Show Me the Horse

Wednesday was a beautiful day to be outdoors.  We started early when the trails were still frozen and less muddy.  We hiked along the open space trail called Show Me the Horse Trail.  It may be called Show Me the Horse, but we saw elk sign everywhere.

Good company: one of the best things about hiking

Baby Bitterroots in a meadow higher on the trail

Lower view of the trail

Dogs should not interfere with women applying lipstick

Higher view from trail (peak is Casey Peak)

Tick Prevention

And while I am on the subject of ticks, here are a few things I do to locate them or prevent them:

• Wear light colored clothes, so I can spot them.
• Stay on the trail and out of the brush this time of year as much as possible.
• If I notice numerous ticks crawling all over my shoes, pant legs, or the trail, I turn back and come back another day.  I learned this the hard way.  There are just some spring days on some trails that are crummy days to hike.  Hiking along a trail while gathering hoards of ticks can make for an incredibly memorable hike.  The hike will not be one whit enjoyable, but it will be memorable!
• Wear gators.  Gail found gators for me a few years ago that fit on the top of my shoes and over my socks and lower pant legs.
• Run all my clothes, especially the dark ones, through the wash. 
• Run clothes that shouldn't be washed often, e.g. my coat or empty backpack, through a cycle in the dryer if the the area was thick with the pests.
• Wear a bandanna over my hair when practical.
• After a hike, I take a bath, wash my hair, and run a fine tooth comb through my hair. Often I have found a tick or two in my bath water.  I have also found ticks in my hair, even after washing it.  Once after having someone check my hair for ticks, my fine tooth comb combed out two ticks my inspector did not find.
• Put a flea and tick collar on the dog, especially if he is riding in the car with us.  I will never forget the time the dog decided to cuddle with Kristy and rubbed ticks onto her.  Neither ended up being a happy camper.  

After all the fuss I have made about ticks, I need to add that you shouldn't let them stop from enjoying the great outdoors.  The tick season runs from close to the spring equinox into June. Warm days in March and April seem to be the worst for areas lower in elevation. During this time, some of the most exquisite flowers present themselves for display. I have experienced places over run with ticks only twice in all the years I have been hiking. The Shootingstars, Prairie Crocuses, Yellow Bells will soon being calling, and I'm not going to miss them. 

The Ticks Are Out

Watch out for ticks particularly when:

• it is the first warm, sunny day in the spring, and it's a tad moist.
• it is early in the spring near the Missouri River, or any other place that is low and grassy.
• it is early to mid June, above 5300 ft.
• in the grass, even though they are called "wood ticks."  
• in sage brush.

Ringing Rocks

Often hiking, biking, skiing, climbing and other outdoor adventures can be fatiguing.  I remember reading about a Wilderness Society hike that was 17 miles long.  Since the time hiked ventured out on a 12 mile hike I whined constantly the last three miles, I gave the 17 miler a pass.

If you are not in great shape, consider going to Ringing Rocks.  Off of I 90 westbound after Whitehall and before Butte, take the Pipestone exit and turn right.  There are an abundance of roads in the area for four-wheeling.  Delmoe Lake has a campground for camping.  It doesn't matter if you don't have a four-wheeler and if you don't like to camp because you can drive to the Ringing Rocks in your sedan from the interstate highway.

We found it entertaining to climb the pile of rocks and tap them with a hammer. When you tap most of the rocks with a hammer they musically ring.   A lunch, friends, a hammer, and a good time, what more could you ask?

For Experienced Explorers Only

My friends and I have had a great time with the Helena Area Hiking Guide by Cedron Jones.  As I've said before, anyone using this guide will want to invest in a GPS.  Taking a friend with you is also a good idea.  And when Jones says, "For experienced hikers only"  rock climbing gear may be indicated.

When we decided to take hike 8 on page 28, the hike on the east side of York bridge, we  had some previous experience with the guide.  Our previous experience led us to believe that we probably wouldn't complete the hike exactly as described the first time through.  Our other hikes with Jones book were thick with comments something like this, "Oh, we were supposed to go all the way to the top of the other side!"   And, "Is this the steep descent on the map, or is that one over there?"

We hiked #8 York Bridge, East side, in April. There is something about hiking near the Missouri River in April:  less snow, milder temperatures, and the steady stream of "Oh yuck!" as hikers find ticks.

In spite of the ticks and Kristy wrestling with the dog for room in the back seat of my Olds Alero on the way there, we had a wonderful time in the great outdoors.  We found the remains of an old mining siphon, ditches, and the hack site for falcons.

Next, we came to the place that Jones describes as " ...a mini wilderness--- a rugged scenic even hiking guide authors might get lost in.  It has arches, cliffs, narrows..."
Not having brought rock climbing gear with us since we haven't a clue how to use it, we turned back when we reached the experienced hiker area and descended to the river/lake below.

As for the climb up from the lake: If you get your jollies from stopping every 10 minutes to dump sliding dirt out of your shoes, take this route!  These little things are what make a hike memorable, right?

Smoky Skies

Two out of five weekdays last week were days of smoke filled, dreary, gray skies.  When smoke fills this air I wonder what would be worse - smoking a pack a day or taking a hike.  Cabin fever set in, and Friday my hiking partner and I ventured out into the smoke.  We hiked a loop on the Open Space trails:  McKelvey Trail (Dump Gulch) to Hanging Draw Trail to the Dump Out Trail, up the Prospector Shafts to the Backside Trail to the West End Trail  down to the McKelvey Trail.

Would we avoid the smoke if we picked some trails with higher elevations?  Maybe, maybe not.

Pray for rain!

Bike Riding

On Labor Day we biked on the river trail in Great Falls.  I LOVED this bike ride.  It was comparatively flat, most paved in the city, and was well provided with restroom facilities and drinking fountains.  

Biking along the river was wonderful!  I had forgotten how much water the Missouri River moves. As you progress north, the pavement ends, but there are really nice trails that run by Ryan Reservoir and Cochran Reservoir.

My favorite part of the ride was a detour to Giant Springs State Parks.  It was shady and beautiful. Over a million gallons a day of pure, clear water, burbles up from the springs and flows into the Missouri.  Altogether, a great day.