Porcupine Creek near Big Sky Montana a couple weeks ago

This trail offers several options once you get back into it about a mile or more with the routes on the maps and not so formal routes created by mountain bikers along the front of the ridge line to your left as you go in on #34, the Porcupine Creek Trail.  Almost 2 mls. in you can split to the right on Porcupine Meadows trail which I did in previous years and it offers some great views across the valley of Lone Peak and the  southern edge of the Spanish Peaks along a relatively moderate hike.
A few miles into #34 your hiking mostly in forest however it opens often with views of mountains and the beautiful Porcupine Creek on your right as you go in.

These pictures are of some of the animals we did see along the walk that day.  You may need to click on the photo to enlarge them for a clearer view of the mule deer and squirrel.

And, if we had seen what left this print I hope we would have had been so far away you'd have to take our word for it!

Hiking in Montana

Hello, and Wow!  What another awesome week of appreciating the Rocky Mountains in Montana on foot (Oct. 11th-18th).  I have been fortunate and lucky enough to revisit this area of SW Montana over the last few years and hike a bunch while doing so.  This year "The Mysterious One", was able to come along and see what I have been telling her about since I rekindled this contact with old friends and schoolmates in MT.
The difficulty of these trails we hiked is described in terms of someone in good health, including a healthy lung and heart capacity to utilize the thinner air, and of course muscular endurance.
I note these things as important because some of the trails we hiked around the Big Sky area began at over 5000' in elevation, were consistent in the incline up to higher elevations, and we dealt with both snow and mud which added to the amount of energy needed to cover the walks we took.  The energy level was not only the physical strength but also the bodies ability to process the thinner levels of oxygen and keep those muscles from cramping.  We snacked on GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts+), fruit and nut bars with real fruit and nuts, and packed some healthy sandwiches for lunch at the turnaround points each day. 
These pictures are from some of the hikes we took, two of them new to me included completing the Deer Creek trail and hiking the Corbly Gulch trail out of Bozeman.  The hike to Moon Lake via the Deer Creek Trail was over 10 mls, with half of that an incline on a sometimes rocky or muddy trail, but well worth the effort.  So, I would describe all but the Porcupine Creek hike as difficult just to error on the side of caution.

This photo below is looking out into the Gallatin Valley from about 3 mls. up the Corbly Gulch Trail.  This trail is used a bunch by locals both on bikes and foot and will take you to the pass just below Sacajawea Peak in the Bridger's.
The mountain bikers outnumbered the hikers the day we were on it 3-1.  There was both snow and sunshine as we  hiked this trail, much like the Smokies in how we may have rain and partly cloudy skies on a day hike.  And maybe more than once depending on the length of the hike.

On this Corbly Gulch trail we were able to view the vast size of the Gallatin Valley.
Over the week we saw lots of animals but no bears only this print about 5.5 mls into a hike on the Porcupine Creek Trail.  Funny, we were about to sit down and eat and turn around anyway.  Which is what we did with much more awareness as we had our sandwiches and rested for a few minutes. 

This week was another reminder and motivator for me to speak out and participate in preserving and protecting those vital systems to our survival as a species.  The earth will survive without us just fine.

Pre Fall Colors along the Rich Mtn Trail

Another awesome day along this 2+ ml. section of trail which we've hiked many times.  I as usual find this hike relaxing in a mental sense and challenging on a physical level, depending on how fast you proceed along this mostly uphill climb.  That is 2+ mls. of incline of course if you're beginning from the parking area just outside the park where Rich Mtn. rd. exits from the park boundary.
The trees are still pretty full though I noticed in the long range forecast that the temps will be falling drastically next week so this will change. 

Along this walk I saw birds, squirrels, purple, white and yellow blooms, but no bears.....yet.  The mast crop was plentiful and there was fresh scat to indicate their presence along most of the trail.
And at one point lots of  'shrooms.
I enjoyed sitting for a few minutes at the top and just listening before returning the way I came.

Dry Times: This just in....

Great Smoky Mountains National Park firefighters are fighting a 25-acre wildfire located along the northwest boundary of the park north of the Abrams Creek Campground area. The Happy Valley Ridge Fire was reported at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14. Firefighters from the park and the Tennessee Division of Forestry responded to the fire which is located inside the park boundary.  

Primarily, the fire is slowly spreading with flame lengths less than three feet high through a pine-oak forest. At times, the active fire reached flame heights between five to six feet high during the hottest, driest periods of the afternoon. The fire is burning within a suppression fire zone due to the proximity to the park boundary. A 10-person Hotshot fire crew from the Cherokee National Forest will assist with fire suppression efforts in the morning.

The current location of the fire is not threatening any structures, roads, or trails. All park areas remain open at this time. Visitors should expect to see smoke from the Foothills Parkway West and the Abrams Creek area of the park. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but a natural, lightening start is possible.

Deep Creek in the GSMNP

Hello, and what a weekend!  "The Mysterious One", and I met over on the NC side of the GSMNP, in order to hike up the Deep Creek Trail and vicinity from campsite #56.  Now this was the first time for me to hike this trail and I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of people once past the tubing area popular at the trailhead.
The section of the Deep Creek Trail we backpacked and which is described here is accessible from Bryson City NC.  This trail is moderate for the most part with a few imposing inclines within the first 7 miles.  It meanders along side the Deep Creek; basically a small river in most spots, with a few wet springs coming off the mountainside which could pose a slippery challenge during the wet seasons.
The wonderful thing I thought, was the lack of overnight campers at any of the campsites we passed in the cluster of sites stretched over a few miles before we came to #56.  The first thing for us to do after we arrived at the site was to drop the packs, survey the area and get in the creek!!
Dudes and Dudettes! There was an excellent flow of water in Deep Creek near the campsite with spots deep enough to fully submerge oneself without difficulty!  This creek must be really hooked up with excellent water sources feeding it.  As I was enjoying the cool water I remarked that this is a hikers dream to find a big flowing stream this close to a campsite after a hot sweaty hike.  How many times I have wished for even a small a water hole as the sweat dries to my body.
The only big wildlife I saw was a deer crossing the trail just before we got back into the masses at the trailhead on Sunday afternoon.

This trail provides access to numerous other trails with day, and overnight loops available from it.  The lengths and difficulty of the various routes off the Deep Creek Trail are enhanced with access to a second vehicle or shuttle.  

A Deer enjoying a casual walk along the Laurel Falls trail

This deer was just trying to eat along the Laurel Falls trail on Sunday.  Many of the visitors to the trail do not see anything but the waterfall, however today a young man in his teens shared that this was the first time he had ever seen a deer in the wild. 
A few weeks ago a man shared that he had seen a bear up beyond the falls for the first time outside a confined environment, a zoo or something similar.  This man and his hiking partner were probably in their 50's+, and he said they had hiked a lot over the years in the mid-west but had never had the opportunity to share a moment with a black bear in the wild. He thanked me for suggesting they walk beyond the falls. 
Thank you for making me a part of that moment.

"I'mm Baaack......"

On Friday August 5th, officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced the temporary closure of the Ramsey Cascades Trail due to a damaged foot log caused by a fallen tree that is blocking access along the route. The foot log spans a section of Ramsey Prong which is too swift and deep to allow hikers to safely rock-hop across river. The popular, four-mile trail is located in the Greenbrier section of the park.

For more information on road and trail closures, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

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