Kootenai Hiker
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Cougar Bay Sanctuary. Hiked about an hour and 40 minutes.
Highlights were the spiral and the bird's nest.
Click on photo below to see album.
Cougar Bay Sancutary 20apr2008 Labels: Bird's Nest, Cougar Bay, Spiral
John 7:58 PM
Friday, April 18, 2008
Hiked for about an hour and ten minutes Thursday, 17apr2008.
Wildflowers on the southeast side of Tubbs Hill.
Robin on the west side of Tubbs Hill.Labels: Tubbs Hill, wildflowers
John 6:37 AM
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
"First there is a mountain,
then, there no mountain,
then there is."
May start hiking again.
John 12:50 PM
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
::
9:32 Two deer were standing in Road 202 at my parking spot.
They bound into the brush as I pulled to a stop.
On the mountain bike, rolled past Erstwhile RD.
9:41 Past Two Stump Rd.
Today I'm going to find the end of the
road I called Searchlight RD last week, and change it's name.
9:46 Aster pic
10:00 approx. top of cliff at meadow
Explored top of cliff a little bit.
The trail can be seen in the meadow below.
10:23 Loggers' turnaround.
Explored end of road a few yards beyond.
Change name of road to Meadow Cliff Road.
Explored top edge of draws that might provide a route down
to the Marie Creek Trail. I can't imagine why there isn't already
a connecting trail.
11:23 Headback
11:30 thick stick catches in spokes and jambs between tire and
fork. Bike stops, I don't. Over the handlebars, down to the ground.
12:23 Arrived back at car.
Another odd daisy, I call it a button daisy because the blossoms are only about a half
inch in diameter.
Here's the set of 21 photos from this hike.
::
John 6:49 PM
Monday, August 18, 2003
::
On the way up 202 saw a chipmonk goofing around on some branches which protruded
into the road. I stopped to watch him. He saw me and watched me. I rolled down the window,
and was surprised the motion didn't make him run away. I started baby talking to him and
he took a few spurty steps toward the car, keeping his body somewhat flat to the road, but
his head up. He came out maybe 5 feet toward the car, paused, and then ran back to the
safety of the branches.
Only out for an hour and a half Sunday August 17, 2003. Too hot and started too late, as usual.
11:30 am Parked up by the intersection of 202 and Searchlight RD. Brought mountain bike. Rolled past Erstwhile RD (my new name for the filled in road explored last week.) Took first possible right at the next Y. Will call this branch Two Stump Road. Lots of little speed troughs.
11:45 came to huge tank trap with a stump at each end of the cross berm. photo.
Left bike and proceed on foot. Here's a pic from the other side at a distance.
Shot some thistle, pic pic, and butterflies. Another butterfly pic.
12:06 Came to dead end of Two Stump RD pic. Shot pic of road on other side of valley, which
road leads up to the western ridge trail of the Marie Creek Horse trail loop.
12:55 shot yellow flower and white berries. While shooting these watched an adult gray squirrel run along a skinned log at the base of the road bed. Heard some chirpping in the
the brush where the adult had come from, then a juvenile squirrel came out on the log,
stopped in the center, looked up at me for a moment, then ran back for cover. Soon he
did a machine gun chirpping from the safety of the brush.
While I was shooting the yellow flower and white berries and watching the squirrels
I could hear a large animal cruching in the brush beyond where the squirrels came from.
I could tell by the sound it was moving away from me, so felt no threat.
1:00 back at car.
Some everlasting somewhere on Two Stump Rd
::
John 11:29 PM
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Parked on forest road 202 at the first right hand branch above the Marie Creek lot.
9:01 am Started down road past gate, soon came to a Y where the right hand branch was a defunct road completely buried under a restored slope. There was grass and very little brush
on the new slope. (pic)
Birds seen: Large woodpecker with white patch. Yellow and black bird.
10:02 Tansy (pic)
10:06 Spike with collar and washer. (pic)
Saw another collar a few yards on.
The former road comes within a few yards of the creek, probably Searchlight Creek.
Here's a pic of a survey marker.
10:32 Reached the end of the resloped former road and was about to poke my head
through the wall of brush to see if there was any possibility of further penetration when I heard a large animal crunching and cracking branches just inside the brush. I froze. The crackling and crunching continued. I demanded in an authoritative voice: "Qui est la?".
The noise not only continued but did not seem to be retreating at all. Closer if anything.
I attempted a casual backward step, but the terrain was too rough and rocky, so I
had to turn around. I skidaddled, tossing frequent backward glances over my shoulder.
Only after I'd gone several yards did I belatedly think of the bear spray which I got out
and removed the safety clip.
10:53 A small garter snake crosses about two feet in front of me and disappears into
a small dark hole in the rocky ground.
11:25 back at road, not 202 but the unnamed road branch.
The hike down the former road with the reconstructed slope took about an hour and
an half out and an hour back.
11:33 sat on log to eat apple.
Continued east on branch road.
11:41 Red berry plant (pic).
11:49 Another Y. I took the left branch.
11:55 Took pic of burnt logs.
12:05 PM Two deer come bounding out of a dark ravine. One, a yearling runs up the road
toward me about ten yards before it realizes I am standing there. It stops and looks at
me before scrambling up the bank. It's nose was wet and shiny.
12:07 Road skirts a large valley. I see a road across on the other side and wonder if it
is the same road and does it lead to the rock cliff overlooking the Marie Creek meadow.
I push on around a couple of bends and take a couple of pics of the other side of the valley (pic),
but make no determination. The air is hot. I'm tired and getting hungry and turn around.
I pick some clusters of elderberries.
1:00 PM Back at car.
Here are some tiny bells, don't know name.
Here's some yarrow
Some hawkweed.
And another unknown to me.
John 11:41 PM
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Too hot to hike today. Started late. Dressed for hike. Drove out to freeway exit and came back. If it is this hot in July, what will August be like? We need rain.
John 3:52 PM