http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/index.htmHot News!enuser@domain.comCopyright 2011 joe jones2011-11-11T07:43:31-07:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:49:42 -0700user@domain.comNone2011-11-11T07:43:31-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/91a0c692ad4ea0c3de0bfb563e1711fc-92.html#unique-entry-id-92http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/91a0c692ad4ea0c3de0bfb563e1711fc-92.html#unique-entry-id-92
Moonrise at Fish Creek the other night. A pretty good snow is expected (the last storm wasn’t too significant) over the weekend, with upwards of six inches in higher terrain. Will this storm be the final road closer for the season? Stay tuned...]]>user@domain.comNone2011-11-02T07:42:26-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cd1760989d2b88b70ffa6bd2b487c6a0-91.html#unique-entry-id-91http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cd1760989d2b88b70ffa6bd2b487c6a0-91.html#unique-entry-id-91
Rocky Point on a windy November afternoon. Expecting snow in Glacier by the end of the week.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-26T07:28:01-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd38a09017c91f22ecc94170ad97b801-90.html#unique-entry-id-90http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd38a09017c91f22ecc94170ad97b801-90.html#unique-entry-id-90
Name this lake. Taken yesterday as snow squalls moved through. I waited until dark hoping the skies would at least show the massive peak to the right, but it just never set up completely.

Can you name the massive mountain that is hidden by the squall to the right?]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-20T18:27:19-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/2b8792011bc68809523e884f7f264827-89.html#unique-entry-id-89http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/2b8792011bc68809523e884f7f264827-89.html#unique-entry-id-89

The Leica 21 mm f2.8 aspherical is a great lens for tight landscapes. It’s sickeningly sharp and the “star” effect of the sun is a mark of quality. Here is one of my favorites from yesterday, photographing a backcountry lake in Glacier National Park as the sun went down. The wind was absolutely howling. Can you name the lake?]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-16T08:09:59-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e2871a26ed59dd19cff67e7ed9243749-88.html#unique-entry-id-88http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e2871a26ed59dd19cff67e7ed9243749-88.html#unique-entry-id-88
Evening light in a Glacier backwater. There’s been great news for the North Fork.

See the story I wrote below for the Hungry Horse News

A bill was introduced into the British Columbia legislature last week that would ban mining and oil and gas exploration in the Flathead River drainage.
The bill, called the “Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act” was introduced by Steve Thomson, the minister of forests lands and natural resource operations for the province.
The ban codifies an earlier Memorandum of Understanding between the province and the Montana to ban mining in the region.
The MOU, negotiated in 2010 by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell broke 30-plus years of hostility between the two entities over mining the Flathead. B.C. mining interests through the years have proposed a host of mining and energy exploration in the river drainage just north of Glacier National Park.
The latest was an open pit coal mine proposed by the Cline Mining Co. in the Foisey Creek drainage. Foisey Creek is the headwaters of the Flathead, which is called the North Fork of the Flathead when it reaches Montana. The river is also the western boundary of Glacier National Park.
Unlike the U.S., where the federal government controls most lands with mining claims, in British Columbia, the province owns most of the public land and has the final say on most aspects of energy exploration. The province owns virtually all the land — called crown lands — in the Canadian Flathead.
"Governor Schweitzer takes pride in the relationships he has built in the neighboring provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia,” said Schweitzer spokeswoman Sarah Elliott. “We are aware the legislation has been introduced in British Columbia, the governor respects their process and there have been continued contacts between our offices."
Separately, Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester have sponsored legislation that would ban future mining on federal lands on the U.S. side of the border. They have also been working on retiring existing leases in the watershed as well.
Over the past few years, companies have voluntarily retired more than 200,000 acres of oil and gas leases on the Flathead National Forest in the North Fork.
In addition, the Nature Conservancy of Montana and British Columbia are undergoing a campaign to raise $10 million to compensate existing leaseholders, like Cline, for expenses they've incurred for exploration and other development prior to the MOU being struck.
That campaign is expected to take three years, with the Montana portion being $5 million.
To date, the Conservancy has raised $6.5 million in pledges and commitments.
"We've had an incredibly positive reaction to this campaign," said Bebe Crouse, director of communications for the Conservancy in Montana. "It's all private funds."
The Canadian law is expected to pass, but some conservation groups in Canada claim more work needs to be done. They would like to see an expansion of Waterton Park from the Continental Divide to the North Fork.
“This legislation does not protect the Flathead from logging in a proposed national park, trophy hunting, new road access and quarrying,” said Casey Brennan, Southern Rockies Program Manager for Wildsight, a Canadian environmental group. “Preventing mining and oil and gas development is a great first step, but real conservation is permanent protection as a national park and wildlife management area."]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-10T13:13:23-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/063e97d4313aa950440858771e77bd5b-87.html#unique-entry-id-87http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/063e97d4313aa950440858771e77bd5b-87.html#unique-entry-id-87
I will give an 8 by 10 print to the first person who can tell me where in Glacier National Park this cabin is.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-08T09:50:24-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/18ae21f41bacac20ed62284c0fd37a0f-86.html#unique-entry-id-86http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/18ae21f41bacac20ed62284c0fd37a0f-86.html#unique-entry-id-86
The other day I got back to the truck from a short but pleasant hike. I had taken almost no photos, things just didn’t come together, as things are bound to do. But back at the truck there was a male Franklin’s grouse pecking in the dirt road. I was happily taking pictures when a car came zipping around the corner and stopped. Of course, the grouse flushed into the woods.
“What are you doing?” the guy behind the wheel asked.
“I was taking a picture of that grouse before you almost ran him over,” I said.
The guy behind the wheel was Jake Bramante, who is actually a nice guy without a job who is trying to hike all the trails in Glacier National Park in one season. He’s supposed to wrap up his journey next week.
As it turned out, Jake’s run-in with my grouse was fortuitous. The grouse went just into the woods, hopped on a log and made for a much nicer picture.
Franklin’s grouse are probably the most tame grouse in the Park. I suspect in the settler days, they kept more than one person alive — they simply don’t fly away. And if they do, they usually don’t go very far.
]]>user@domain.comNone2011-10-06T13:15:36-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1080af5a1211d777c8f001c324a43dfd-85.html#unique-entry-id-85http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1080af5a1211d777c8f001c324a43dfd-85.html#unique-entry-id-85
I suspect I will photograph this tree until either it dies or I die. It’s one of my favorite scenes. This was taken with a Leica M9, the file is untouched.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-27T17:51:46-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/7cfa6982569dc817c25cdfd1cbd2b981-84.html#unique-entry-id-84http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/7cfa6982569dc817c25cdfd1cbd2b981-84.html#unique-entry-id-84
Clouds over the Livingston Range, Leica M9, 35 summarit, vintage black and white. The 35 summarit is a very sharp and very compact Leica lens and it’s one of the least expensive Leica lenses you can purchase (new at least).]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-23T16:41:02-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/171f131b1c6e82c73a31cb0ee3fa3b53-83.html#unique-entry-id-83http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/171f131b1c6e82c73a31cb0ee3fa3b53-83.html#unique-entry-id-83
Glacier’s elk are wary creatures. All of the herds leave the Park at some point, which means they get shot at by hunters. They have little tolerance for people, especially in the fall. Unlike Yellowstone, where the elk walk around like cows, Glacier’s elk usually split when they see people within 50 yards. In some ways, this actually makes them a little more fun to photograph. You have to work hard to get a serviceable photo. They’re not award winners, by any stretch, but you appreciate them more for the simple fact that it took a fair amount of patience, luck and skill just to get close.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-23T07:33:19-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a3d504e84dfd2d8ca49addac9215e32d-82.html#unique-entry-id-82http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a3d504e84dfd2d8ca49addac9215e32d-82.html#unique-entry-id-82

The other evening there was an adult and juvenile northern harrier hunting over the meadow I was in. Photographing birds in flight, even with fancy and expensive autofocus lenses and cameras is more about failure more than success. This was the best shot I got. Not bad, not great.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-20T06:32:39-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/179bf6bfea3ba831a3b764b3cdf25c99-81.html#unique-entry-id-81http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/179bf6bfea3ba831a3b764b3cdf25c99-81.html#unique-entry-id-81
Wolf researcher Cristina Eisenberg will give a talk about her work at the Montana House later this month. Press release is below. The subject of trophic cascades is fascinating.

