Category: Nature Walking/Hiking
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Finding the Shady Trails
The Upper Waterline trail is a whole different world from the rest of the trail system right now. Lady Slippers, Richardson’s Geraniums, and a few Yellow Columbine are thriving. I suspect the Columbine are escaped garden varietals- they don’t look like the native plants to me. The shaded areas on all four of our “rises”…
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February in the Rearview
February may be the shortest month, but holy cheese does it have some long weeks. Helena had nine days with winds above 20mph (33kph); and two of those days had gusts above 40mph (65kph). Sixteen days were below 0 (-17c). My home area received at least 20 inches (50cm) of snow. And we were cloudier…
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Mount Ascension
The views from the top of Mount Ascension, or Mount Helena for that matter, rarely disappoint.
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Warming Thoughts
As the morning light slowly builds at the eastern edge of the Helena valley on this frigid January morning, I am inspired by these two quotes: In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world…
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First Day Birding 2025
Jan 1, 2025 What a wonderful 1/1 birding day. We had a couple of simply magical moments and ended the day with 43 species positively ID’ed- by far our best First Day. All told, we walked six miles in several different locations. Before I go into the magical, I want to share the oddities. We…
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Obsidian, My Trail Companion
Obsidian Black Dog has accompanied me on every single one of the now 1,301 trail miles I’ve taken this year. And all the miles I’ve taken in the prior 8 years as well. He’s got lots of favorite trails and he often refuses to go the way I want to go- particularly when we get…
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1000 Miles in Helena’s Hills
On December 31st of 2023, while walking on the Helena Ridge Trail, I decided I wanted to walk every named trail in the south hills system and attempt to surpass 1,000 trail miles. The first goal was obtained when I walked Far East on November 10. From Aftershock to Waterline, and Barking Dog, to West…
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Butterflies and Moths
When I walk in the hills, I always have a few things in my pouch- dog items, bear spray, a small wind meter, and a Nikon super zoom camera are my mainstays. I also carry my phone. For flowers, rocks, and landscapes, I use my phone. For birds, mammals and most reptiles, I reach back…
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Last Day of Autumn
There are two ways to define winter. One is meteorological winter and the second is astronomical winter. They differ primarily in what criteria are used. Meteorological winter is based on temperature cycles and is aligned with the calendar. December 1 is the start of meteorological winter. Astronomical winter is based on the position of the…
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Mammals
Mammals tend to be fewer and farther between than birds and wildflowers everywhere in the Helena valley. That being said, I have seen a few species around- ground squirrels, deer, antelope, foxes, hares, and the occasional moose. I’ve seen moose three or four times this year. Our moose sighting on July 12 was especially memorable.…