Sunday, January 9, 2022

Mosaic Monday #163: 775 Miles alongside Man with Hat

As I was preparing my 2021 re-cap, I calculated 105 miles hiked last year.  It seemed a low number, and I idly wondered how it compared to other years.  Inquiring minds want to know!  So, here's the answer!!!

We moved to Montana in May 2017, and lost no time hitting the trails.  From May 6 through November 24, we traversed 200 miles on 26 different hikes.  So far, nineteen of those adventures have been documented on this blog.

In 2018, we covered 126 miles on 14 hikes between January 25 and October 19.  You have read about 5 of those trails.

The following year, 14 hikes carried us 151 miles from April 18 through September 16.  I wrote about six of the 2019 hikes.

Between March 21 and October 24, 2020, we traipsed 193 miles on 23 separate hikes, and I penned posts about eight of them.

And, finally, 2021.  We explored 105 miles on 6 hikes, and I have told you about two of them.

If you were counting, that's 775 miles in 5 years!  As you might surmise, 2020's significant mileage is owed to COVID-19.  Our travel was limited, and we made up for it with more hiking.  And, you can see that 2021 WAS the lowest mileage we have done so far.  Why might that be?  First, two of our backcountry camping trips were canceled - one because of a wildfire and one because of weather.  Together, they would have added approximately 55 miles to the total.  Second, we have covered the low-hanging fruit; many of the day hikes that are within easy reach are in the books!

The data also shows I have a backlog of 43 hikes that remain unshared!!!  

We are going to take care of one of them right now!!!


Hiking Journal Entry 23: September 17, 2017

Wounded Buck Trail - 9 miles out and back

This day was forecast to be crisp in the morning and fall-ish in the afternoon (high 66 degrees).  And the coming week showed a solid week of rain.  So, we grabbed this as a perfect opportunity for hiking.  We mapped out a 12-mile route that would include 2 lakes - Strawberry and Wildcat.  We should have known, when we tried to find the official trailhead and failed, that this might be a "sigh" outcome!

From where we parked the car (an obvious camping spot), we took a trail that clearly had frequent use, assuming it was the trail.  As we continued, it appeared that the trail route followed an old road, which made sense based on the map we had.


At these low elevations, there was plenty of frost.  In the collage below, the goldenrod was bedazzled by frost, and the frozen puddle was full of suspended butterflies/moths.


After some time, the trail became very overgrown.  So, while it was still visible, it was hard going.  Yes, the path goes through this brush!














The trail followed Wounded Buck Creek as we gained elevation, which we hoped would lead us to the junction with Alpine Trail 7.






However, after three hours, we considered that we could still be three miles from the junction, and that would leave us with no time to go to either lake.  So, discouraged, we decided to turn around.  Yes, it was a "sigh" outcome, but at least I was with Man with Hat!


* the picture above was NOT on the Wounded Buck Trail

** there will be no Mosaic Monday next week; I will see you on January 23!!!

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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31 comments:

  1. ...keep putting one foot in front of the other in the beautiful place that you call home.

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  2. Wow!!! So glad retirement dreams have come true!!

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  3. You sure get lots of hiking in and your neck of the woods sure is pretty!

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  4. There is nothing as wonderful as hiking in nature, Angie. Even hikes one has been on many time can bring new wonders. Happy hiking in 2022!

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  5. Chapeau... this trails are remarkable achievements, Angie and I admire most. Your Posts about the trails always wonderful to read, the nature in your pictures are fantastisc.

    We do only some strolls around a small lake. I can no more walk, by the way ... but in the youth I prefer to swim. For example 4 hours in the Starnberger See before Munich.

    Have a wonderful time in your holidays.
    Hugs, Heidrun

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  6. You and your DH are real nature lovers - respect for your hiking mileage! But it’s no wonder you love to hike - such gorgeous landscapes. Wishing a beautiful new week.

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  7. Hello,
    You did very well, just keeping track of your hiking miles. Being out in nature is one of my favorite things. Your photos are beautiful. I will look forward to your hikes in 2022. Have a great day and a happy new week!

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  8. That's a lot of hiking, but what wonders you've seen! Another gorgeous post, Angie. May you enjoy many more hikes!

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  9. It's so much fun to keep up with our hikes and have all those great memories of what we did and what we saw. It helps to have lots of pics too! Well done to you both! Hugs!

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  10. Amazing miles you have put in and gotten the benefit of beauty from! You are true hikers. Here's hoping you'll have many happy trails in 2022!

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  11. Even if it didn't turn out perfectly, it was a beautiful hike. (I don't think you could miss beauty on any hike in your part of Montana!)Happy New Year to you both!! And thank you for hosting, as always.

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  12. Happy New Year to you and man with a hat - fabulous achievements over the past 5 years. The photos are wonderful thank you for taking us on your Wounded Buck wander Trail today!
    Wren x

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  13. Love the beautiful landscapes.

    Looking forward to more of your fabulous hikes in 2022!

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  14. I love the drawing! Have a good week.

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  15. Lovely photographs.
    You've done so well with your hiking.
    Keep on hiking ...

    All the best Jan

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  16. Thanks for the Monday Mosaic heads up. Next week we will be going to state park campgrounds with trails so I should have more things begging to be photographed. It's interesting to see you hiking history. I keep track of our RV miles but not our walking ones, which would never get close to your totals. - Margy

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  17. Beautiful gusting water streams, fantastic.

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  18. It has never occurred to me to keep track of the distances I have walked, but over many years, it is quite a bit, in fair weather and in foul.

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  19. Great idea to keep a record of your hikes, I always enjoy seeing where you have been.

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  20. That's a proud amount of hiking kilometers. I am looking forward to your wonderful nature shots and to further tours from you.
    Many greetings to you.

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  21. Good for you guys, getting out and hitting the trails. Of course you got some really good trails to try.
    Wishing a great hiking season in 2022

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  22. Beautiful scenery! Have a wonderful time, Angie.

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  23. How great that you keep track of your hikes and the mileage. It would be interesting to compare from year to year. I hope that 2022 will be another great hiking year for you and the man-in-the-hat.

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  24. Hi Angie
    I love landscapes, they are beautiful, and the two of you, excellent.

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  25. Angie. I am so impressed by your mileage tally. You may have walked more miles in 2021 than I drove in the UK - not kidding. You both have tremendous stamina and so obviously love the great outdoors and the natural world. Lovely photos too.

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  26. do you keep a written hiking journal in addition to your blog??

    such pretty landscapes and beautiful images, the water is gorgeous!! you are lucky to have your health and the ability to hike like this!!

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