. Look how vertical the waxwing is! He was determined to let the jay know it was not welcome!

On another note...Rest in Peace Jake's Girl. She was older than Methuselah and tough as nails to the very end. She is almost twenty in the photo below, taken some years ago just after she had her next to last baby, Dusty. Jake came to us when she was 11 years old and she had already had 8 or 9 babies at that point. She gave us another 6 before we decided that was enough about 5 years ago. She was a great mama and she will be missed.

Can't we be Friends?

This morning I drove to the river with my tripod and a pinhole camera to take some double exposures of water.

As I returned up the driveway I looked across to see a half dozen mule deer grazing in the pasture.

They were so concerned with me that at first they didn't notice the llamas coming over the hill to greet them. Once they realized they were the subjects of intense curiosity by the llamas they took off across the field to "safety".

This one last deer seemed more concerned with me until the llamas were almost close enough to touch noses. I'm sure Tardy (in the lead) was disappointed he wasn't able to make a new friend!


I have launched a new photo website at www.kathylichtendahl.com
I have a lot of shots that need to be uploaded in the next few days.

I hope you will stop by to see what is there!

Spogen Lake

Ken and I decided to take advantage of a week without obligations and  head for the hills. Our destination was Spogen Lake, a favorite camping spot about ten tough miles in from the Clay Butte Trailhead. The funny thing is that the Lake sits at about the same elevation as the starting point - but in between is 4000' of vertical in peaks and valleys!

Our plan was for a five day trip but we got chased out a day early by the mosquitoes. Never have I seen the bugs this bad this late in the summer. Ken and I were okay with our bug nets but the poor llamas were pretty miserable during the warmer daylight hours. We spray them down but can't do their faces (they don't understand they need to close their eyes!) and that is where the mosquitoes attack.

I will post a few photos of the trip over the next few days. The first shot, above, was taken on the way in.

This is the view from the highest point of the hike - 10, 400' - just before you drop down to Spogen. I did not want to carry my heavy Canon 7-D camera into the back country so these were taken with an older Rebel. I am amazed at the difference in picture quality from the newer camera.. 

Most people camp at one of the two lakes above Spogen or right at the falls. We prefer the southern end because it has a pretty good pasture and it provides the best view of the falls.

Our campsite was at the end of the lake where it drops into a tight stream and heads down about a quarter mile to Whitcomb Lake. In the photo to the left I was able to place myself below the level of Spogen Lake, creating a mirror pond from my vantage point.  

We were surprised by the hordes of mosquitoes - especially since we had frost each night. This last photo was taken the first morning. Hobbit seemed fascinated by the falls. You can see the frost on his back. 

On Top of the Beartooth

This summer has been so busy that it seems the days are flying by and fall will be here before we know it! We decided at the last minute to take a couple days and go llama packing in the Beartooths while we could.

There is still more snow on top than I have ever seen at this time of year. Many of the snow banks will not melt before new snow falls in October. The temperature got down to below freezing at night and the puddles from melting snow were frozen in the morning.

 The natural snow sculptures were plentiful and unique! Ken decided to test the strength of one small bridge. Rusty was not convinced it was a good idea.

 You can see in this picture why we decided to go around the snow fields when we could. You never knew when it might be hollowed out underneath and falling through would not have been fun for the four llamas we had along.

 Spring is just arriving on much of the plateau and the wildflowers are out in all their glory!

 We camped on a bench overlooking the plains. We did not see any sign of other humans on our trek. The southern (Wyoming) side of the plateau gets much less traffic than the north (Montana) side - probably because there are no trails so you need to have some map navigation skills to get where you want to go.

I took a couple photos of Heart Mountain from the top but the air over the plains was really hazy so it looks like the picture was taken through waxed paper!

Lazy Days of Summer

People often ask if our llamas are bothered by the winter cold since they are South American animals. In reality they are used to lower temperatures at high altitude and they seem happier in snow than they are in the middle of July heat. We try to shear them before the summer sun becomes unbearable and, during those two weeks or so of mid-summer when it is unpleasant for all creatures without air-conditioning, I try to hose them down at least once a day. 

