Trout Fishing in the Bitterroots

Less than two weeks to go here at Ninemile, then we head for home.

One of our biggest adventures was a two-night backpack trip to Dalton Lake, which was highly recommended because of its ease in catching cutthroat trout. The lake is one of three along a portion of the Stateline Trail, which, true to its name, traverses along the ridge tops of the Bitterroot Mountains, with spectacular views of Idaho to the west and Montana to the east. It's also part of a proposed wilderness area called The Great Burn, an area where the nation's largest firestorm roared through in 1910.

I had some trepidation about taking this on, as it has been three years since we’ve donned backpacks. But my biggest concern centered around encountering creatures of the Ursus variety, as in ursus americanus and Ursus arctos horribilis,(otherwise known as the black bear and grizzly bear). I don’t think my fear was entirely unfounded: this summer, there was the fatal grizzly rampage at a Yellowstone-area campground and the Glacier episode where Jack Hanna pepper sprayed a charging grizzly.

But closer to here, there’s been more black bear encounters, and they’ve occurred when a camper is most vulnerable: asleep in a tent. While there have been no fatalities, one camper’s ear was chewed on, requiring over 40 stitches to set things straight.

Nevertheless, we set out on a beautiful bluebird-sky day. The trail into Dalton is about 7 miles, and includes several steep climbs (something I wasn’t prepared for. When trekking along ridgetops, one would expect level ground, right?? Not!) But the most difficult section was the hike down into the lake itself, which required an 800-foot descent in about 3/4 mile. In other words: steep! Of course, this meant we would have to do this trail in reverse on our way out, (bad mental picture).The descent was not without its rewards as we passed through large swaths of bright pink fireweed.

Once we got down, it was indeed a beautiful spot. The lake is bordered by a high glacial cirque on one end, a steep rocky slope plunging down to the water’s edge on another, and a nice rock outcropping on the side where we set up camp. And because the lake is remote and not fished out, the fish starting biting as soon as we “wet our lines.” Jim fulfilled his wish to have a fresh-caught trout dinner, cooked over a campfire.

Besides the cutthroat trout, the only other wild critters we encountered were mountain goats. Watching them skitter easily along precipitous rock ledges is an awesome sight. We also assume that the stomping sound we heard around our tent at night belonged to some type of hoofed animal, either a goat, deer, or moose. (While the sounds did evoke some anxiety on my part, we surmised that a bear would make a “thrashing, grunting-in-the-brush" type noise. At least, that’s what I told myself so I could get some semblance of sleep.)

The hike out was just as pretty as the hike in (made it to the top of the ridge over Dalton in about an hour), and got a closer look at a mountain goat ram up ahead on the trail. Once back to civilization we stopped at our favorite Huckleberry ice cream shop in Superior.

The huckleberries are indeed ripe, along with the service and choke berries, preferred bear food. Perhaps that’s why PBR (the name we have bestowed on what we assume is the same bear who raided our beer when we first arrived) has been hanging around, along with her two yearling cubs. But so far, she’s been a good bear, engaging only in bear-type behavior (no more beer for her!). Other critters around our Camp have been wild turkey, deer, and elk. We also had a moose wander into a campsite along the Lochsa River, where we spent a night at Jerry Johnson Hotsprings.

Well, this might be my last post from Montana. This weekend is the Rootfest in Missoula, and before we leave, we hope to bicycle the Hiawatha Trail, which is actually an old railroad bed winding through 10 tunnels and seven high trestles in the Bitterroot Mountains.

Connie's catch of the day

Dalton Lake


View of Dalton Lake from atop ridge (our campsite was on the point)


Jim cooking over campfire


Lacey in the Bear Grass


Sunrise over Dalton Lake


Connie on hike out: Could this be a snag from the 1910 fire? Maybe.


Q: What do bears do in the woods? A: Hang out behind our campsite!


Bullwinkle pays a visit


Jim at Jerry Johnson Hotsprings (moose came by later)

Red Buses, Ghost Towns, and Fire Towers

We had a nice time with David, but his visit seemed to go by way too fast. He flew in on Saturday, July 18. On Sunday, we headed off to Glacier National Park. It’s a beautiful drive up around Flathead Lake, which is now in the throes of cherry season. Roadside stands are everywhere, and being the cherry fan that I am, we couldn't resist stopping for the fresh picked delicacies. We stayed for three nights in Hungry Horse, which got his name back in 1900 when a horse wandered off and came back hungry.

