Myrtle Creek Snowshoe

What better way to finish the year than being outside in the mountains. We decided to end the year with a snowshoe hike towards the Burton Peak trailhead. A beautiful day for a snowshoe.

Beginning of the snow on ridge towards Burton Peak

We started from the road carrying our snowshoes since there wasn't any snow on the first part of the ridge. The wind was strong but refreshing as we climbed. Once we crested the steep portion of the ridge the snow became more significant and we strapped on our snowshoes.

Overlooking the Kootenai Valley

About half way to the trailhead we decided to take a lunch break and build a fire. Nothing is better than a warm fire to eat lunch around and warm up.

Lunch around the fire

Lunch around the fire

Two moose and one white-tail deer crossed our path and we saw more moose and deer tracks.

Nelson overlooking the Kootenai Valley and Kootenai River

We snowshoed approximately four miles and enjoyed the sunshine on the last day of 2011. May the New Year bring plenty of fun and adventure!

Happy New Year!

Myrtle Creek burn teeming with moose

Moose are like kids in a candy store when in a big patch of willows--they can’t eat enough of their favorite food. During the winter, willow is their main food along with birch and aspen twigs and bark. How many willow twigs does a 700- to 800- pound moose eat? About 40 to 50 pounds a day! 

In order to support this type of diet, moose need large areas of shrubby browse, like willows. Shrubby browse grows profusely in the years following fires, logging and other forest disturbances. The Myrtle Creek fire several years ago created prime moose habitat that is now teeming with moose. Earlier this winter I counted 17 moose in the burn area of Myrtle Creek; compare that to the one set of moose tracks I saw on the Smith Creek road through older timber stands. 

Two bull moose browsing in the Myrtle Creek burn

In addition to shrubby browse, moose need protective cover to escape the snow and heat. Moose are built to tromp through snow with their long legs and huge feet that can be splayed to act like snowshoes. Powdery snow isn’t a problem for moose if it is less than five feet deep, but wet snow requires more energy. Just like when snowshoeing, powdery snow is easier than wet, heavy snow. When wet snow exceeds two feet, a moose will head for heavy timber or lower elevations where there is less snow. 

Moose will also head to heavy timber or north-facing slopes when they need to cool down--even in winter. Their thick hide and dense hair are meant to protect them from the cold, so temperatures above 23 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter can cause heat stress. In the summer, they head to water to cool down, often munching on aquatic plants at the same time. They are excellent swimmers as a result of their long legs. 

Moose feeding on aquatic plants in pond at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge

Not only do their long legs help them swim, wade through snow, maneuver over downed trees and trudge through mud, but they also enable them to run fast. Moose can run at 35 mph over short distances and can trot steadily at 20 mph. 

Moose have keen senses to keep them alert to any intruders in their willow patch. Their large ears can be moved independently, which allows them to determine sound direction and contributes to their extremely sensitive hearing. Not only do their ears move independently, but their eyes also do, allowing them to see in two directions at once. If they can’t see or hear an intruder, they probably will smell them. The large nostrils on their bulbous nose facilitate an excellent sense of smell. 

While the moose around north Idaho may seem large, they are the smallest of all moose subspecies. There are four subspecies of moose: Alaskan, northwestern, eastern and Shiras. Shiras moose inhabit the Rocky Mountains from southern British Columbia south to Utah and Colorado. Shiras bull moose weigh 800- to 1,000-pounds with antlers in the 45-inch range, while Alaskan moose (the largest subspecies) weigh up to 1,400 pounds with antlers up to 80 inches across. Despite being the smallest moose, Shiras moose are the largest deer species in north Idaho and the biggest fan of willow twigs. 

Note: Published in the Bonners Ferry Herald on December 29, 2011

Look to the night sky during long nights

The timing was perfect--winter camping under an almost full moon on a clear night. Moonlight illuminated the snow-covered meadow allowing us to see every tree. The stars twinkled overhead against a backdrop of glowing mountains and alpine fir spires. 

Winter is an ideal time to look at constellations and the moon. With over fourteen hours of darkness this time of year, you don’t even have to stay up late to stargaze. The only caveat is having to bundle up to stay warm, which isn’t a problem when your camping because you never un-bundle. 