Their most common defense against becoming over-heated is to do nothing. They are a lot like humans in that way. What I think of as the meditation pose for llamas is called a "kush". It is the pose in which you are most likely to find a relaxing llama whether it is resting on the trail, sleeping at night time or just trying to avoid heat producing activity at mid-day. The photo above shows the grand dame of our herd, Jake's Girl - Jake for short - in a classic kush. Jake is 27 years old and has just begun to show her age in the last six months or so. She has always been a class act and it hurts me to see her struggling to work out the stiffness every time she stands or jumping  in fright because she has apparently lost her hearing. 

The younger llamas are more likely to lie on their side in the heat of day with their belly and legs exposed. The llama above is Cashmere; one of Jake's great-granddaughters, in a casual moment. You would never see Jake in such an undignified pose!

And then it seems we always have one llama in the herd who is totally uncouth! Here is Rusty in his bare-all, I-don't-give-a-damn-what-the-world-thinks-of-me pose. If he was human he would be the guy sunbathing naked in his back yard!

Morning Hike

 For the last five days I have been tied up with Quilt Wyoming, the annual convention of the Wyoming State Quilt Guild. It is always a fun event and a great chance to catch up with friends that live in other parts of the state. The convention travels around five designated regions and this was the year for Northwest Wyoming to be the host. That meant that we all had lots of work to do and now we get to enjoy the next four years as other regions are in charge.
My one disappointment from the event was that my new little Nikon camera let me down. I took dozens of shots - or so I thought - but found an empty card when I got home last night!

One of my favorite quilters, Vikki Pignatelli, came from Ohio to teach at the conference and she and husband Denny then came to stay with us for a few days before traveling on to another teaching engagement later this week. This morning we went on a short llama trek to look at the scenery. Denny was leading Hobbitt - above - who decided he needed to stop and eat some wild onion. Who knew a llama could have onion breath?

 On the way up to the lookout.

Ken, Pancho, Rusty, Vikki, Capolla, Denny and Hobbitt pose for a photo.

Building an Ark

 The photo above shows what it looked like yesterday on our place. For several days we have been hearing how all previous records for rainfall in the area have been shattered. And it is not over yet! Just for the record, we do not normally have a waterfall in our back yard!

 Our only real rain gauge is the llama bowls. Usually we are happy if we see 1/4" in the bottom. After all, our average annual rainfall is about 6" - that includes snow melt. Yesterday we emptied the bowls twice, each time of approximately 3/4" of water. Then this morning we discovered what you see in the photo; an additional 2 1/2" or more!

I feel bad for the llamas and the baby birds and the baby cottontail and everything else that can't really get out of the rain. They are predicting a short break today followed by several more days of moisture.

Quatro (above) seems to be taking it all in stride. I think we may rename Dusty (below) and start calling her Muddy instead!

Bald Ridge

 Yesterday we decided to take a few of the llamas on a spring training hike to Bald Ridge. It is a great place to hike with beautiful views. The area is closed until May 1st each year as it is labeled a Critical Big Game Wintering Area. The game in question is primarily elk and we saw a small herd on the flatland on our way to the trailhead as you can see in this photo to the left.  





Once you leave the trailhead the views just keep getting better. I love the look of the red cliffs with he backdrop of snow covered mountains. Too bad we didn't have a blue sky but it was still wonderful to see the area.

This was a training hike in three different ways:

* The length of the hike - about 10 miles
* The elevation change - about 2000' up and the same back down
* The company - two friends accompanied us along with their german shepherd puppy. Dogs are a natural enemy of llamas and it was pretty hard for them to get used to hiking with one. Bill had to stay ahead most of the hike with the puppy on a leash the whole way.

 In this photo you can get a sense of the elevation change.

Our friends are on top with the dog. We tied up the llamas below and then joined them for lunch on high.

The view of Heart Mountain on the return was worth the whole trip!