Last hunt of the season

The morning began at 10º but bright and clear. The hunt began on snow that squeaked so loud that our steps could be heard for a mile away, giving the game a big head start and they left nothing but tracks. So, I brought back only photos, with is really what I go out for in the first place. Following is a few taken from along a 5 mile hike along the bottom part of McCully Ridge in the Thompson River drainage above Fishtrap Creek.

Morning on McCully Ridge

Photo taken on November 1, 2008.

Above the clouds

A few times a year, usually in late fall or early winter, clouds will settle in and fill a valley here in western Montana, while making it still possible to climb above them and view them from above. Those were the conditions yesterday, and I was able to take advantage of the opportunity by bringing back some photos, this set being taken from McCully Ridge overlooking the Thompson River canyon. It was a two mile hike and a 1,300 foot climb to the top of the ridge, but I felt it was worth the effort.

Island in the clouds

(Photos taken just after daylight from McCully Ridge overlooking Fishtrap Creek in western Montana’s Cabinet Mountains.)