Star trails around Polaris, the North Star

A few constellations are easy to find and can be used as a guide to find other constellations. A few distinct ones are the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion and Cassiopeia. The Big Dipper is actually part of the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear) but it is more identifiable than the whole constellation. The Little Dipper, also known as Ursa Minor (Little Bear), begins at the North Star (Polaris). These two plus Cassiopeia are found in the northern sky. Cassiopeia (The Queen) consists of five stars in a skewed W- or M-shape. 

In the southern sky is Orion (The Hunter) whose bright stars stand out. The brightest part of this constellation is his body--imagine him with a star on each shoulder, neck, both knees and three on his belt--and you’ll see Orion. He is also holding a club up with his right hand and a shield in his left--it may also look like he is pulling back a bow. 

These are just a few of the 88 constellations in the sky, some of which need more of an imagination than others to picture. As we revolve around the sun, the backdrop of stars changes throughout the year, mainly the ones in the southern portion of the sky. Orion is a constellation we only see in the winter months. 

Stargazing is best during a new moon because a full moon will overpower the dimmer stars. However, looking at a full moon through binoculars or telescope can be incredible. When looking at the moon, you’ll always see the same side--like looking at a globe and only seeing North and South America. This happens because the moon rotates enough each day to compensate for its orbit around Earth. In other words, it takes the moon 27.3 Earth days to complete one rotation around its axis and one complete orbit around Earth. 

Full Moon rising over the Purcell Mountains

The moon passes through various phases as it orbits Earth. Starting after a new moon, a slight crescent begins to show, this is called a waxing crescent until a quarter of the moon is illuminated (with waxing meaning “growing” and crescent meaning “less than half”). After the first quarter, the moon is considered a waxing gibbous (with gibbous meaning “more than half”). After a full moon, the moon is called a waning gibbous until the third quarter and than a waning crescent until the new moon (with waning meaning “shrinking”). 

As the waxing crescent grows the last week of December, look to the night sky to stargaze during the dark evenings. If you happen to be out on the night of January 3, keep an eye upwards for the Quadrantids meteor shower, which is expected to be one of the year’s most active. 

Note: Published in the Bonners Ferry Herald on December 22, 2011

West Fork Cabin Ski Trip

Goal accomplished. We skied to West Fork Cabin and stayed overnight. This has been on my wish list for the last several years and it finally came together this year.

Skiing up the Smith Creek Road

I first visited the cabin two years ago in August when we backpacked into West Fork Lake to spend the night. We stopped by the cabin to check it out and only stayed long enough to change into shorts since it was quite hot that day.

Cow Creek in winter

This time it was significantly colder. Temperatures hovered around 15 degrees Fahrenheit after the sun set and by morning the temperature was 4 degrees. Probably a 70 degree difference from the last time we were there.

Ryan pulling the pulk sled he built

The ski was well worth the effort with the clear skies and almost full moon. We started at the Smith Creek hydro plant and skied up the Smith Creek road until it branched off to the West Fork road. This section was easy going since there had been snowmobile traffic, which left nice tracks. However, from that point on we had to break trail--more precisely, I broke trail while Ryan pulled the sled. Neither was easy.

Snack break at the trailhead

The trail was the most difficult part--dodging moose tracks (as they catch your ski pole), alder brush and icy patches under trees. This was the one part I was not looking forward to on the return trip.

Beginning of the West Fork Trail--wish there was more snow to cover the trees.

Only a quarter-mile left to the cabin

Not quite sure where the cabin was along the trail, I didn't get my hopes up with each turn. But when I rounded the last bend in the trail and saw the cabin, I was overjoyed. We even made it before the sun set.

West Fork Cabin

Once we opened the cabin door and shutters and inspected the cabin we began firewood duty. Ryan sawed down a few large dead trees while I collected the smaller branches for kindling. Ryan assumed fire-stoking duty while I did snow-melting duty. Both full time jobs--I was amazed at how much snow it took to make a pot of water.

Ryan clearing the chimney of snow

Melting snow on the stove

This being my first winter overnight trip, I was glad to be in a cabin--so was Nelson. I enjoyed going out into the moonlight meadow to collect snow for water and look at the stars. The mountains glowed in the moonlight and the snow sparkled. A perfect night to be camping with a fire to go warm up next too.

Last light of the day--view from the porch

I wished we would have brought enough food to stay another night as the meadows and mountains beckoned to be explored. One more reason to return next year. This was more of trial run to see if our sled worked and if we brought all the right stuff--which we did.

