Some hikes get rated a lowly "ho-hum", while others enchant and electrify. Our latest adventure to Granite Lake has secured a place in the latter category. In fact, I would say it is in my top 5 of hikes completed in the last 3 years (and there have been 56 unrepeated hikes in that time). Why? The trail offered frequent (good) surprises. For example, it would be dense as a jungle one minute, and barren under deep cedars the next. The undulating terrain, with four creek crossings, meant an opportunity to use ALL our leg muscles! I observed some new plants, which always makes for a winner with me. Finally, the geography around the lake itself was also unique - Flavell Ridge to the left, a notch with a sky-high waterfall (from Blackwell Glacier) in the middle, and "A Peak" to the right. (Yes, that is the genuine name of the mountain!) Are you ready to go virtual camping with me? Let's go!
Somebody really wants you to
know that there are 4!!
As we reached the end of our two-hour drive to the trailhead, we passed a bearded man on a bicycle. He caught up with us before we departed, with a cheery "Did you see the moose?" Apparently, back a bit on the road, a mama moose had been grazing the hillside with two calves. Shucks - we probably were too focused on the map ... For the next two days, we kept our eyes peeled, and saw nary an Alces alces. Two cars were already parked at the trailhead, and later in the day we would meet a young man followed by a middle-aged man, travelling separately and both returning from the lake. This meant a high probability that we would have the lake to ourselves!!! But first we would have to navigate Granite Creek FOUR times ...
We left the trailhead at 10 am, and 5 hours later we had traversed 6 miles and climbed 2000 feet. This is a snail's pace for us, and part of the delay was the first stream crossing. We followed some helpful orange "ribbon" to a spot with an easier passage (lower water flow), but it made finding the trail on the other side more difficult. (On our return, we stuck to the bona fide trail and the creek crossing was perfectly manageable, saving us significant time. Descent from the lake only took us four hours.) In case you are not familiar with stream crossings, this involves taking off your pack, removing your boots and socks, donning your water shoes, hoisting your pack with your boots strung around your neck, striding quickly but safely through ice cold water and then rewinding the process on the other side. I would estimate each crossing adds 15 minutes to the hike. Do the math - four crossings - an extra hour! We got lucky that a MASSIVE cedar had conveniently fallen across the creek right at a crossing - here I am strolling over it.
Early on the hike, I saw that hollyhocks and a purple-flowering plant were predominant. At first glance, I thought it might be a larkspur, but closer examination suggested the pea family. Wrong on both counts! My purchase of Plants of the Rocky Mountains a couple of years ago has been a godsend for identifying flowers, shrubs and trees. In this case, I discerned that my purple majesties are Columbian Monkshood. You can be lured into its velvety folds, but you should be aware that all parts of the plant contain the poisonous alkaloid aconitine. The flowers are harmless to handle, but are violently poisonous if eaten. Just touching it can cause tingling, numbness, and in severe cases, heart problems. Less than 20 ounces of the roots is fatal to a horse. Beautiful but potentially deadly.
Shortly after the first stream crossing, we passed between two towering cedars, both adorned with carved signs denoting "Cabinet Mountains Wilderness/Kootenai National Forest". Clearly, the one on the right has seen better days, and someone saw fit to add the one on the left. Eagle eyes might also detect that Man with Hat is Man with Hat 2. As I reported in this post, a little too much fun in the sun had taken its toll on Hat, and it has been reassigned to purely fishing duties. So, today, we officially welcome Hat 2.
The slightly wider brim bumps into the backpack when it is full, so I
added a button that allows Man with Hat to secure the brim in
the upright and locked position
Within a half mile of the official entrance to the Cabinets, we arrived at a waterfall that has no name, but is accompanied by a fire circle, logs arranged in a seating area and several bare, flat spaces that have accommodated numerous tents. The ideal spot for a break and a snack! On a warmer day, this could be a superb swimming hole. Check out the video below the picture!