The Montana House and the Glacier National Park Fund are pleased to co-host a presentation by Cristina Eisenberg, Research Director and Conservation Biologist, and author of The Wolf’s Tooth. The event will be at 7 pm Saturday evening, September 24th at the Montana House in Apgar Village.
In Glacier and Waterton Lakes Parks and in Colorado, Eisenberg has been studying the relationship of wolves, elk and aspen and how this relationship affects whole ecosystems. In The Wolf’s Tooth, she writes about how this relationship, termed tropic cascades, describes the relationship between predator, prey, and plants. Her book explores the reasons why big predators are needed. In the case of elk, when wolves are present, elk behavior changes from standing around complacently eating plants down to nothing, to being highly ware, to avoid being preyed on by wolves. Referred to as the ecology of fear, this dynamic causes the elk’s pattern of eating the aspen to change. This change increases the health of the aspen forests, with cascading effect on the songbirds, butterflies and insects, and the total biodiversity of the area, which contributes to better resiliency for withstanding climate change.
In her book, Eisenberg gives the history of the study of tropic cascades, the role of top predators in regulating ecosystems worldwide, from oceans to prairies to tropical rainforests, and discusses her opportunities to revisit some of the key habitats where these relationships were first revealed and studied. The book serves as both a textbook and primer on the methods of scientific inquiry, and, as such has been used in college classrooms. Her work has been documented in Lords of Nature, in National Geographic, High Country News; in Glacier Park Magazine, on CBS; in the LA Times; and in The Denver Post.
For her master’s degree in Environmental Studies at Prescott College, Eisenberg studied wolf ecology and management, with a focus on the work of Aldo Leopold. Currently she is completing her doctorate at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, She is measuring the ecological effectiveness of wolves and the context dependence of trophic cascades effects. She is currently the Research Director on the High Lonesome Ranch in Colorado, which is being recolonized by wolves. She has also served Prescott College as a Master of Arts advisor since 2008.
The presentation at the Montana House will be at 7 p.m. with time for questions and a reception to follow. The event is open to the public without charge, but seating is limited, so reservations are needed. Please call 406-888-5393 for additional information and to reserve your tickets.

]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-16T15:01:27-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/12e7930ab5450e22c07eadad611988b1-80.html#unique-entry-id-80http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/12e7930ab5450e22c07eadad611988b1-80.html#unique-entry-id-80

Ponderosa pines are common in more arid country in Montana, but fairly limited in Glacier. I think I like them because they’re the perfect mix of woods and meadow. This photo was taken with a Leica M9 and a 21 mm aspherical lens with the camera set on vintage black and white, which gives the photo a sepia tone.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-15T06:57:11-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0a6983c11ed70edfaa24862505161982-79.html#unique-entry-id-79http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0a6983c11ed70edfaa24862505161982-79.html#unique-entry-id-79
A black bear cub shuffles down a ponderosa pine.

I’m recuperating from surgery and finally got back to the Park yesterday. Went for a short hike in a favorite grove of Ponderosas and saw a family of three black bears. This one was coming down a tree and they later went into the thick brush to feed on serviceberries. I’ve seen more black bears this summer than I can count. It was a nice change from being cooped up in a room for two weeks watching TV and taking pain meds.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-09-03T09:25:27-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/89c1d4ef716c706b3c2dba1cc5951676-78.html#unique-entry-id-78http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/89c1d4ef716c706b3c2dba1cc5951676-78.html#unique-entry-id-78They found Jake Rigby. Story here. ]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-31T11:24:25-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fbb0532d4875acceaf4cf22cb238f6f9-77.html#unique-entry-id-77http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fbb0532d4875acceaf4cf22cb238f6f9-77.html#unique-entry-id-77
Does Glacier really need to wipe out a grove of cedars so folks can look at Lake McDonald?


A couple of weeks ago, Glacier National Park officials released a plan to improve services at Apgar. The best idea is to move the existing visitor center services to the transit center, which is a short walk away.
The transit center today is a beautiful building, but it's largely empty, and with some modifications would make a much better visitor center.
The rest of the plan deals with parking and, more specifically, parking lots. Glacier would like to expand parking in several locations around Apgar, including a two-acre expansion of the existing parking lot at the transit center.
One could argue more parking is needed. Maybe. But I've parked at the transit center on several occasions, because lots closer to Apgar were full, and I've never had a hard time finding a suitable spot. If anything, there were plenty of spaces.
Granted, moving the visitor center to the transit center will logically increase parking demand, but will it necessarily increase parking demand at Apgar when there's no visitor center there? Logic should say it won't, but Americans aren't much for walking, and what they want to park close to more than a visitor center is Lake McDonald and food - namely Eddy's Restaurant.
Some of the Apgar parking makes sense, but other lots are horrible. If I'm reading my maps right, one proposed lot would mow down a pretty nice stand of cedars west of the old Apgar School House. Why? So someone in an RV can walk across the street to the restaurant and stores rather than 100 to 150 yards from the visitor center.
Beyond that, the whole idea of paving over more of Glacier is troubling because Park managers really aren't taking any pains to assure there's no net loss. Glacier is a finite space. There is only so much of it. I would submit that for every acre this project paves over, two acres are reclaimed.
How does Glacier accomplish this? For one, raze the old visitor center. Make it an open space where people can relax. Even (gasp) plant a few cedars there. Secondly, stop trying to preserve every old cabin along Lake McDonald. The Park Service is going to end up owning many cabins in the coming years, and while some have historic significance, I'd submit that many of them are simply just decades-old structures that should be razed and the land surrounding them reclaimed to a natural state.
Remember, the mission is to preserve and protect, not pave in the name of convenience.
]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-31T07:26:43-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fe34bfa2fec5e3db441ee2c904328c63-76.html#unique-entry-id-76http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fe34bfa2fec5e3db441ee2c904328c63-76.html#unique-entry-id-76

A massive search is on for Jacob “Jake” Rigby. I hope searchers are successful, but every day that passes without finding him is not a good day. I’ve been in the Mount Despair area in the past and it’s the sort of landscape that can simply swallow a person up. The mountains can be treacherous (all of Glacier is rotten rock) and the woods are thick and imposing. The area is lightly traveled, so the odds of anyone seeing him just in passing are greatly diminished. I wish the searchers and his family well.

A full story is here and here.

]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-30T06:26:04-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1d3a7063f27089429bb5e88246c451b4-75.html#unique-entry-id-75http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1d3a7063f27089429bb5e88246c451b4-75.html#unique-entry-id-75

Every morning out my office window I can see how the sunrise is shaping up. If it’s cool, I go down to the river and take a photo. Took this one yesterday.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-27T08:39:36-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/d8bb69c46ed6df845864080a714f2354-74.html#unique-entry-id-74http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/d8bb69c46ed6df845864080a714f2354-74.html#unique-entry-id-74

Last year I hiked about 50 miles in Glacier in a pair of KSO Five Fingers from Vibram. They’re the funny looking shoes where each toe is individual.

At the time I was suffering from severe plantar faciitis and I could fit my orthotics into the shoe and still walk rather comfortably — for a while.
The Five Fingers worked OK, until you stubbed your toe or they got wet and you went downhill. If you stubbed your toe, that was it — the toe almost always turned black. If they got wet on a downslope, they rubbed (I had no special socks) to the point where the blisters turned black.