The meadow was beautiful under the almost full moon.

I wish there were more cabins like this one around here. For some reason the Forest Service kept this cabin in good condition to be enjoyed in the summer and winter. There were many other cabins like this that either were burnt, torn down or left to succumb to the elements. These cabins were first built for use by fire lookouts and fire crews back in the 1930's. The original West Fork cabin was built in 1930 and rebuilt in 1998 after it burnt down.

Cabin in the moonlight

Like many cabins, this one had a logbook of previous visitors--which makes for good reading in the evening. Two entries were from two groups of guys who skied from Salmo Pass to Schweitzer!

Nelson enjoying the warmth of the cabin

We explored the meadows some the next morning after finishing firewood duty. We wanted to leave a nice stack of firewood for the next group--an unspoken rule for backcountry cabins--so a fire could be started quickly if need be. We were hoping for some firewood to start a fire, but alas, not everybody knows cabin etiquette.

Cabin etiquette--always leave firewood

The trail was quite entertaining on the return trip--I only fell three times. The moose tracks made for rough going along with dodging them to avoid getting your ski pole caught. Once we reached the trailhead it was smooth skiing down to the truck.

Nelson enjoying running through the meadow

Overall, it was an awesome trip--one that I would definitely do again.

Trip Stats: 14.5 miles (7.25 miles each day)

More Moose on Myrtle Ski Trip Two

The prospect of a sunny day lured us into the mountains--really any excuse will do. We decided to ski farther up Myrtle Creek Road since we already had tracks for the first few miles.

One of the 17 moose we spotted in the Myrtle Creek burn

Before we even left the burn, we saw 10 mule deer and 17 moose. I'm wondering how many more moose we didn't see. 

Snack break on Myrtle Creek Road

We skied to the first forest service road on the right, about 4.5 miles from the truck, and then skied up that road to a logging unit. We were hoping to practice some downhill turns in the open logging unit, but unfortunately the snow was crusty and we didn't have much control. 

View from the logging unit--looking towards Myrtle's Turtle and Two Mouth area

The predicted sunny day didn't unfold. The sun played peek-a-boo between the clouds and illuminated some peaks and ridges at different times, but the clouds prevailed. 

Three bulls feeding on willows--the one on the left has a dark pelage

Once back at the truck, we saw three bull moose feeding on the willows. One bull had especially dark pelage compared to the others. One bull had small antlers that looked more like elk antlers than the typical palmate moose antlers. Two of the bulls will have nice big antlers in a few more years. 

Two of the three bulls--the left moose has elk-like antlers

All the moose in north Idaho are Shiras moose (Alces alces shirasi), which are different than the moose in Alaska. The Alaskan moose (Alces alces gigas) are the largest moose subspecies in North America, while the Shiras moose are the smallest. Four subspecies of moose are recognized in North America--the Alaskan, northwestern, eastern and Shiras. Alaskan moose occupy Alaska and the western Yukon.  Northwestern moose occupy British Columbia to Ontario and into the northern tier of the mid-West (such as northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan). The Eastern moose inhabits east of Ontario and into New England. The Shiras Moose inhabits the mountainous areas of southern British Columbia southward into Colorado and Utah. 

On this ski trip we also saw bobcat and coyote tracks in the snow, along with numerous snowshoe hare tracks and squirrel tracks. Nelson enjoying following the snowshoe hare tracks during the first part of the trip, but then decided walking in our ski tracks was easier on the way down. 

Trip Stats: Skied 14.3 miles in 4 hours of moving time (doesn't include snack breaks). 

Myrtle Creek Ski

After the majority of the snow melted in the valley this week due to temperatures in the 40's, we decided to head to the mountains and test the snow for skiing. Myrtle Creek road is one of our favorite destinations because the open hillsides allow for views and wildlife sightings. Wildlife was plentiful today, as we spotted 14 moose--with at least four bulls--and several mule deer.

In this burn we spotted seven moose and several deer. 

The moose have been frequenting the road and creating a significant trail in the process. However, their tracks are too uneven to ski in. We still had plenty of room to make our own tracks.

Waxing the skis the first time. 

