July 26, 2017
A short hike on USFS trail 223 ~ July 11, 2017
Sometimes it’s nice to begin a hike with a pleasant scene.
USFS trail 223 starts along the river at an elevation of about 2,400 feet, climbs up and over a small hill then proceeds up the river for another 7 or 8 miles. In their seasons, wildflowers along it are diverse and plentiful. Those included in this post are the late-season ones.
Evening Primrose (Oenothera villosa): the first one I had seen this year.
These bluebells are everywhere this time of year and I can seldom pass up a chance to photograph them.
As the trail enters the lower and most dense part of the forest, the color is intense.
The shade-loving Three-leaf Foamflower ~ Tiarella trifoliata
The berries of the Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus) are just beginning to turn red.
I did mention that I love these bluebells, didn’t I?
Slender Hawkweed ~ Hieracium triste
The seed head of the Blue Clematis, (Clematis occidentalis)
I love the steeper parts of this trail: there is a small stream below.
Another flower which grows at just about all elevations, Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
These are the fruit of the Clasping Twisted-stalk (Streptopus amplexifolius) which is a plant that I have seen in only two locations. It is interesting because the flowers and fruit appear on the underside of the leaves.
White Sweet-clover ~ Melilotus albus
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The trail looks well traveled and inviting as well, especially the cool shade although from your comments it hasn’t been that cool lately.
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Comment by Ron Mangels — July 26, 2017 @ 11:23 am
I think the southern end of that trail gets quite a bit of traffic, but I don’t think most go up very far. The shade on it is nice and there is the river close by and a nice little stream near the trail head.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 4:11 pm
The river looks trouty, and the trails look beary. I’ve never seen the clasping twisted stalk. What an interesting set up it has.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — July 26, 2017 @ 12:04 pm
You are right on the river and the trail. Several years ago I hiked there in winter when the snow was deep and nearly walked right into a cougar who was coming my direction.
The twisted stalk is really a strange plant.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 4:14 pm
Yikes! That would be a bit unnerving for a few seconds.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — July 26, 2017 @ 9:00 pm
Lovely pictures from a really lovely trail.
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Comment by bentehaarstad — July 26, 2017 @ 1:00 pm
These trails are fascinating to hike on. There are so many very pleasant things to see.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 4:15 pm
The Clasping-twisted Stalk looks like it has its own Christmas ornaments. Love that dense forest.
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Comment by Candace — July 26, 2017 @ 1:56 pm
The twisted stalk looks like that when it is in bloom. Here is a post with some photos of it in bloom.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 4:21 pm
Pretty!
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Comment by Candace — August 3, 2017 @ 5:15 pm
That looks like a great trail to do some mushroom hunting on too!
I love the blue of the bluebells too. They remind me of balloon flowers in a way.
I’ve never heard of the three-leaf foamflower but I’ll bet those flowers are tiny if they’re anything like our foamflowers.
The clasping twisted stalk is an interesting looking plant. It reminds me of Solomon’s seal.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — July 26, 2017 @ 3:15 pm
Yes. I think there would be a lot of them fairly close to the trail head where is is quite damp.
The foamflower blossoms are about 3/8 inch across.
Here is a post with some photos of the twisted stalk in bloom.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 4:23 pm
Nice flowers, and what an odd twisted stem they have.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — July 26, 2017 @ 4:53 pm
What a great trail to hike and I love the late season wildflowers too, Especially the Clasping Twisted-stalk, which reminds me a little of one species of Abutilon I’ve seen in the Botanic Gardens here in Melbourne. Your Blue Clematis also looks like our Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba ? I think it is). So many wonderful wild flowers to see in the summer in Montana. Thanks for sharing, Terry.
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Comment by Vicki — July 26, 2017 @ 5:51 pm
It is a very nice trail. It runs along the border of the 13,472 acre (5452 hectare) South Siegel roadless area which is very wild country. Each trail has its own inventory of wildflowers during the various seasons, and many mini ecosystems adding to the diversity.
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
Looks like heaven!
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Comment by de Wets Wild — July 26, 2017 @ 8:20 pm
Maybe as close as we will get for awhile. I sure do love these trails!
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Comment by montucky — July 26, 2017 @ 9:01 pm
I can easily see why, Montucky!
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Comment by de Wets Wild — July 27, 2017 @ 11:47 am
Thank you for sharing these excursions, you are actually taking us along by showing us examples of the landscape and then little discoveries on the way … 🙂
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Comment by paparadu — July 27, 2017 @ 7:39 am
That is precisely what I intend to do! I’m very happy that you enjoy these posts! Because of health problems, my wife was never able to accompany me on my trips into the mountains and forests, and so about a decade ago I bought a small digital camera so I could bring back photos of what I saw and those became very important to her. Soon after, I started to post photos and descriptions on the internet for other folks who might enjoy seeing the beauty of the wild country also.
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Comment by montucky — July 27, 2017 @ 8:27 am
God bless you and your wife.
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Comment by paparadu — August 3, 2017 @ 6:37 am
Thank you!
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Comment by montucky — August 3, 2017 @ 7:36 am
A wonderful post!! The shots of the bluebells are superior.
There were also lots of bluebells in my forest today. Cannot remember to have seen that many before. Probably due to the changing weather we have at the moment. But I don’t know for sure.
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Comment by Hanna — July 27, 2017 @ 1:26 pm
Thanks Hanna! There are lots of bluebells here too, probably more noticeable because most of the other flowers are through blooming.
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Comment by montucky — July 27, 2017 @ 3:22 pm
Beautiful, especially the bluebells! I also love the Clasping Twisted-stalk – what an unusual plant, with its own home-grown Christmas decorations!
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Comment by Jo Woolf — July 28, 2017 @ 4:16 am
The bluebells are among the most photogenic flowers! I guess the twisted stalk is not rare, but I don’t come across it every year. There are so many fascinating plants out there!
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Comment by montucky — July 28, 2017 @ 7:38 am
Those colours are intense .. wonderful pics! That river sure does look like it would be a trout haven 🙂
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Comment by Julie@frogpondfarm — July 28, 2017 @ 1:27 pm
These were in a shaded area where the summer sun hasn’t burned the leaves. There are a lot of trout in the Clark Fork river. This area is about 25 miles upstream from my house. On a late summer evening I can fish a section of the river (in deep riffles) and come back home with a couple pounds of trout, perfect for the BBQ grill.
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Comment by montucky — July 28, 2017 @ 4:40 pm
Sounds wonderful 😄
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Comment by Julie@frogpondfarm — July 28, 2017 @ 9:31 pm
It is. I just wish I could think that it will still be this way in succeeding generations!
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Comment by montucky — July 28, 2017 @ 9:54 pm
Hi Montucky, So pretty. What a great walk. Glad you took the pictures. I think you are right about those Bluebell blossoms – very beautiful! Have a great weekend.
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Comment by wildlifewatcher — July 28, 2017 @ 7:51 pm
Thank you wildlifewatcher! You have a great weekend too!
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Comment by montucky — July 28, 2017 @ 9:29 pm
That is MY kind of trail! Beautiful images, Terry…..thank you. 🙂
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Comment by seekraz — July 29, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
I thought you might enjoy this trail too, although it is not one of the high mountain trails.
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Comment by montucky — July 29, 2017 @ 8:05 pm
I love always Your hiking tours, because they offer stunning surprises, which You see. Great post.
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Comment by Sartenada — August 1, 2017 @ 12:19 am
I’m glad that you like seeing these photos. There are always some interesting things to see in the forests.
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Comment by montucky — August 1, 2017 @ 7:03 am