So I stopped wearing them, though they’re so lightweight (lighter than sandals, even) that I kept them in the pack for stream crossings.
Keeping in the “minimalist” vein this year I’ve been trying out the New Balance “Minimus” shoe. They’re very lightweight, tough and they have a Vibram sole, that’s good for traversing most rocky ground (some rocky ground, like a dry cobbly creekbed, you will feel the occasional rock).
Plus, if you stub your toe, it doesn’t turn black. They have other advantages as well. You can wear regular socks (I prefer a thin wool sock, or on short trips, no socks at all) and my orthotics fit in them just fine, though I did have to order a size larger than what I normally wear. I usually wear a 10, but it took an 11 to get the right fit. Even without the orthotics, they were simply too tight.

There are some disadvantages. They offer no ankle support whatsoever and the shoe’s upper is perforated, so if it’s wet outside, your feet are wet. Having said that, they dry quickly. So far my plantar faciitis is doing much better, but I haven’t really torn off a long multi-day hike in these shoes yet, because I’m battling another physical problem that hopefully laser surgery will help in the coming weeks.
The Minimus costs $99 and I ordered them directly from New Balance online, which is great about taking returns.
]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-26T07:42:09-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4ab1a414ed577676161579074220052c-73.html#unique-entry-id-73http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4ab1a414ed577676161579074220052c-73.html#unique-entry-id-73
In other states, there are traffic jams. In this neck of the woods, bear jams. That’s when a bear decides to feed a long a busy highway. This usually happens inside Glacier National Park, usually the Camas Road, Sun Road or Many Glacier Road. But this bruin was eating berries along U.S. Highway 2 about two miles from West Glacier. It created a really big bear jam. Locals, who have seen plenty of bears and were just trying to get home, weren’t too happy. Took this photo with a 200-400 mm lens from across the highway. This bear has no ear tags, so it appears it’s pretty good at staying out of trouble. Bears with ear tags have been caught before by bear managers.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-22T06:26:50-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c90980b5648b17a492ffaf6581133850-72.html#unique-entry-id-72http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c90980b5648b17a492ffaf6581133850-72.html#unique-entry-id-72
This is what happens when you shoot through the car window with your camera set on bulb.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-14T11:32:06-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/37a156c090af33d8a6a97ea580e010a4-71.html#unique-entry-id-71http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/37a156c090af33d8a6a97ea580e010a4-71.html#unique-entry-id-71
A whitetail fawn feeds along the trail in West Glacier.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-10T06:24:06-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3800297b59f872d2522a259fcb2db778-70.html#unique-entry-id-70http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3800297b59f872d2522a259fcb2db778-70.html#unique-entry-id-70
So the other day I took a slew of photos of this black bear eating serviceberries (from a safe distance with a long telephoto, I might add) and I assumed I was getting nothing. I couldn’t really see the bear and I had no idea if I was getting anything in focus. Well, turns out one was in focus... The berry crop is Glacier is doing well this year.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-06T07:27:47-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e53d2a0623c71d648cb5bebcb631ae3c-69.html#unique-entry-id-69http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e53d2a0623c71d648cb5bebcb631ae3c-69.html#unique-entry-id-69
I have a hard time passing up rainbows. Here’s one at the Flathead River last night.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-06T07:09:58-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a382773503a4a8662a9825e343e1e3aa-68.html#unique-entry-id-68http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a382773503a4a8662a9825e343e1e3aa-68.html#unique-entry-id-68

Went for a short hike yesterday and thought, “Man, I’m not going to get much today.” The temperature quickly got hot and most birds have stopped singing, which makes them harder to find. Then right at the end a male western tanager landed a branch in front of me. Made the day.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-03T06:14:32-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f39d2521874ab87ca068084666a90f45-67.html#unique-entry-id-67http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f39d2521874ab87ca068084666a90f45-67.html#unique-entry-id-67
The bugs are still pretty much awful in Glacier. Just ask the bears.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-08-02T12:43:56-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/024dcd7dc3ec8ec08ca5a856e2a692f4-66.html#unique-entry-id-66http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/024dcd7dc3ec8ec08ca5a856e2a692f4-66.html#unique-entry-id-66

Reader Nancy Collopy submitted this photo and asked if anyone could ID it. She found it on Scenic Point. I have no clue. My plant expert said she had an idea, but wanted to run it past an even more seasoned expert before she would commit.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-29T14:59:20-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8194ae8f480721b94b070279cb9183e6-65.html#unique-entry-id-65http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8194ae8f480721b94b070279cb9183e6-65.html#unique-entry-id-65

Sunday, July 24 on the way back from Iceberg Lake Eric Hefty of Missoula snapped this photo (and many others) of a sow grizzly and three cubs playing on the snow.

 “I was awestruck as they played on the snowfield and showed little concern for our presence.” Hefty said.

A short video clip is here.

I guess I’m a little awestruck the griz didn’t charge anyone. Of all the miles I’ve hiked in Glacier, I’ve only run into a sow griz with cubs on a couple of occasions. It’s not often you see triplet bears.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-28T12:32:40-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/16d5778a688701d80964796ebbb44373-64.html#unique-entry-id-64http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/16d5778a688701d80964796ebbb44373-64.html#unique-entry-id-64

I get a lot of requests for prints and people often ask, can’t I just order off your website? The answer, up until now, was no. Well, I finally got off my duff and added a quick and easy way to buy prints. Right now there’s just a few favorites, but I’ll continue to add more as time goes on. They make a great gift and are reasonably priced.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-26T07:54:52-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4c99d90eb55d079f5bc1b8cdf175fdc2-62.html#unique-entry-id-62http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4c99d90eb55d079f5bc1b8cdf175fdc2-62.html#unique-entry-id-62
A blog I frequent has nothing to do with critters, the outdoors, or the park. It’s called The Sartorialist and the photographer showcases nothing but street fashion photos. It’s a great site of available light portraits. Here’s a Glacier National Park version. I was grunting my way up the Elk Mountain Trail when I ran into trail crew members Charlie Speicher and Sienna Schildt. The ax is an awfully nice touch.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-25T08:48:54-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b59d739ef912c1ff790bdc0872080611-61.html#unique-entry-id-61http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b59d739ef912c1ff790bdc0872080611-61.html#unique-entry-id-61



Photographing warblers in Glacier can be a lesson in frustration. I usually do a lot of muttering, quite a bit of outright swearing and once in awhile a prayer to the Gods when I’m successful (which means the light is decent and I actually get one in focus). Can you name these two warblers?]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-20T23:08:37-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/daa6bb4a53a4a8ebbcac318c68290a43-60.html#unique-entry-id-60http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/daa6bb4a53a4a8ebbcac318c68290a43-60.html#unique-entry-id-60
I will give a signed 5 by 7 print of this photo to the first person who can correctly identify the flower in this photo (not the bird).]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-20T09:32:21-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd0098f94832fb590e9b9429117b3dc7-59.html#unique-entry-id-59http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd0098f94832fb590e9b9429117b3dc7-59.html#unique-entry-id-59
To safely cross the Middle Fork, you need a water level of 3 feet or less at West Glacier. You can look up the water level here.

With all the snow still hanging in the high country and rivers still running extremely high, please take extreme caution when traveling the backcountry (and frontcountry for that matter). Glacier’s streams clear quickly, so they look far tamer than they really are. In addition, the rocks are almost always slippery, even at low water, it’s easy to take a spill. The rule of thumb for the Middle Fork, for example, is that it’s difficult to cross at a level any greater than 3 feet (and 2.5 feet is even better). Right now it’s a 5.66 feet at West Glacier.

In the past week, two people have died in or near Glacier. One slipped down a snowfield. Another jumped into the Middle Fork while rafting to grab a paddle and is presumed drowned.

