Holland Lake Falls–Seeing It At Last!

Posted on by Joy

Third time is a charm. Today we WILL get to the base of the falls on Holland Creek which connects Upper Holland Lake and the much larger 416-acre Holland Lake. The hike to the upper lake is about 12 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 3,600 feet. The hike to Holland Lake Falls is 3.3 miles round trip with a 750 foot elevation gain. Guess which one we are doing–remembering I’m wimpy.

I’ve walked this trail before but could never find access to the base of the falls. Today I will not be denied, and although it is mostly cloudy, rain is not forecast, the sun peaks through here and there, the smoke from fires north and west has subsided, and it is only in the upper 60s. What a day for a pleasant late morning hike. Sitting at the base of Carmine Peak in the Swan Mountains, welcome to Holland Lake!

Grab your gear, let’s go . . .

The Wonder, The Hope, The Knoll

Posted on by Joy

Footbridge--Soda Butte

The narrow trail beckons, well worn by valley explorers. Curving along the hillside to the rock and rolling creek revealing Teals bumpity, bump over rapids to tranquil pools and sandbars.

Soda Butte teal

The knoll on my right increasingly pulls at my imagination. Strolling the well-trodden trail but constantly glancing right. Resting in the cottonwood’s shade yet being pulled toward that knoll. Covered with gnarly gray-green sagebrush, a fading facade of summer’s flowers, rocks that blend with cream-colored sand, and rocks along the creek popping with rust and pale green lichen.

lichen on Soda Butte

This well-traveled trail stays close to the creek but the edge of that knoll–what might be on the other side? It’s just a short walk to wonder. The imagined visions explode with possibilities. A rolling landscape with hundreds of bison like huge rocks across the valley. A mirrored lake reversing the mountain forest above. Flowers ablaze adding red, yellow, purple to the color of sage. Songbirds galore keeping the cadence. The pull is too great. Heading up to the knoll’s edge to see what wonders await.

Yellowstone, the knoll2

Through thigh-high sagebrush making me smell like Thanksgiving stuffing. Avoiding red stems with thorny warnings. Passing tiny plants with spiky yellow flowers so small a bee cannot get a foothold. Purple asters losing their petals to late summer weariness. Small spiders and grasshoppers jumping away from my footfall. The last few steps to the edge’s promise–excitement fills me. With camera ready I step to the top!

A rolling landscape of sagebrush and grasses, like a rubber-stamped picture of the landscape behind me. With late summer smells of dust and clicks and busses of grasshoppers and bees. With thigh-high sagebrush and late summer flowers.

But wait. See it? The edge of that knoll ahead. With a smile of renewed anticipation, I’m off! It’s just a short walk to wonder.

Yellowstone, the knoll

Until next time . . . be amazed in your neck of the woods.

Beauty, Diversity, Partnerships Commingle at Ninepipes

Posted on by Joy

We only have one day to explore Ninepipes National Wildlife Refuge. The weather is not too promising, but such is spring in Montana. Over the course of the day we may see sun, then rain, then sun, then clouds. An ever-changing landscape, but the birds are consistent. Waterfowl, songbirds, and raptors alike are nesting and beginning to raise their next generation.

We are 18 miles south of Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states, with over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. The refuge sits in the Mission Valley with the Mission Mountains east and the Salish Mountains west, but the center of our attention is the 1,672 acre lake in the middle of the refuge surrounded by many smaller ponds.

Entrance to Ninepipes is right across the road from the Lodge. You can see a bit of light above the grass line which is the lobby/restaurant entrance. Let’s explore a while before breakfast. It is a bit before 6am and the birds are calling as the sky brightens. Let’s see what surprises we find at sunrise!

Mission Mnts sunrise

So much to see . . .

Summer in the Rockies

Posted on by Joy

Up, up, up into the mountains above Lamar Valley, with summer flowers and grasses waist-high. Walking poles become test devises for holes we can’t see in the lush foliage. Careful, there are holes deep enough to be up to your thigh with only one leg. Falling is always possible, but trusty poles help. These tripping dangers are the result of bison weight in the mud last spring, Uinta ground squirrels’ burrowing systems connecting their large community, and nature’s backhoe and rototiller, the badger, that digs holes up to 30 feet long and a foot in diameter. We will take our time, watch our step, and revel in the beauty of the hillsides that call us on.

mountain wildflowers

Sitting in the shade of the conifers, bit of marsh below, resting against a rock, we are cushioned by deep, soft needles. Decades of needles absorbing random noise. Horsetail plants thriving in the dampness of the marsh, tall grasses waving in the breeze. A nap is not out of order.

Slow down, stop talking, enjoy the wind, the rustling grasses, and bird song. Is that a stream we hear or the wind blowing though the conifers? A chipmunk scampering along a downed tree, a chickadee we hear but cannot see.  Flickers and Clark’s nutcrackers high in the trees adding their voices to the day’s chorus.

Aspens trembling in the breeze adding their black on white texture to the landscape. Sticky Geraniums presenting a symphony of pink. Indian Paintbrush popping scarlet staccatos. A crescendo of scattered white and yellow flowers. Always the conifers standing guard and keeping time. Take a deep breath, soak it in . . .

Welcome to summer in the Rockies!