After all of the snow and ice that we’ve been walking on lately, today I found a short hike that was all on dirt. What a pleasure!
February 11, 2015
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Montana Outdoors 
I remember in the spring how precious the first glimpses of bare ground were when I lived in northern BC. Good to know the bare earth is still there under the snow.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — February 11, 2015 @ 8:55 pm
Today was a pleasure, although there was still 6 inches of ice on the road in the shady part of the canyon. It will be cold again by mid week next week and (I hope) some snow. Maybe I can get in another brief outing before then.
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 8:58 pm
Okay, maybe it’s a bit too early to get excited about spring.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — February 12, 2015 @ 11:25 am
That does not look like February. Lovely photos, though. 🙂
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Comment by Teresa Evangeline — February 11, 2015 @ 9:13 pm
No, not like February at all. I’m still holding out for more winter!
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 9:23 pm
Looks like you are hiking in the clouds again! Good memories.
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Comment by Ron Mangels — February 11, 2015 @ 9:14 pm
Whenever possible, Ron. Still can’t get up to Big Hole or Baldy though, just the lower elevations are snow-free.
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 9:24 pm
I find the 2nd image to be amazing. It has many of the stately qualities of an oil painting to me.
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Comment by art55 — February 11, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
I find cliffs and the way the trees blend themselves in with them fascinating!
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 9:27 pm
I especially like the last photo, but I agree about the painterly quality of the second. It looks like something that one of those traveling landscape artists of the West would have done in the 1800s. I hope you do get more snow, but I’m sure you’re enjoying this little respite, and your firm footing!
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Comment by shoreacres — February 11, 2015 @ 9:34 pm
I really enjoyed just sitting on those open hillsides, and sharing them with two dozen white-tailed deer and two big mulies!
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 10:04 pm
Love that cloud cover settling between the trees, Terry. Looks like a very enjoyable walk. Do I detect that Spring is on the way? Or was the dirt path a solitary event?
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Comment by Vicki — February 11, 2015 @ 11:28 pm
This is very unusual for February, and there will be more winter. The forecast for next week calls for our more normal freezing temperatures again. It has been a rather nice period though and I’ll try for another hike before winter returns.
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Comment by montucky — February 11, 2015 @ 11:36 pm
Now that looks a little more like my country now – some dirt! It must be easier to walk on than snow! I love the misty atmosphere and the majesty of the tall pines. I’m looking forward to following your change of seasons throughout the year. Lovely shots. 🙂
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Comment by Jane — February 12, 2015 @ 6:34 am
It was so satisfying to walk on dirt and rock again! (Doesn’t take much to make me happy!)
I’m starting to really look forward to the change of seasons too, especially when I review the previous year photos taken at the start of spring and the birth of the new wildflowers.
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Comment by montucky — February 12, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
It would be a pleasure to walk on dirt again but what strange weather for Montana. Those cliff faces look like they’re covered with lichens. It looks like they’d be fun to explore but probably a real bear to climb up to.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — February 12, 2015 @ 8:05 am
Those cliffs are indeed covered with lichen. I’ll post some photos taken from a mile past those cliffs on a higher ridge on a south-facing slope. I can’t identify all of them, but you might enjoy seeing them. It will be interesting to see which ones are also present in your area.
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Comment by montucky — February 12, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
My favorite photo is the second. We have had few days “too warm” here which means for example that to walk on the ice of our nearby lake is dangerous at this moment.
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Comment by Sartenada — February 13, 2015 @ 12:52 am
Yes, the ice here that remains is very dangerous too.
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Comment by montucky — February 13, 2015 @ 9:40 am
Superb! Love the scale and presence of those trees.
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Comment by Jo Woolf — February 13, 2015 @ 1:24 am
I love the trees too. I am used to them but still respect and appreciate them very much.
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Comment by montucky — February 13, 2015 @ 9:42 am
Beautiful! Looks like Missoula Floods territory. What trail is this?
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Comment by aarontheisen — February 13, 2015 @ 11:55 am
It is, just off the Clark Fork. Not a trail really, just a very old road that winds up the mountain.
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Comment by montucky — February 13, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
A bit of mist is always good. Lovely shots! Looks pretty steep around there. Will grass cover those slopes in spring?
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Comment by Dayna — February 13, 2015 @ 4:12 pm
Thanks Dayna. Yes, by the end of March those hillsides will be all new green. It’s on the south facing slopes so spring comes early there and the winter days are mild.
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Comment by montucky — February 13, 2015 @ 8:29 pm
It doesn’t seem as though your winter has been “bad” this year, at all, even though I know you like all the snow it normally brings.
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Comment by Candace — February 13, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
It has been a very warm winter, after the sub-zero spell we had early. The watershed in which I live has had only about 80% of its normal snow so far. In other areas of the state they have had 120% plus.
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Comment by montucky — February 13, 2015 @ 8:54 pm
Rugged and beautiful country!
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Comment by Watching Seasons — February 19, 2015 @ 7:42 am
Yes, the simplicity of the world of nature.
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Comment by montucky — February 19, 2015 @ 9:30 am
It was always nice to walk on dirt again after the long winters of snow in the mountains….but I did 15 miles on dirt trails yesterday and would still have traded them for snowy ones! Love that last image, Terry….nice positioning of the sun at the tree-top…and the photo above it with the clouds moving into the trees….very nice.
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Comment by seekraz — February 24, 2015 @ 7:55 am
You know, I miss those desert trails too. Only the bottom ends of our trails are open so far and I’m still hoping for more snow up higher, but at this time of year I’ll take what I can get.
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Comment by montucky — February 24, 2015 @ 8:46 am