Full stories are here and here.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-19T20:34:44-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/483ab300639103021a3d3834740ebbc2-58.html#unique-entry-id-58http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/483ab300639103021a3d3834740ebbc2-58.html#unique-entry-id-58
That is not dirt or dust around this whitetail buck’s head. It’s bugs. The bugs are simply awful this summer. There’s flies and skeeters galore. If you go for a hike, take your bug spray and wear a long-sleeved shirt. I wear a long sleeved shirt almost always now. They’re actually cooler than short-sleeves, but they take some getting used to. I know the rage is these “organic” sprays, but DEET still works best for me.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-18T22:10:25-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c9e09071a59ab375f79f8aa411381e25-57.html#unique-entry-id-57http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c9e09071a59ab375f79f8aa411381e25-57.html#unique-entry-id-57
Came across a pine marten last night. They’re usually found in mature forests, but in the summertime, they will frequent burns as well, hunting for voles, mice and birds. They’re a member of the weasel family and fairly common in Glacier, but consider yourself lucky if you actually see one. In winter, you’re more likely to see their tracks.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-18T22:03:26-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/316f73ae09f9684b2eb23507312b6d76-56.html#unique-entry-id-56http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/316f73ae09f9684b2eb23507312b6d76-56.html#unique-entry-id-56
Last Friday I met former first lady Laura Bush. She had a press conference and then later the Glacier National Park Fund gave her one of my photos. Bush is a lover of national parks and has been to Glacier twice. She stood at the edge of Lake McDonald in a nasty cold wind for more than an hour so folks could have their picture taken with her. I can’t imagine doing that myself.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-15T06:12:16-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/87b7606c64c863cdb6b16e4189fc354e-55.html#unique-entry-id-55http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/87b7606c64c863cdb6b16e4189fc354e-55.html#unique-entry-id-55
Folks from Louisiana photograph the Big Drift on the Sun Road. The drift runs more than 100 feet up the slope. It’s the last big patch of snow plow crews punch through to open the road.
]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-14T06:30:23-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b32ca9781392137ec8823a1116a49139-54.html#unique-entry-id-54http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b32ca9781392137ec8823a1116a49139-54.html#unique-entry-id-54
Logan Pass opened yesterday. Here, a young man from Columbia Falls skis the abundant snows. The high country is still very snowy — great for skiing — not so great for hiking. The vehicle traffic was bumper-to-bumper and it was very crowded. Still, it was a beautiful place and I heard no complaints, except my own grumblings as a photographer who finds New York-style traffic objectionable.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-12T07:27:59-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/6f06865c884a843cad569f3dfb1c18a6-53.html#unique-entry-id-53http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/6f06865c884a843cad569f3dfb1c18a6-53.html#unique-entry-id-53
This common merganser would zip along the surface of the lake and then stop, dive and feed. Perhaps it was herding a small school of fish.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-09T20:32:28-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a718d4fb1c868fc98f4aa37c3df9076e-52.html#unique-entry-id-52http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a718d4fb1c868fc98f4aa37c3df9076e-52.html#unique-entry-id-52
The boy and I went for a hike and we saw few birds and no wildlife, but we did run into these newlyweds who were posing for pictures. They obliged a photo for me, too. You never know what to expect in Glacier.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-07T20:49:59-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3443f067b7c766393b39dd7388ed3b7a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3443f067b7c766393b39dd7388ed3b7a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51

The Sun Road will open completely July 13. And this photo? It’s Boy Wonder, playfully “buried” by his old man at Lake McDonald. (You know, it takes a long time to bury a 13-year-old) It was a short picnic, however. The mosquitos are bad in Glacier, but the flies are even worse. It takes a while for them to draw blood, but they do eventually and they laugh at bug spray and (that’s a lot of ands) they’re big.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-06T20:50:52-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1182a45e87b3ea864f6df6a99cfce5a9-50.html#unique-entry-id-50http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1182a45e87b3ea864f6df6a99cfce5a9-50.html#unique-entry-id-50
Glacier means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but I like the meadows the best. Especially small hidden places that no one (or virtually no one) goes to. Everyone should have a secret meadow. I am blessed. I have more than one. Here, a swallowtail butterfly feeds on groundsel nectar. The Nikon 200-400 is a nice butterfly lens because it focuses to 6 feet, becoming almost a macro lens.

My Sun Road prediction is out the window. My prediction now? Sept. 4. That’s my birthday. By then, the snows will have all melted out, just in time for it to start snowing again. Last year Glacier had its first real good snow on Sept. 17. I know this because I was stuck in it and went over Pitamakan Pass in a foot of snow while wearing sneakers.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-07-01T12:54:51-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8979ddb9b18c0fa35e794f2f7f822c20-49.html#unique-entry-id-49http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8979ddb9b18c0fa35e794f2f7f822c20-49.html#unique-entry-id-49
Went for a walk with the boy last night and just happened to see this great horned owl.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-06-26T16:01:07-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8466942a0896405c564e7bb9142a0932-48.html#unique-entry-id-48http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8466942a0896405c564e7bb9142a0932-48.html#unique-entry-id-48
A common merganser and her chicks.]]>user@domain.comNone2011-06-25T20:39:41-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/04640e5cd25137813537e39ff224f5c2-47.html#unique-entry-id-47http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/04640e5cd25137813537e39ff224f5c2-47.html#unique-entry-id-47
You don’t have to go to Logan Pass to enjoy Glacier!

My wife’s relatives stop by on a trip through the West recently. They spent a couple of hours in Glacier and the next day drove across the state to tour Yellowstone.
I asked my wife why they didn’t just drive around locally and see Glacier.
She said they wanted to see the Going-to-the-Sun Road and it wasn’t completely open.
What a mistake.
Let me make this clear: The Sun Road is a cool road. But if you’re skipping your vacation because the road isn’t open, you’ve made a big mistake. This is a 1 million acre Park, with plenty of other roads and more than 730 miles of trails to hike. You can be in an old growth forest one day and in an alpine meadow the next if you’re willing to hike a little.
Granted this spring has been challenging. There’s still plenty of snow in the high country, rivers and streams are running bankful and are plenty dangerous. It’s also been wet and dreary up until a few days ago (we finally hit the 70s and 80s). But things are turning around as they almost always do by July.
Having said that, where should you go?
Two Medicine is a beautiful option. It’s incredibly scenic, the trails around the lake are relatively flat, and it’s not very crowded.
Many Glacier and St. Mary are also excellent choices. Many Glacier is a wildlife viewer’s mecca, but it gets a little too crowded for my taste. St. Mary is far quieter and the Sun Road on the east side is actually open well into the high country.
A west side trip up the North Fork is also a fun. The North Fork Road (outside the Park) is dirt and can be a bit on the rough side, but the trip to the Polebridge Merc and its fantastic baked goods is worth it. The roads to Bowman and Kintla Lake are both open and the low elevation hikes around those lakes are snow free.
That’s just a few options. Make no mistake, Glacier is definitely worth the trip, whether the Sun Road is open completely or not.
And yes, I’ve revised my prediction for a Sun Road opening. If the weather holds and there are no major floods or disasters, I suspect it will open on or around July 4.
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-23T19:12:50-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0d88c4fc10fc5fee9aa42c31c8c39b55-46.html#unique-entry-id-46http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0d88c4fc10fc5fee9aa42c31c8c39b55-46.html#unique-entry-id-46
Light through flooded cedars.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-21T12:32:20-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/5859a195c23b0894afc2b1297bfbfbf6-45.html#unique-entry-id-45http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/5859a195c23b0894afc2b1297bfbfbf6-45.html#unique-entry-id-45

Well, no one got the correct answer to the question below, but it was a tough one. At any rate, we'll do more of these in the future. That's Rogers Lake, above. The answer to the waterfall is bolded in the text.