To fulfill Jim’s never-ending, yet unfulfilled, quest for a fresh trout dinner, our first day in Glacier was spent in the Two Medicine area. While I enjoyed walking Lacey around the campground and enjoying the views from the picnic area , Jim and David hiked in about a mile to wet their lines in the lake. But not even a nibble did they enjoy. Nevertheless, the area’s scenery was reward enough for their effort.

On Tuesday, we took the Jammer Red Bus Tour in the park. The vintage red buses were built in the 1930s, and were the primary way tourists visited the park. Their unique name comes from the old days when drivers could be heard "jammin" on the gears of the bright red buses as they drove up and down the steep mountain grades. The vehicles run on both gasoline and propane and include canvas tops that are rolled back. While this feature allows spectacular views of the peaks and cliffs towering over your head, it also provides quite a cold ride. Ours was the “Crown of the Continent Tour,” which took us from the park’s west side, up the precipitous Going- to-the-Sun-Road to Logan Pass, which sits on the continental divide. After a brief stop there, we headed down the park’s eastern side to St. Mary’s and Many Glacier.

While The tour was nice, I would categorize it as a “Been There, Done That” experience. My biggest gripe is that, there was no time to spend at any one spot. For example, at Many Glacier, there was only time to have lunch (which was tasty) at the historic lodge, but no time to sit on the lodge’s expansive porch and enjoy the magnificent views of Swiftcurrent lake and the surrounding lofty peaks. The ride also was a real tease for hiking: I really wanted to get out and hike some of the places we visited.

On our way back to Ninemeile on Wednesday, we stopped at Garnet Ghost town. While Montana is known for its many ghost towns, Garnet is one of the more isolated and non-commercial. In fact, the management approach of the Bureau of Land Management is to preserve what’s there, not restore. Compared to some of the restored historical sites we’ve visited, I think this approach provides a more authentic experience. The town was founded in the late 1800s after a gold strike and by 1898, over 1,500 people lived there. But once the gold, silver, and copper played out, only 150 people remained by 1905. By the end of WW1, it was pretty much abandoned. For those who really want a surreal experience, one of the cabins is available for nightly rental.

After David left, we had one more adventure. The Ninemeile Ranger District manages a fire look out tower that sits atop 7,349 foot Stark Mountain. For the last 39 summers, the tower has been “manned” by 83 year-old Virginia Vincent. She’s quite the character. Never married and I think never held a full-time traditional job. So, last Monday, we decided to drive the 15 miles up to the tower. We knew it would be a rough road, and in fact, I had to get out and throw larger rocks off to the side of the road several times. We had lunch at the tower, after which Virginia showed us around and how to use the Osborne Fire Finder, a type of alidade used to give a directional bearing of a fire to fire crews. She also pointed out a hike to another peak that she had taken (by herself of course) the night before.

After the hike, we proceeded back down the road and ended up in the small town Superior, where we usually stop for their delicious huckleberry ice cream cones. Upon coming out of the shop, we discovered a pool of oil under the car. Apparently, we hadn’t completely cleared every knarley rock on the road. Fortunately, we were able to make an appointment at a nearby mechanic (one of only two in the town), and rent a room in the town’s only motel. It’s a wonder that we made it back to town without blowing up the engine. I can’t image what we would have done if the oil pan had broken while we were way up on that mountain road. It would have been one heck of a long hike back to town.

Only five weeks left for our volunteer post. So much to do and see, so little time!

Going-to-the-Sun-Road


A Scene in Glacier


Stop at Many Glacier Hotel


Garnet Ghost Town


Mr. Davis's general store



A Room in Mrs. Wells's Hotel included a fainting couch for the ladies


Mrs. Wells's hotel


Virginia showing us the Osbourne fire finder


Stark Mountain Lookout Tower as viewed from a nearby peak

Blue Skies Over Montana

It’s a beautiful day in the Ninemile Neighborhood! On clear days like this, I never fail to marvel at the intensity of the Western blue sky. Apparently, the brilliant blue color is due to the very low humidity, which also helps make the upper-80 degree days still very pleasant. Night time temps have been falling into the lower 40s: perfect sleeping weather.

It’s also drying out, which now puts the fire danger from low to moderate. Yes, fire is something that is always on people’s minds out here. This year especially so as the forest service is hosting several activities commemorating the centennial of the 1910 Big Blow Up, or the "Year When the Mountains Roared."