Foamflower
At this point, we began to enter the deeply wooded sections of the trail. Eons' worth of cedar needles muffled our footfalls. Flights of fantasy imagined fairies, suspended behind the ferns, giggling at the clumsy hikers. Aptly named foam flower floated above the forest floor on almost invisible stems. And, lest you think nothing can grow under the limitless canopy, suddenly a grouping of orchids appears before you, prompting me to say "Hello, and what might you be?" I am not entirely satisfied with these photos, but these orchids are so small that they are hard to photograph with my phone. Also, I suspect they were a bit past their prime. Nevertheless, my book once again came to the rescue and I can tell you these are Spotted Coralroot Orchids.
Before the fourth and final stream crossing, the scenery opened up enough to offer our first view of spectacular A Peak. Near here, yellow columbines added themselves to the floral display.
Left: Yellow Columbines; Upper Right: A Peak; Lower Right: A hand-carved sign points the way to Granite Lake
The last creek crossing is a half-mile before the lake, and our pace quickened in anticipation. We emerged from the woods to this jaw-dropping view of A Peak, with Granite Lake below it. A full 4000 feet below it. You could be deceived into imagining that A Peak was leaning over the lake, its upper reaches about to crash into the water below at any instant. After some moments of stunned admiration, we commenced the normal activities of setting up camp. Choosing a site. Erecting the tent. Hanging the backpacks in a bear-safe manner. And then Man with Hat went fishing. (It was quite windy and he did not have much luck.) I sat on the log jam at the outlet of the lake, doing word searches and keeping an eye out for birds. A few dippers and a bald eagle made an appearance. It was a delight to watch the light changing as afternoon morphed into evening.
We will buy the mac n' cheese dinner again (it was a new one for us). All too soon it was time to retire to the tent. As we brushed our teeth, a single mule deer approached through the woods. She did not move off; she clearly wanted to be right there. Strange. After we had zipped ourselves into the tent, we heard something knock over the trekking poles, which we had left propped near the seating area of the fire circle. Man without Hat peered into the gathering darkness, and darn if it wasn't that mule deer again. He got out and brought the poles over to the end of the tent. Snuggled down into our sleeping bags once again, it wasn't too long before we could hear the poles banging around right above our heads. Yep, you guessed it - the deer. We reckon she was after the salt on the handles from our perspiration. The poles were moved inside the vestibule of the tent, and that finally seemed to put her off. But my nerves were jangling and it took me quite a while to drift off to the land of Nod. Early to bed, early to rise. We emerged from the tent at 6 AM, witness to the sun's artwork - she had flicked her paint brush over the top of A Peak - stunning!
When you arise early, it is a license for a slow start. Some coffee. A fire. Navel-gazing and contemplating the wonders of the universe. We wandered down the trail to one of the "ponds" created by Granite Creek, in the hope that we might spot a morning moose. Not that day. But nothing could dispel our joy to be the only two humans in this incredible slice of paradise, with nothing more than birdsong to disturb the peace.
And did I mention the birthday of a certain Man with Hat? Yes, this day also welcomed another circle around the sun for my esteemed husband. No cake with candles, but I did carry two cards in my backpack for him to open in the morning. Happy Birthday again, my dear!
The previous day, Man with Hat described the far end of the lake, which he had been able to access via his inflatable pack raft. "You think it's spectacular from here? You should see it up close!" And so it was that I found myself paddling away to distant shores. And he was right. The sheer scale of the cliffs. The myriad of waterfalls that can only be seen when you get close. The incessant pounding of the water on rock as it leaps downward from the glacier to the lake. The below mosaic is the best of the pictures that I took from the boat, and the video may help you visualize some of the waterfalls.
While Man with Hat gave fishing another try (still not much luck), I resumed my word-search/bird-watching game, this time with a bit more success. Audubon's Warbler. Steller's Jay. Western Tanager. And a lovely swallowtail butterfly floated past, alighting on a nearby Cow Parsnip.
It had been a thoroughly delightful morning, but all good things must come to and end, and so we departed the camp at noon. On a hike, I never take all the pictures that I want to on the way out - it would take too long and more importantly, I might wear out the patience of one Man with Hat. So, I had my mental list of plants to capture on our return route.
Upper right: Nodding Onion; Middle right: Stonecrop; Lower right: Fruit of Solomon's Seal
Left: Fading lupines; Upper right: Bead lily, ferns and moss on a rock; Lower right: Aspen Fleabane
At the outset of this post (I know, that was a LONG time ago), I mentioned the dense jungle. Check out these pictures.