Rogers Lake probably isn't going to rank up there with one of Glacier National Park's all-time great bodies of water. There's no trail directly to it, and the shoreline isn't exactly pedestrian-friendly.
The short route to Rogers Lake is up and over Howe Ridge and down to the Trout Lake Trail, then west a short distance. The hike over Howe Ridge is a steep climb, 2,400 feet up and 1,400 feet down to the base of the Camas Creek valley.
An alternate route to Rogers Lake is to hike the trail to Camas Creek and then bushwhack about two-thirds of a mile down to the lake. A spectacular waterfall on Camas Creek (Camas Falls) that is seldom visited drops about 150 feet through a steep chasm in the rock.
Rogers Lake has a brushy shoreline thick with hawthorn and is reported to be good fishing, but fishermen may need to wade out into the water to get a decent back cast.
All told, the round-trip excursion is just under 10 miles. Take mosquito repellent and bear pepper spray - the valley is famous for bugs and bears.
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-19T07:45:47-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/80c1e5ebe80e85d2943795f313658e7a-44.html#unique-entry-id-44http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/80c1e5ebe80e85d2943795f313658e7a-44.html#unique-entry-id-44
I'll give an 8 by 10 print to the first person who can name this waterfall. Send answers to editor@glacierparkmagazine.com]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-17T21:39:09-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0ad32e69a1845158de9c92e2df04cb99-43.html#unique-entry-id-43http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/0ad32e69a1845158de9c92e2df04cb99-43.html#unique-entry-id-43
In a normal year, a nanny like this would be shedding badly. Those huge winter coats get itchy and scratchy come summertime. But here it is June 17 and it barely got up to 50 degrees with showers on and off in Glacier. That kid was a hoot, jumping around like it was July. It's nice to see kids. I also almost stepped on a mule deer fawn. It never budged. Not much of a photo, however. I didn't want to disturb it, so backed off. A patch of bear grass almost completely covered it. All I could see was its ears. We're supposed to get a little summer next week. At least temperartures in the 70s. This is the most miserable and extended winter in my 14 years in Montana.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-08T21:01:27-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b9b9a96a94478cb68f5970c5a7a2b652-42.html#unique-entry-id-42http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b9b9a96a94478cb68f5970c5a7a2b652-42.html#unique-entry-id-42
I went for a short hike today after an assignment and noticed a black stump that I hadn't noticed before. The stump then stood up and looked at me. Hey! You're not a stump! It then took off running.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-06T06:56:21-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/16b198adbc74fc6c8e3adbe77a0a7741-41.html#unique-entry-id-41http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/16b198adbc74fc6c8e3adbe77a0a7741-41.html#unique-entry-id-41
A moonless night over Quartz Lake. We had our two days of nice weather. Now it's back to a rainy and cool week. Gotta love June in Glacier National Park. On the hike in I went through a mile-long section of snow that was 4 to 6 feet deep on Cerulean Ridge. If you go in there, either take snowshoes or go over Quartz Ridge, which is lower and has far less snow — just a foot or two in a section that's not very long — a half mile or less. My prediction for a Sun Road opening? July 1.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-04T09:14:49-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c9403e6fb6265b3eec914156580c34e8-40.html#unique-entry-id-40http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c9403e6fb6265b3eec914156580c34e8-40.html#unique-entry-id-40
Most photos of hummingbirds show them near feeders, larger than life. But truth be told, rufous hummingbirds are very small birds and in Glacier, there are no feeders, of course. So you take them when they perch or if you're lucky, when you find them feeding at flowers. Here, a male shows his colors on a simply awful day. Cold, wet and rainy.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-06-01T12:14:45-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/aab6bdc93764c7f4abbd019875a2d8be-39.html#unique-entry-id-39http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/aab6bdc93764c7f4abbd019875a2d8be-39.html#unique-entry-id-39

Sperry Chalet received damage to four rooms from an avalanche earlier this winter. My understanding is it's not too serious — there was no structural damage to the building. A more complete story is here.

I dug up this old photo from a couple of years back. The hike to the chalet is fairly boring and a 6.4 mile grunt, with 3,300 feet of elevation gain. But once you get there, it's worth it, especially if you go to Comeau Pass, which is spectacular.

I tried to snowshoe up there last week, but ran into a steep snowfield with no ice ax. I probably could have made it up it, but getting down it would have been tricky. One slip and I would have plummeted into Sprague Creek below. So I turned around, less than a mile from the chalet. Oh well, call me a wuss.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-30T22:04:24-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/2f21c4f01416eb1d574f5f68d2db3fb4-38.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/2f21c4f01416eb1d574f5f68d2db3fb4-38.html#unique-entry-id-38
Spring evening colors in Glacier aren't usually as radiant at Lake McDonald. For one, the sun sets in the wrong place. Secondly, rain almost always seems to be a threat. June is the wettest month in Glacier. May is close behind, I think. It's rained a lot this month, snowed, too. Snowed Thursday and Friday above 4,000 - 4,500 feet or so. We're real tired of snow here. ]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-27T08:00:13-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1472adbc2fe6fe4384a9e3196fa66b6b-37.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1472adbc2fe6fe4384a9e3196fa66b6b-37.html#unique-entry-id-37

My friend and fellow photographer Sumio Harada will give a talk on mountain lions in Glacier. He photographed a lion last winter over 3 days as it killed a mountain goat and later, a bighorn sheep.

Here's the press release. Please note, you must have reservations!

The Montana House and the Glacier National Park Fund are pleased to co-host another in the series of “Look, Listen & Learn” programs. Sumio Harada is the featured photographer on Saturday, May 28, 2011. Harada will present his photos at 11:00 am and again at 1:00 pm. He will share over 100 mountain lion images he took during an extended stay at Many Glacier this winter. Some of the unique photos show a mountain lion feeding on both a mountain goat and bighorn sheep carcass, walking through snow and cliff areas, napping, and also stalking and chasing bighorn sheep. Sumio has visited Many Glacier numerous times to photograph wildlife in the winter but until this year, he had never seen any mountain lions there.

Sumio is a renowned photographer known for his stunning images of wildlife and landscapes in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. His photography earned him the prestigious Anima Award, which is given to one distinguished wildlife photographer in Japan each year. Sumio’s work has been featured in several magazines including, National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Canadian Wildlife and Montana Magazine. His photo book Mountain Goats of Glacier National Park and his DVD Collection The Breaths of Glacier as well as many of his images are available for purchase at the Montana House in Apgar.

Hans and Toni Jungster established The Montana House Regional Craft Shop in 1960 in Apgar Village, just inside Glacier National Park. Their daughter, Monica and staff continue to carry on their mission: to celebrate and promote the creativity of Montana and Native American artists and craftsmen for our mutual benefit. The Montana House has been a long time avid supporter of Glacier National Park.

The Glacier National Park Fund is the non-profit partner for Glacier National Park, whose mission is to preserve and protect the beauty and heritage of the Park for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. For further information, call: Jane Ratzlaff at 406-892-3250 or visit their website www.glaciernationalparkfund.org .

