Weeksville

This photo was taken last Saturday facing west across the Weeksville Creek canyon in the Cabinet Mountains. The snowy ridge at the skyline is the east slope of Big Hole mountain and the beginning of KooKooSint Ridge. Country like this is a vital part of our western watershed and is home to a large number of wildlife species, such as black bear, elk, moose, big horn sheep, mule deer, whitetail deer, cougar, wild turkey, coyote, fox, bobcat and grouse, as well as all kinds of smaller animals, birds, insects and reptiles and a large diversity of plant life. I am very thankful that it’s still here and grateful that I am able to venture out into the middle of it.

Cold and clear

In the canyon today the forest blocked the wind and although the snow squeaked under foot, hiking was pleasant. Above, on the ridges, the trees were cold.

Weeksville Creek Canyon

Photo taken today from just below a ridge top about seven miles up the canyon. (Steep hike!)

Choices

(It was a lot colder than it looks!)

Summer/Fall

There is an old road not far from where I live that many times serves as a place for a short conditioning hike, as it did this morning. The first mile includes an ascent of about a thousand feet which does wonders for one’s cardiopulmonary system

then the road levels off a bit and provides some nice valley views and, this time of year, some Fall colors.

The return trip is good for the legs and this morning contained as well one of Nature’s pleasant little surprises with summer colors; a Yellow Rabbitbrush in bloom.

Rabbitbrush,
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

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Turning colors

This evening I went for a brief hike to a place I know where there is a pretty good chance of seeing a moose. This wasn’t the day for moose, but I did come upon a gorgeous black bear with shiny, long, jet-black hair (the 7th I’ve seen this summer) and another pleasant surprise; a glimpse of some early fall colors. These are shrubs growing on an area burned in a forest fire many years ago.

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