Left: if you look closely, you can see a cow parsnip that is taller than Man with Hat
I am always amazed that I miss something along the way. As we returned, I spotted these showy white flowers. Hmmm, what could they be? A quick consultation of my Plants bibleidentified them as Mock Orange. Really? I have two of these in my garden and they don't look anything like this! It is now my aspiration!
On the way down, we passed a couple with a dog, and later, a single man intent on some fishing. We encouraged them to persist through the stream crossings, the jungle and the spooky forest. As we experienced it, the glory of Granite Lake is something meant to be shared.
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. Monday (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 later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. Thanks for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.
As I looked back over the month of May, the word “emerging”
popped into my brain. Spring flowers
erupting from the earth. Birds flocking
to the northern climes. Spousal Unit and
I, re-entering the world like a tortoise tentatively poking its head out of its
shell. In fact, so much occurred during the 31 days of May that I will be breaking this post into two parts! The first glacier lilies were barely gracing Montana’s barren
hillsides, and my brother in Ohio texted me a plethora of flowers that he had
snapped in his neighborhood.I could
practically inhale the warm earthy smell of my youth, and taste the honeysuckle
on my lips.
Despite our three years in Montana, we are still learning
the mountains that are suitable for spring hikes.Firefighter Lookout on May 1 was not one of
them.Check out these comparison pictures – the top is May 1, and the bottom is May 25, taken in exactly the same location.How many differences can you see?1. Snow is gone.
2. My
head barely reaches the bottom of the sign – that shows you how deep the snow was.3.There
are four vehicles in the picture, one of which is ours.On May 1, we could not drive to this point;
we had to walk a mile and a half to get here.Now that the snow is gone, this is a popular hike!
With the weather on a warming trend, it was time to buy some ankle-length hiking socks. At the same time, I purchased a new phone holder that can clip to my backpack. (Typically, I kept my phone in a zipper pocket that is on the belt of my backpack. But every time I take off the pack and set it down, I have to be sure to take out the phone to avoid damaging it. Also, that zipper pocket is hard to close one-handed, which creates an annoying hassle when I am usually holding two trekking poles in my hand. This is a major improvement!)
Spring also signifies the return of Man with Hat. Well, Hat may soon need to be Hat 2. A little more sweat and a little more sun, and it might just fall apart. I recently made emergency repairs so that Man would have Hat for fishing the next day. I think it was lucky Hat that helped him net this massive cutthroat trout.
Hat does not look much better after the repair, but I
didn't have a lot to work with! You'll be happy to know
this trout is still swimming around in Glacier Lake!
On a per capita basis, Montana has had one of the lowest
COVID infection rates in the US, and I give credit to the governor for setting
the standard and to Montana citizens for following it.When Spousal Unit came home with this Danish
from Wheat Montana Bakery & Deli on May 4, it felt like such a luxury.He had to make a special stop.He had to put on his mask again.Should we be indulging like this?Yes!
In late April, my Mom was admitted to the hospital for
reasons not related to COVID.In one of
our many conversations, she mentioned that one of her geraniums had died.Through my sister the florist, I arranged for
a flower arrangement with a geranium to be delivered to the skilled nursing
facility that aided her transition from the hospital back to her own house on
May 11.She was over the moon.So, it was a no-brainer that I should draw a
geranium as part of her hand-made Mother’s Day card.
I used one of Sylvia's birdies for the front of the card.
My own Mother's Day was glorious, with breakfast on the back deck, cards, calls from our kids, and a sumptuous dinner.
On May 4, our governor allowed for phased re-opening of
restaurants, with only 50% dining capacity and other requirements.We gave it a week, and then thought carefully
about an establishment that has the space to distance diners, and the resources
to do it properly.What a treat to eat
out at the Montana Club, especially for Head Chef, who has tired of the endless
cooking!
Despite the re-opening, we have continued our practice of
team cooking, including biryani and naan bread on May 13, and tartlets and
cauliflower fritters on May 22.
