July 16, 2010
Baldy Mountain (7/14/10)
On the rare chance that the world needs more pictures from Baldy Mountain, I will post a few from a hike there on Wednesday. This time the snow banks are much smaller than a few weeks ago and the lake is clear of ice. The wind at the top though was on the chilly side of refreshing, and a wind breaker felt very good.
A trip just has to be a pleasant one when this trail head greets the visitor:
Despite fairly cloudless skies there was a haze in the air that kept the visibility (in terms of distance) a little low, but I did bring back a few photos from the top.
(Mount Baldy is in the Baldy Mountain Roadless Area of the Cabinet Mountains in the Lolo National Forest of western Montana. One can reach the top by a three mile hike on USFS trail 340 from the trail head at 6,000 feet. The summit is 7,464 feet. There were two fire lookouts built on Baldy, one in 1928 which lasted until 1948. Another was built in the early 60’s but was torn down after just a few years when the jobs that many of the old lookouts did in detecting the start of wildfires were replaced by aircraft using infra-red technology.)
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Montana Outdoors 
I would never get tired of looking at Mt. Blady pictures, such a beautiful vantage point. And I sure would like to feel the need to wear a windbreaker. But it is going down to 111 this weekend.
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Comment by Candace — July 16, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
Up there in that cool wind, I did think (briefly) about the days of the triple digits in Phoenix. Tuesday we visited another lookout, this one manned, in time to hear him call in his morning report. The morning temp was 35Ā°.
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Comment by montucky — July 16, 2010 @ 10:10 pm
did you reach out and touch one of those clouds? =o)
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Comment by Sandy — July 17, 2010 @ 1:35 am
At times it seems as though you could. On another mountain last week the very low clouds were flying by fast, yet in breaks through them the high clouds were relatively stationary.
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Comment by montucky — July 17, 2010 @ 7:23 am
I don’t get tired of looking at mountain photos, either. These are beauties. Is that lake down below one that was formed by glaciers? It has the look of the ones around here.
Do you know where the Cabinet Mts. got their name?
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Comment by sandy — July 17, 2010 @ 11:09 am
I don’t know for sure how the lake was formed, although probably not from glacier activity in that particular location. More likely a random result of the “tipping” that formed the mountain peaks.
I’ve read that the Cabinets were first called that by French (I don’t know which ones) explorers who thought they resembled cabinets when viewed from the valley floor. Quite frankly, that doesn’t make much sense to me, but I’m not French and I like to view them instead from high places.
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Comment by montucky — July 17, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Such gorgeous scenery! Lovely photos, Terry! Sure wish I was there! š
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Comment by Barbara — July 17, 2010 @ 11:30 am
I wish you could see some of these places too, Barbara. I will be posting (far too many) photos taken on two other trips we made this past week. As a result of those trips I now have several more on my “hope to get to do soon” list.
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Comment by montucky — July 17, 2010 @ 7:09 pm
Wow, what a stupendously beautiful place! Wonderful scenery and great pictures of it!
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Comment by wildlifewatcher — July 17, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
This particular hike is one I do several times each year. The trail head is only about a dozen miles from my house and it’s a good conditioning hike along with the great views.
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Comment by montucky — July 17, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
I’m trying really really hard not to be jealous of your taking those clicks. I want so badly to feel the openness and just be out among the beauty God created. I hope to be in a place like that soon. It’s soooo beautiful!!
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Comment by Stacey Dawn — July 17, 2010 @ 5:43 pm
I wish you could see some of this region, Stacey. I know you would enjoy it. I think the views from these mountain tops can change one’s entire viewpoint and perspective of this planet on which we live. I’m constantly in awe at the expanse of these mountains and their beauty. There are so many more to see!
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Comment by montucky — July 17, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
breathless!
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Comment by silken — July 19, 2010 @ 7:03 am
You could do your training on this trail, silken!
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Comment by montucky — July 19, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
Gorgeous views. I especially like the 2nd and 7th photos as to the viewpoint that is so expansive and looks like when time began. š
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Comment by Anna — July 19, 2010 @ 7:17 am
That’s a good way to describe it, Anna. We often focus on close scenes: these expand the focus.
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Comment by montucky — July 19, 2010 @ 7:18 pm
Yes, the world can surely use more visions from mountain tops!
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Comment by Bo Mackison — July 19, 2010 @ 12:51 pm
I think so, Bo. There’s a different perspective up there.
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Comment by montucky — July 19, 2010 @ 7:19 pm