A reception will follow Harada’s presentation. Reservations required. Phone 888-5393 or
e-mail 1960mthouse@centurytel.net
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-24T06:52:43-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3ecda71d44fcbe13bbe7329e957fdb72-36.html#unique-entry-id-36http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3ecda71d44fcbe13bbe7329e957fdb72-36.html#unique-entry-id-36
Every spring I have to re-learn a bunch of songs. It’s not that my memory is that bad, but the songs I speak of are bird songs, not human songs.
I know, I know, I could listen to recorded bird songs and memorize them, but what fun would that be? I sort of enjoy forgetting the songs, at least some of them.
It lends adventure to the trip.
Glacier’s bird population surges each spring, though I must admit, it seems quieter than normal. I fear some of our warbler species are down in numbers, probably due to the cold, miserable snowy April and early May we had. Some warbler songs I recognize each spring immediately and it’s hard to forget the multitude of notes that are belted out by the ruby-crowned kinglet.
But other songs are more difficult. The other night, for example, I heard an odd, but familiar call high up in a tree. I stopped and looked around and it wasn’t a songbird at all — it was a northern hawk owl. They have a call that is almost songbird-like. Describing it in print is futile (few bird songs really translate to English). I watched and photographed the owl for quite some time, even saw it swoop down and grab a vole.
Other times you just plain old get it wrong. The boy and I went for a long hike Saturday and made a stop in a favorite patch of woods. The persistent call in some nearby bushes I thought for sure was a house wren. House wrens are cavity nesters and this woods was a mix of live and dead aspen — a swamp really — the perfect place for wrens.
Finally I went to investigate and saw a flash of brown drop out of a bush and into the grass. I waited a minute or two and the bird hopped up on a branch and started singing again.
But it was no house wren; it was a Lincoln’s sparrow.
The on Sunday I went for another short hike here in town along a favorite hedgerow that seems to attract all sorts of different birds. A flock of birds landed in a tree and began busily feeding.
I lay on my back in the grass and watched them. They were crossbills — a species that you normally see in conifer trees clipping seeds out of cones with their scissored beaks. Expect in this case, it looked like they may have been eating bugs or some sort. They certainly weren’t eating seeds — the trees were deciduous and were just leafing out.
I watched them for a long time, taking photos until skies darkened and it began to rain. It was an accidental find, for sure.
But you know what?
I’ll take it.
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-22T09:56:20-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c024f7baa3f97c7f8d25722c1bf25cd6-35.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/c024f7baa3f97c7f8d25722c1bf25cd6-35.html#unique-entry-id-35

It might seem strange to be talking about fall already — after all, it just hit 70 for the first time about a week ago. But the Glacier National Park Fund is putting together its “Fall for Glacier” event. Guests stay at the Lake McDonald Lodge from Sept. 22-25 and then get a first-hand look at some of the research going on the Park, with experts like Mark Biel, renowned climatologist Dan Fagre and grizzly bear researcher extraordinaire Kate Kendall.
Kendall has been conducting bear research in Glacier and the Rocky Mountain West for decades. Fagre is one of the top climate researchers in the world.
Guests will go on hikes and bike rides in field with these folks, as well as enjoy great company and fine dining while staying at the historic Lodge on the shores of Lake McDonald.
There is no finer time to be in Glacier than in September. The crowds are thin, the air is crisp and the fall colors are at their peak.
The event also helps support the Fund, the official non-profit fundraising arm of the Park.
For more information, go to the following link: http://www.fallforglacier.org/
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-18T22:06:34-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/306f49724582f9cbe26d135a00536027-34.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/306f49724582f9cbe26d135a00536027-34.html#unique-entry-id-34

While it certainly looks "grizzled" this not a grizzly. It has a long snout and no hump on its shoulders — trademarks of a good old (albeit skinny and scruffy) black bear. I've seen a fair number of bears this spring. ]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-17T07:48:11-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cdf6c11c55b98f2334381bb71322a5a2-33.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cdf6c11c55b98f2334381bb71322a5a2-33.html#unique-entry-id-33
The moon rises over Mount Cannon. Notice the moon shadow.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-13T07:39:53-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cf608f7dc77b99d4dbdba524afc8cbf8-32.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/cf608f7dc77b99d4dbdba524afc8cbf8-32.html#unique-entry-id-32

Just a couple of years ago, I would have passed up this photo. It was nearly dark, pouring rain. But with a Nikon D7000 and a Nikon 200-400 mm lens rested on my coat, I was able to get this photo at 1/40th of a second at ISO 1600. Yep, there's some grain, but in the old days, I simply wouldn't have been able to get a photo at all— at least not without a flash.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-11T07:57:35-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/767de1dcca09d2d9766d03a627ed62ae-31.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/767de1dcca09d2d9766d03a627ed62ae-31.html#unique-entry-id-31The beaver pulled itself out of the water beneath me and started chewing on a stick. Well, at least for a few seconds. I was standing on the bank above it and I had the camera on a monopod resting on my shoulder and I tried to ease it down slowly and get a picture of the beaver eating dinner, but no dice.
The beaver saw me, jumped into the Middle Fork and Ba-Bam!
Slammed its tail on the water and was gone.
Such is life.
Then the beaver re-surfaced and swam around the corner up McDonald Creek.
It was just about dark and I was thinking about going home.
But I'm not that smart. Once in awhile people will ask me. "How did you get that picture?"
And the answer invariably boils down to being:
A) Too dumb to come out of the rain.
B) Too dumb to come out of the snow.
C) Too dumb to go home.
Or a combination of all three. At any rate, I happened to catch a glimpse of a white-crowned sparrow in the bushes around the corner, so I went to investigate. White-crowned sparrows are a dime and dozen in Glacier in the summertime, but this was my first sighting of the spring.
The birds were shy and flew away. But by now that beaver had swum about 50 yards upstream and was swimming around in circles over and over again, whacking its tail on the water.
I knew I had interrupted its supper, but why it kept going around in circles whacking the water was beyond me. I wasn't even close anymore. At least not close enough to bother it.
But I still thought it might make an interesting video clip. The new DSLR camera I have, a Nikon D7000, will also shoot high definition video. Thing is, you can shoot video in low light and it will still look pretty good. So I set up the camera on a tripod and a video head and then the answer to the beaver's bad attitude emerged.
There was a black bear standing on its lodge across the creek.
The bear may have thought once or twice about digging into the lodge.
Beaver lodges are built like tanks and it would take a lot of digging to get inside, only to find out that what was inside had left. There bear seemed to know this and it left the lodge alone and sauntered down the creek.
It made for about five minutes of fairly interesting video as it wandered through the brush, digging here smelling there, chewing on grasses and other stuff along the way.
I've edited down a clip you can view here in high definition.
And the beaver? Once the bear was off its lodge it quieted back down and went for a swim, no worse for the wear.
Just another day in Glacier.
I walked back to the truck in the dark. Blame it on the beaver. Or the bear.

View the video here.
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-08T12:15:25-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4668b2bc0e36a1c6c2c6a74b64f8afe5-30.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4668b2bc0e36a1c6c2c6a74b64f8afe5-30.html#unique-entry-id-30
I was out taking photos of my daughter the other day (special thanks to Sally of Funtastic Finds for the wardrobe). When the slightest breeze caught the fabric and made for a memorable photo.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-05-06T07:51:52-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/31f2d0774798bb91e41b5ecdbc0a88fb-29.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/31f2d0774798bb91e41b5ecdbc0a88fb-29.html#unique-entry-id-29

I was photographing a horned grebe male in Glacier the other day and the shutter in the D7000 bit the dust. The lower photo is what it looks like when something like that happens. Sad face.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-30T18:18:15-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/82faedd5520315deef10db7fe3bfc79c-28.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/82faedd5520315deef10db7fe3bfc79c-28.html#unique-entry-id-28
Went for a hike with the boy today and looked up and said "What's that black blob in that tree?" Then it came into focus and sure enough, a black bear, nibbling buds, 150 feet up a cottonwood tree. My first bear sighting of the spring.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-29T06:53:13-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/dc20cf78db2c792b89bd497f1ca03caf-27.html#unique-entry-id-27http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/dc20cf78db2c792b89bd497f1ca03caf-27.html#unique-entry-id-27
A friend stopped me the other day and said he had a great horned owl with chicks at his place. After a three hour wait, I finally got a decent shot of one of the chicks. Boy it was cold!]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-26T22:11:41-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a1868bbefcbf7ede9a1bdea98533e5fe-26.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/a1868bbefcbf7ede9a1bdea98533e5fe-26.html#unique-entry-id-26
It's been a rough winter for ungulates like elk. Story here. This herd was in Glacier National Park this afternoon browsing on the open slopes in the Middle Fork. I waited about an hour for them to come into view. The cliffs they stand on normally have mountain goats this time of year. But I'm not sure the goats have dropped to lower elevations yet. It continues to be cold (though the weekend was fairly warm and sunny). They have more snow in the forecast for Friday. Spring snows are common, but this winter has been relentless. The snowpack is anywhere from 130 to upwards of 200 percent of average.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-21T07:47:46-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/5a82d3e8e1208dcd8675a202843a6296-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/5a82d3e8e1208dcd8675a202843a6296-25.html#unique-entry-id-25
McGee Meadow in an April snowstorm