Biryani and Naan Bread
Chicken Cranberry Brie Tartlets
Cauliflower Fritters
Hopefully, all this talk of food has left you hungry for more - come back next week for part 2 of this month's re-cap!
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. Monday (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.
March 3, 2019 marks two years since my retirement. Two years = 104 weeks = 730 days = 17,520 hours. It's cause for ongoing celebration, and reflection. In my usual analytical fashion, I concocted a myriad of ways to approach this post. Maybe I could use major milestones for the structure. Or perhaps my key observations about retired life. I could consult my "Joy of Retirement" book for inspiration. Maybe I should summarize the six "retirement reports" that I previously posted. (Week One, Week Three, Week Five, Week Twelve, Week Nineteen, Week Forty-One)
One picture from each of the six retirement reports
It struck me that I have not published a retirement report for over a year; I believe it means that I have been too occupied to think about retirement. Or is it possible that retirement has become my state of being rather than something separate from me?
Then it occurred to me to look in my Legacy Box, a parting gift from my Human Resources team. I turned the key, and ... First I found the dedications from our kids, both orated by our son at my retirement party. The tears began to flow. First, a few words from my sister who couldn't make it today: Dear Mom - Let me first say congratulations on your retirement. You've earned it. I want you to know that you are the strongest woman I have ever known. I aspire to be like you every day for you inspire me to be a better manager. I hope that I have as big an impact on the people that I work with as you did. I'm so proud of you and I love you. #1 Daughter So, this isn't so much a speech as it is a chance to tell a story. A story of dedication, ideals and teaching. As long as I can remember, there has been a phone, a laptop, and Mom. Every night the laptop came out and down sat Mom to do unfinished business from the day or deal with an issue that had popped up on the phone. Every vacation along came the laptop and phone. Whenever it came out at night or got packed along with the rest of the bags leaving for vacation, I would urge my Mom to leave it. Surely she had done enough work to warrant not needing to do anymore tonight or on vacation. I didn't urge her because I thought she was a workaholic or because I wanted her attention; I did it because I wanted her to be free from the work for the night, vacation or any amount of time. My protests were always met with a smile, and a "I wish, son."
As I grew older, I began to understand why. Her unending dedication to her work, that at times was very trying and unenjoyable, taught me a lot about my Mom and about how I wish to live my life. Primarily, that I don't want an office job. But more importantly, about upholding ideals of work ethic and commitment. I could not be more grateful. And now in a week, for the first time ever, there will be a vacation where I don't have to ask my Mom to leave behind her phone and laptop. But the lessons I have learned by watching my Mom will never leave me. #1 Son
Yes, yes, YES! It was worth it all.
Next I found this simple, handwritten and taped sheet, and it spoke volumes to me about my legacy and my retirement journey. During my Human Resources career, I led leadership development events. The standard program called for senior leaders to share career lessons, and toward the end of my career, I chose an unconventional medium- my collection of Chinese fortunes. In my very last leadership session (the 8th under my direction), the cohort in training presented me with a set of fortunes that they had collected the night before at a local restaurant, together with their best wishes for my impending retirement. I present some of them to you now, with corresponding pictures from the last 24 months. A relaxing adventure is in your near future
As I noted in my first retirement report on 3/13/2017, I calculate I worked an extra 18.2 years due to long hours.
So, I have only relaxed off TWO of those years!
You will continue to take chances and be glad you did
Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park, August 13, 2018. Standing in awe next to Man with Hat.
New experiences in Norway (upper left) and in Glacier (lower right)
New friends in the neighborhood (upper right) and at the ski resort (lower left)
You will soon discover how capable you are … of running an informal bed and breakfast/boutique guide service. We have thoroughly enjoyed our visitors and showing them our little corner of Montana. And from their comments in our guest book, Spousal Unit could apply for a Michelin rating for his food! Our tour guide services aren't bad, either!
You will get what your heart desires If you asked me what I wanted most from retirement, time with Man with Hat, in our slice of paradise, would be at the top of the list. So, I will close this post with my favorite pictures of my beloved (some with Hat and some without!) Darling, I have enjoyed every minute of the 104 weeks = 730 days = 17,520 hours.
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. Monday (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.