Quick snack break

We skied 3.25 miles up the road from the truck, which we parked at the road leading to the Snow-Tel station. A nice fire keep us warm at lunch and while we waxed our skis the second time. The descent was fast, just 38 minutes to reach the truck.

How could we have forgot the smokies and marshmallows? 

Total skiing time: 1 hour 37 minutes. Distance 6.5 miles. A great trip to start the skiing season.

Fisher Peak without the view

We awoke to sunny skies and decided to hike/hunt the Fisher Peak trail. The weather decided to change and slowly socked in the mountains as we were hiking.

Snow covered trail on the way to Fisher Peak

There was no snow at the beginning of the trail and the larch were golden in the sunlight. As we climbed higher the clouds rolled in while the snow became more substantial. At the peak there probably was six to eight inches of snow and the wind was cold. 

Even though the peak was socked in, we decided to summit it anyway. The view was limited to a few hundred feet. We unfortunately couldn't glass for any animals. The concrete remnants of the fire lookout poked out of the snow. The man who manned the lookout had quite a hike to reach it. 

Lookout remnants on top of Fisher Peak

Wildlife was abundant but not visible, except for one grouse and a few pine grosbeaks. We crossed several deer tracks and there was even of set of deer tracks in our tracks on the way down. We also crossed one set of moose tracks and a set of bear tracks. 

Pine grosbeaks eating seeds from cones

The whole trip of 10.5 miles took six hours--four hours up and two hours down. We arrived at the pickup before dark thankfully, even though we were carrying headlamps. Another great day to be in the mountains. 

Roman Nose Traverse

Sunshine and fall color enticed us to tackle Roman Nose before the snow came. I’ve been wanting to hike up Roman Nose for awhile, especially since we can see it from the house, so when Ryan suggested we tackle it, I eagerly agreed. 

Ryan overlooking upper Roman Nose Lake

Starting on the road, we ascended the east ridge leading up to Roman Nose. Within ten minutes we crossed a set of black bear tracks, most likely from the day before since they had a bit of melted snow in them. 

Black bear tracks

If we would have attempted this a month sooner, we would have been in huckleberry heaven. Unfortunately, all the huckleberries are now fermented. There were several decent patches of huckleberries left for the animals to enjoy. 

Funny-shaped fungus--almost like a starfish

Fall color was in full swing at higher elevations with the subalpine larch shedding their golden needles and the huckleberry brush shedding their crimson leaves. 

Nelson enjoying the hike through the old burn

Snag from Sundance fire 

Evidence of the Sundance Fire of 1967 is still readily visible. The majority of the snags are still standing and some are quite intriguing in their shapes. Ryan found two snags with blazes on them from before the fire. He guessed they were blazed ten to twenty years before the fire, maybe for a trail up to the lookout (no longer standing). 

Old blazes on trees burnt in the Sundance fire of '67

Ryan found two other odd finds--a marble and a travel clock. What are the odds of finding a marble on a mountainside?

Within reach of the peak

The wind made the summit chilly, but the view was amazing. The Selkirk Crest loomed to the north and the Kootenai Valley to the east. 

On the top

After a quick lunch in the lee of an alpine fir next to the lookout remains, we decided to descend the ridge to the northwest and cut down to the north end of the upper lake. Then we would take the trail and the road back to the truck. Frosty talus made the first part slow going for us, but Nelson has a knack for navigating the talus. 

Nelson trying to find what Ryan is looking at 

Amazingly, there was still a significant amount of snow in the basin below Roman Nose.  The north-facing basin doesn’t receive much sunlight and with the cooler summer, the snow probably didn’t melt quick enough before the cooler fall temperatures moved in. How many cool summers will it take for the Roman Nose glacier to form? The basin is of glacial-origin from the last ice-age, so it isn’t out of the question. 

Beginning of the Roman Nose glacier 

Before we dropped down to the upper lake, we hiked over to the ridge to look at Snow Lake--already half covered with ice. There were still a few patches of last winter’s snow in the dark corners of that basin too. 

Steep descent

On the way down to the lake, we crossed a large open swath of granite. Normal for the Selkirks, but this area had veins of darker rock running through it. Ryan even found the end of one veins, where the hot fluid could no longer penetrate the granite. 

End of vein in granite

The trip was just over five miles with 1500 feet of elevation gain (and loss). A wonderful way to spend a fall day in the Selkirks. 

Coyote tracks on a log