So I got the bright idea that I would bike up the Camas Road, then ski across McGee Meadow and up the inside North Fork Road to a favorite spot and then camp overnight.
The next day, the plan was to look for hawk owls in the burns and anything else that might be interesting.
The trip started out wet with a driving rain, but it wasn’t too cold and I was swathed in Gore-Tex, so the only thing that was really soggy was my head and my feet.
I was pulling a cart brimming to the gills with a pack loaded with gear. Two cameras, five lenses, a pair of skis and ski boots and miscellaneous other stuff specifically designed to keep me from freezing to death.
The bike ride was five miles, most of it uphill. Then I ditched the bike, put on the skis and started off on a four-mile journey to the camping location.
The rain had stopped and it was almost pleasant and things went smooth, even a stream crossing went without any problem. The stream wasn’t very wide, maybe three feet and the old stick bridge that hikers over the years had put in held.
Then I ran into a downed tree. And then another. And another. And another. About every 300 yards or so there were several downed trees, most of them too big to simply ski over.
I had to go around them. It was bothersome and tiresome, but I made it to the meadow I had aimed for, made a camp on a lone patch of bare Earth, and then did a little exploring. I found a hawk owl, but no nest, saw a sharp-shinned hawk, a kestrel, oodles of juncos some starlings and northern flickers.
Darkness came and the skies grew thick with clouds and it started to rain. I slept like a rock. In the middle of the night the sound of rain stopped and it became extremely quiet.
Quiet on a rainy night means one of two things: A) It has stopped raining. B) The rain has turned to snow.
I opened the flap of the tent at dawn to option B. Gigantic snowflakes fell all around.
Ugh.
Now I understand I was skiing and I was completely prepared for winter, but mentally I wasn’t taking the snow well. This was a thick, wet, sticky, heavy snow. The problem was it had also covered all the hazards I had avoided the day before.
Those hazards were rotten snow and water. See, in most places there was two or three feet of snow, but under the snow there was moving water. You could hear it. And every once in awhile, the snow was rotten and without warning, a ski would bust through and you’d face plant into the drift, the weight of your pack pile driving you into the snow.
You’d then have to take off your pack, dig the snow out of your eye sockets, take off the offending ski and then heave yourself out of the hole.
On the way out this happened on several occasions. My foot would find a hole, or the ski would bottom out and pop off four feet below you. It was maddening and exhausting.
And oh yeah, there were still all those downed trees to go around.
In short, it was one of the worst trips I’ve ever taken in Glacier’s backcountry ever. The only saving grace was that the bike ride out was mostly downhill — though in a driving snow.
When I got home I told my 19-year-old daughter about my excursion and how nasty it was.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Dad,” she said. “You were in the backcountry? I didn’t even know you were gone.”

You can also watch a crappy video of the before and after here.
]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-14T07:47:46-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b7c9c3f2b0d3966191df30b421779559-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b7c9c3f2b0d3966191df30b421779559-24.html#unique-entry-id-24

Golden crowned kinglets are common in Glacier, but they tend to stick to dense forests and they're not much bigger than my thumb. As such, they're incredibly difficult to photograph. But last night I managed to eke out a serviceable image of one while biking the Sun Road. The road is clear of ice and is good for hiking and biking from Lake McDonald Lodge to Avalanche Creek. Beyond Avalanche, expect ice on the road, and lots of it.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-04-10T21:50:54-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/51083471265e62ee881a97c3f231800d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/51083471265e62ee881a97c3f231800d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23
This is a lousy photo, but it made for a short, but interesting video. You can see it at the Glacier Park Magazine Facebook Page here. Or a bigger version on Vimeo here. I've seen wolf tracks, kills and scat here for a couple of years, but this is the first time I've actually seen the wolf. It first jumped out in front of me about 80 yards away and then jumped back into the trees and was gone. About two hours later, on the way back to the truck, I just happened to notice a lump where there hadn't been a lump before. It was the wolf, chewing on the leg of a critter. Shot with a Nikon D7000 and a 200-400 mm lens.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-31T20:48:31-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/ea5c77e651ff7e92a8584101f912412e-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/ea5c77e651ff7e92a8584101f912412e-22.html#unique-entry-id-22

A female varied thrush calls in Glacier Natiomal Park during a downpour. I spent a couple of hours tromping around in the pouring rain looking for one. They're one of the first migrant species to return to the Park each spring. They (generally) stay until October.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-31T06:59:05-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/d0a57fa13fb46087b0a4a4e032d09b3a-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/d0a57fa13fb46087b0a4a4e032d09b3a-21.html#unique-entry-id-21
This winter the snowpack in Glacier is roughly 118 percent of average on the west side (measured at West Flattop Mountain) and 138 percent of average on the east side (at Many Glacier). Plows should start on the Sun Road west side tomorrow (April1) and Many Glacier. They already plowed the Two Medicine Road. The problem is it simply hasn't warmed up. Yesterday West Glacier saw some light rain, but not nearly enough to significantly melt any snow. The worry is there will be spring flooding.

I posted a fun video demonstration of the snow depths here. ]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-27T19:23:30-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/489455e571a94518aa27caab9be0c96b-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/489455e571a94518aa27caab9be0c96b-20.html#unique-entry-id-20

The spring 2011 edition, which should be mailed soon (if it hasn't already) will be the last print edition of Glacier Park Magazine. It was a good run over four years, but with the current economy, it was becoming increasingly obvious the ad-free model wasn't going to work.

Postage and printing costs were simply too high and though the idea of an ad-free magazine that gives back to the Park was certainly a noble one, it was making less and less business sense. All told, we gave back several thousand dollars back to the Park through the Glacier National Park Fund, and for that, the effort was worth it.

We will begin sending out refunds to print subscribers in the coming weeks. We decided cease publication of a print product now so as many people as possible would get refunds. Refunds wil be given on a pro-rated basis.

The magazine and this Website WILL NOT DISAPPEAR. Past editions will continue to be available for sale. And we're working on creating an iPad and/or electronic edition that will integrate video and audio into the stories. An electronic edition is much more cost effective than a print edition. The electronic version will also be ad-free and more modestly priced.

Call it an evolution. We'd like to thank all our print subscribers for their support. The magazine was well received and your kind comments were always appreciated.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-21T07:53:38-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/26f1490ea27d88b8c9b711fcd1a989a3-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/26f1490ea27d88b8c9b711fcd1a989a3-19.html#unique-entry-id-19
One of the coolest pieces of gear I carry is the Gorilla Pod, a flexible, lightweight tripod, that allows you to take self-timed photos. Its flexible legs also allow you to wrap the camera around a tree, or monopod, or post or rock or other inanimate object. My only beef is the model I bought had a quick release plate that I managed to break almost immediately. Now it's stuck on the tripod and won't come off.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-14T20:53:18-06:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd1c0b9509d67f753e3c2f907ced8bd5-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bd1c0b9509d67f753e3c2f907ced8bd5-18.html#unique-entry-id-18
I skied up the Red Eagle drainage last weekend and spent the night. It was a little windy, but fairly warm — above freezing, even at night (at least my water didn't freeze). This was the scene at dawn about a quarter mile from camp. Red Eagle Mountain is to the left. It was a pleasant ski in, but a "shortcut" out ran me into some nasty brush.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-09T21:48:15-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3ba16d13dde9d8dfa431b645158f6b0d-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/3ba16d13dde9d8dfa431b645158f6b0d-17.html#unique-entry-id-17
I'm sorry, but I have to watermark pics. In recent web searches I find my pics popping up all over the place, mostly in other blogs where folks seem to steal at will with no attribution or link whatsoever. I could rant on this, but I have better things to do.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-03-04T20:21:53-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b23e1ce5a9252e931917e051ccf35771-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/b23e1ce5a9252e931917e051ccf35771-16.html#unique-entry-id-16
East Glacier has been pounded by Old Man winter over the past few weeks. I visited there today, helped an older woman I know get unstuck from her driveway.