Driven by hurricane-force winds, the Great 1910 Fire - the largest in U.S. history - incinerated more than two million acres of timberland in northern Idaho and western Montana in two terrifying days and nights. The fire storm destroyed several towns but miraculously, the death toll was limited to about 133 people.

Rather than let the loss be a total defeat, the strongly environmentally conscious President Teddy Roosevelt and the U.S. Forest Service used the hard learned lessons to strengthen the fledgling Forest Service (created just five years previous) and the National Forest System.

One of the more compelling stories from this fire is that of Ed Pulaski (a name familiar to fellow Miami Valley Outdoor Club members who have worked trail maintenance at Wildcat Hollow).

Pulaski, an Ohio native born in Greensprings, was a ranger supervising crews about five miles south of Wallace, Idaho, when the fire suddenly overwhelmed his crew in a narrow steep creek drainage. Drawing on his knowledge of the area and the dynamics of forest fires, Pulaski led his men to safety in an abandoned prospect mine that had seepage from a spring. But despite his effort to hold back the flames and smoke with hatfulls of water and wet blankets across the entrance, several supporting timbers caught fire. When one man panicked and tried to flee the mine, Pulaski pulled a gun and threatened to shoot whoever tried to leave. The men survived by lying prone on the tunnel floor, where they all became unconscious. When it was all over, five men and two horses died, but the remaining men, including Pulaski, suffered life long effects of the fire . Pulaski was blind for several months afterwards.

Today, the mine entrance, now known as the Pulaski Tunnel, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes a 2-mile interpretive trail leading up to the actual mine. In hiking the trail, Jim and I got a sense of how confined the men were in the narrow and steep terrain.

Just one year after the fire, Pulaski developed the Pulaski Tool, a basic implement of not only fire control but also a tool that club members use for trail work. Little did we know that every time one of us hefted the Pulaski at Wildcat Hollow, we were in one sense part of the story of "the Great Blow Up"!

Other trips we've taken on our days off include a 3-day getaway to Cook City, Montana, driving over the Beartooth Pass (whose elevation tops out at 10,974 feet) and into Yellowstone National Park, along with some day hikes in the Bitterroots.

We are looking forward to David flying in tonight. We will be leaving for Glacier National Park tomorrow for a few days. Grateful and thankful that life is good right now. More later!

The Pulaski Tunnel where 45 men retreated in the 1910 Great Burn


Pulaski Tool


Traces of old mining activity along the Pulaski Tunnel Trail


Scenes from top of Beartooth Pass




A scene along Big Creek in the Bitterroots

On the Trail of Lewis and Clark

Now that the weather has improved, with more sun and warmer temps, we’ve been able to get out more and explore the area’s mountains and trails.

One day, we took a drive along route 12, south of Missoula, called the Lolo Trail, the same trail that the Lewis and Clark expedition took over the Bitterroot Mountains, which nearly did them in when they encountered early deep snow, hunger, and dangerous mountain terrain. They were even reduced to eating a few of their colts in order to survive.

Of course, our trip didn't involve such hardship. Instead, we enjoyed a warm soak in the Jerry Johnson hot springs, one of the many noncommercial hotsprings that dot the area. Getting there required a 1 ½ mile hike along the Lochsa River. Seeing that the day was gray and rainy, soaking in the natural hotsprings felt really good. The hotsprings include three pools and on the way in, we encountered a young couple enjoying the first one “au naturale,” apparently not an usual sight according to the locals. As you can see in the picture, we didn’t feel comfortable exposing bodies in which gravity has taken a heavy toll over the years.

That day, we also held true to our eternal quest to seek out the big trees, which we found at the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove. Named for Bernard DeVoto, a conservationist and Lewis and Clark historian, the grove features beautiful western red cedars where DeVoto edited the Lewis and Clark journals. These massive trees can live up to 3,000 years.

Another activity that we’re enjoying is fishing in the mountain lakes, many of which require a long (1 to 2 hour drive!) over unpaved Forest Service roads. Since we don’t have a 4-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicle, this often requires my getting out and throwing rocks over to side of the road in order to continue on.

Surveyor Lake also involved hiking 2 miles up a steep and dense, unmaintained trail. The entire time I was worried about bears, so Jim and I drew on our repertoire of trail songs (this time, an endless loop of improvised refrains from “She’ll be coming 'round the mountain") so as not to surprise an unsuspecting bear. But once we got to the lake, we felt better and spent the afternoon trying to hook some brook trout, to no avail. About the only thing we hooked was our tangled fishing line, and spent the majority of time trying to get untangled, apparently a major component of alpine fishing.

Two sister lakes we fished, Diamond and Cliff Lakes, were at higher elevation and still had ice chunks floating on the surface. Although we didn’t catch any fish, we were treated to the sight of an osprey swooping down and catching one in its talons. If just one fish were to be caught that day, I’m glad it was the osprey's.

Jim's rehab is progressing well, and hiking seems to really help. We've taken two nice hikes, one an 8-mile round trip up to Ch-paa-qn peak, at around 8,000 feet, the highest peak in the Ninemile Ranger District, and another along Kootenai Creek in the Bitterroots. We also enjoy a little 1 1/2 mile nature trail right by our RV site where we walk the dog every night.

Yesterday, everyone was in a twitter as a grizzly boar was sighted just two miles from here, a rare sighting for this area. So now, we carry our bear spray with us whenever we are out hiking.

Work at the Visitor Center is pretty laid back, and we have time to spend visiting with the resident mules and horses. One of the "retired" mules, Sue Ellen, who is an amazing 37 years old, has won our hearts, and we bring her a carrot everyday we "work."

Well, all for now. Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Western Red Cedars in the Devoto Grove


Connie soaking in one of the Jerry Johnson hot spring pools


An alpine lake with clouds


Cliff Lake


Sue Ellen

A Little About Life at Ninemile

We’ve been here almost a month, and it’s rained about everyday, with temps in the 40s and 50s. While spring arrives late in Montana, the locals say it’s been an usually wet and cool June. However, this cool wet weather doesn’t necessarily mean a low fire season in July and August. In fact, it will probably make it worse as these spring rains promote more ground cover fuel when the weather turns hot and dry.

Things have picked up at the visitor center. We now average about 20-25 visitors a day. It’s fun meeting people from all over the country. It appears a mini-gold rush is underway. We’ve had several inquires about “where can I find the gold?” or “how can I file a claim? (Jim can tell the prospectors even before they come in: their vehicles are pretty beat up, and they look like they’ve been living in the backcountry for awhile) Of course, we direct them to the main office for those questions.

Ninemile Depot is certainly an interesting place. It was founded in the 1930s following a decade of devastating fires that destroyed millions of acres and several towns. Modeled after the old western depots that provided fresh stock and supplies to the calvary traveling through, Ninemile was built to provide trained and experirenced animal packers and stock (primarily mules) to transport equipment into the backcountry to fight fires.

All the buildings were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Core, which had one of the largest camps in the nation stationed here, about 600 men. The architecture is unique for a western ranch: the planners thought that having a Kentucky blue grass theme gave the image of an elite stock breeding and training operation.
In the 1940s, the smoke jumpers trained here as well. Their training facility moved to Missoula in the 1950s, but the depot still has a landing strip for when they practice out here.

Today, with the advent of the smoke jumpers and more roads into the forests, pack trains play less of a role in fire fighting. However, they are still used for trail maintenance work and assist the smoke jumpers by hauling out equipment that was parachuted in.

Ninemile Depot is also home to the Wildlands Training Center, which offers courses and clinics to both forest service personnel and the public. These fill up a year in advance and include animal packing, horsemanship, Leave No Trace for back country stock users, crosscut saw use and maintenance, log cabin construction, and use of compasses and GPS (I need to take that one!)

Well, that’s all for now. We just bought season fishing licenses and our goal is to hike into some mountain lakes to camp and fish and hopefully eat fresh trout for dinner.

The CCC Ninemile Remount Barn


Visitor Center (was the garage in depot days)


Ranger Station office (was the bunkhouse for the packers)


That's Splinters, our lifesize mule in the Visitor Center


A packing clinic at the Ninemile Wildlands Training Center


Corrals with horses/mules in pasture


A nice day at Ninemile

Starting Life at an Historic Ranger Station

We’ve been at our assignment post, the Ninemile Remount Depot, for a week. It's part of the Ninemile Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. Arrived on Monday, May 24. And everyday, it’s rained!

On our way here, we made one nice stop: Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park in North Dakato. It’s the post where General George Custer led his ill-fated 7th cavalry to its demise at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It’s also the site of On-the-Slant Indian Village, a Madan tribal site that was already abandoned due to small pox when Lewis and Clark stopped by on their expedition.