Sure, I can pull you out, I said. It will only take a couple of tugs.

45 minutes later and a lot of digging, I had her out. There's about 4 to 5 feet of snow on the level, with more expected this weekend. Thing about East Glacier is the wind — even if it doesn't snow, the wind will whip up ground blizzards, making driving treacherous or downright impossible.

The woman, who has lived here 30 years, just shrugged. "This is winter like we used to have," she said.

And Lake McDonald? I checked a couple of days ago. Most of it had frozen, but it's not not completely frozen over.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-26T09:49:27-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1363ac1848d85d5e68fe7c1c2a83cca3-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/1363ac1848d85d5e68fe7c1c2a83cca3-15.html#unique-entry-id-15
Lake McDonald had not frozen over completely. There was ice skimming its surface, but not a complete freezeover. Now it did drop down to 18 below with little or no wind, so it might have frozen, but it's supposed to get windy again and warm up into the 30s, so I suspect even if it does freeze, it won't stay. Took this shot of a bald eagle yesterday. It landed in a tree in front of me, sat there a few minutes and then took off.

The Park saw a pretty vicious storm over the past few days, with bitter cold and high winds. It's been an unforgiving winter.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-20T21:35:09-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/9aa2a0c7c579108592ac7eb18b6d10c7-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/9aa2a0c7c579108592ac7eb18b6d10c7-14.html#unique-entry-id-14
This could be the week Lake McDonald completely freezes over. It's supposed to get well below zero by the end of the week. If the wind dies down a couple of days in a row, the lake will completely freeze over, I'm guessing. If the wind blows, however, all bets are off. Right now just the foot has ice, and it's broken up and re-froze over the past week.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-16T07:21:09-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4634ca865bd11da73a4ee78892f25f50-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4634ca865bd11da73a4ee78892f25f50-13.html#unique-entry-id-13
I shot a short video of a bald eagle feeding on a deer carcass here. Just another test of the D7000 with a long telephoto lens. The video isn't steady because I was trying to shoot from a truck window and the wind was whipping pretty good.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-15T18:50:27-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4b473d823113f57f4c2492ae67c0b707-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4b473d823113f57f4c2492ae67c0b707-12.html#unique-entry-id-12
The first light source of this photo (the flashes) is obvious. Can you figure out the second?]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-10T20:21:54-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bb37139d44a92a3d6e55d2b95d695e64-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/bb37139d44a92a3d6e55d2b95d695e64-11.html#unique-entry-id-11
It's vitally important that we take children for hikes. Get 'em away from the friggin computers and teevee for awhile.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-05T09:05:34-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/95e71972bef1eafdf8147cc1ba279a87-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/95e71972bef1eafdf8147cc1ba279a87-10.html#unique-entry-id-10
A pair of ravens huddle together on a subzero morning in Glacier recently. Ravens are notoriously difficult to photograph. Point a camera at them and they generally assume you're shooting them (as with a gun). And yes, I do believe ravens 'think." They're incredibly intelligent and they have dozens of variations to their calls. Why this pair sat there and let me photograph them is beyond me. I wish the light had been better.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-02-03T12:35:33-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fc619f9912f03ba0c6db6ca655e29af9-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/fc619f9912f03ba0c6db6ca655e29af9-9.html#unique-entry-id-9

Every once in a while the light just after sunset is actually nicest of the day. Monday was one of those nights. Temperature was well below zero. This may be a winter where Lake McDonald freezes over completely. The foot is already frozen over. The lake freezes over about once every 10 years, but the last time was either 1997 or 1998.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-29T10:23:03-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/252295a7adf1be462cd3c96fbaed44a8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/252295a7adf1be462cd3c96fbaed44a8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8
Yesterday was a typical gray and dreary January day and I was driving home the "back way" from Kalispell when I spotted this horse. At first I thought it was a statue, but nope, it was a real horse. It stood there for just a few seconds. The mountains in the middle are looking back into Glacier. The one on the left is Teakettle, the one on the right is Columbia. This summer I plan to hike from Columbia south through the Bob Marshall Wilderness.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-20T07:46:06-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/96b4eeb246f6229808c9c9ed7125595e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/96b4eeb246f6229808c9c9ed7125595e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7

Got to Glacier at daybreak yesterday and came upon this family of otters playing and fishing. Watching otters is one of the highlights of my life. A video link is here.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-18T20:40:04-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e3029aa7454a073c6b8014fd4175da22-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e3029aa7454a073c6b8014fd4175da22-6.html#unique-entry-id-6

Well, after five straight days of rain, much of the valley snow is melted. Here, a bald eagle dines on a road-killed deer outside Columbia Falls.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-14T08:59:48-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8b954dfbcf15535a9708898e811f33b1-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/8b954dfbcf15535a9708898e811f33b1-5.html#unique-entry-id-5
I sorta enjoy going out into storms. Wednesday Glacier saw heavy snow and temps were in the single digits, but there wasn't much wind and it was fairly pleasant. I ran into friend Richard Menicke, who was skiing on his lunch break. The snow has since changed to rain in lower elevations, making everything an icy mess.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-09T19:08:05-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/877b1f7952aa13c6e33bb5b01d826f08-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/877b1f7952aa13c6e33bb5b01d826f08-4.html#unique-entry-id-4
I run into all sorts of characters in this job. This fella was listening to music at the Columbia Falls Senior Citizen's Center on Friday.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-07T10:56:40-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4c65342794d9e737f0f866c91804af72-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/4c65342794d9e737f0f866c91804af72-3.html#unique-entry-id-3
Photo tip No. 4391-7b. On gray days, shoot in black and white.]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-07T09:49:17-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e8df11c38b8df3de4595375e19e4503d-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/e8df11c38b8df3de4595375e19e4503d-2.html#unique-entry-id-2
I've written about this before, but it's worth mentioning again — yes, you can shoot back into the sun. In this photo, taken at roughly 15 below zero, the sun was just coming up over the Great Bear Wilderness and shining back down on lower McDonald Creek. The trick is getting the right exposure. For one, you want an aperture of about f8 or f11 to get the "star" effect on the sun. In addition, you might want to take the filter off your lens, which will reduce flare. The "right" exposure is usually the meter reading just to the right of the sun, about in the middle of the sky. ]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-06T14:12:11-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f04564921cbbeccd0256b57c9dbf5112-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f04564921cbbeccd0256b57c9dbf5112-1.html#unique-entry-id-1
Yesterday I went for a 4-5 mile walk in Glacier and en route I noticed the ravens flying out of a patch of woods with meat in their mouths. There were a lot of cat tracks in the area (a mountain lion or two, I suppose). So I wandered into the woods, listened for the birds and found this doe. By week's end her carcass will be completely picked over, hauled away and consumed. There will be but a few patches of hair here and there, perhaps a hoof or two...]]>user@domain.comGlacier Park Blog2011-01-01T20:59:57-07:00http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f2e98a19700e4d8dacbbf70ec9294d60-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/glacier_park_blog/files/f2e98a19700e4d8dacbbf70ec9294d60-0.html#unique-entry-id-0

I accidentally deleted all the old blog entries. Oh. Well. A fresh start for 2011. And a new e-edition here.

Tell us what you think, here.]]>