Here at Ninemile, we completed our training last Wednesday and Thursday for duties as Visitor Center hosts. Our first real work day was Friday. We alternate work days with another couple from Arizona, Bill and Betty Jones, who worked here the summer of 2007. It’s hard to call this a real job, as the center averages only about 20 visitors a day, which means a lot of down time to read, do cross word puzzles, play cards, or visit the corrals and feed the horses and mules. On Saturday, the Ferrier was here, shoeing the animals. Pretty laid back.

I think what makes the Remount Depot unique is both its history and the role it plays today as a working ranger station and stock ranch. In 1984, it was designated a national historic site for its role in instituting and standardizing equipment and techniques for breeding, training, and using stock to fight forest fires.
Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the facilities but if requested, we are available to give tours as well. Our work schedule is sweet: on every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and every other Wednesday, which means we have lots of time off to explore the area. Good thing, as there is lots to see and do: we are 2.5 hours away from Glacier National Park, and 4 hours away from Yellowstone. Plus, there’s much to explore and enjoy in the surrounding region, including state parks, national forests and mountain lakes and rivers as well as Missoula, a nice university town only 30 miles away, where we are today, using the library’s internet.

We have a nice full-service camp site in the pine trees, courtesy of the forest service. But we discovered the hard way to be careful about what we store outside. It’s been really cold (40s) and rainy, so we thought we’d store our beer under the motor home to keep it cold. Bad idea. We woke up on our third morning here, and the entire 12-pack was gone. Found it ajavascript:void(0) few yards away. Four of the cans had been punctured by what looked like really BIG sharp teeth. Empty of course. Not sure why it only drank four cans. Maybe it didn’t like Pabst? Also, the-host’s bird feeder was raided the same night, so we are now keeping every thing that even resembles a food or beverage container under wraps, either in the motor home or the car.

All for now. Let’s hope it stops raining and the sun comes out for good. Next post, I’ll give you a brief outline of the Depot’s unique history.

A Mandan Dwelling


Interior of a Mandan Ceremonial House


Fort's graveyard. Note cause of this one's death.


Ready for guests at the visitor center (that's Splinter, the mule in the background)


Jim with one of the depot's permanent residents


The farrier at work

Jackson Hole 2010: the Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Our time in Jackson Hole area is about to come to a close for this season. It’s been both the best of times and the worst of times this year.

The Best of Times:

1) having scrumptious meals at the Stevens, followed by rousing games of Rummikub and Hands and Foot;

2) venturing off the green runs onto the blue at Grand Targhee;

3) spending time in Yellowstone with the Woods and Jeanne Boeke in Yellowstone, where we had some beautiful cross country skis thanks to good snow conditions;

4) skiing and socializing with our friends from Dillon, Colorado, Huey and Sally;

5) joining in on the fun with the Teton International Table Tennis Society (TITTS) on Monday nights at the Wildwood, where we honed our ping pong skills and enjoyed good food prepared by Chef Bill Boney and PBR on tap;

6) enjoying our little cabin, whose magnificent 360-degree views of sunrises over the Tetons and sunsets over the Big Hole Mountains made up for its lack of space and TV/Internet. We also fell in love with its permanent feline residents: Evie and Purry.

7) and most of all--the real icing on the cake—just spending more time with Hannah, including helping Hannah to prepare for Matt’s surprise birthday party; tromping through the snow to cut our own Christmas tree in the national forest; celebrating Christmas Day with her, Matt, and Holly, a college friend of Hannah’s who drove up from Salt Lake City; treks to Idaho Falls to see movies and shop; trying out new recipes together; and taking cross country skis and walks up Darby Canyon and Moose Creek with the dogs.


The Worst of Times?

1) Jim blowing out his ACL at Targhee on February 11, resulting in ACL surgery on Feb.24, which will be followed by several months of physical therapy and rehab;
2) the third driest winter in recorded history for this area.

Now that it’s in black and white, this has indeed been a good winter: the ”Best” certainly outweighs the “Worst”. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end and we are looking forward to hitting the road for home on Easter Sunday. Because when it’s all said and done, there really is “No place like home!”

Hannah and Matt at his surprise birthday party


Hannah and dogs walking up Moose Creek


View from south window


East window's view of Tetons


Feeding time for Evie and Purry


Our cabin on a sunny day


Connie enjoying cross country skiing at Alta with Tetons in background



Cheri Stevens on Targhee's Teton Vista Trail