Spring is coming to Glacier

I went on a wonderful hike in Glacier National Park on Wednesday -- walking down the "Going to the Sun" road, and along McDonald Creek, past McDonald Falls. My objective: to find Harlequin ducks that breed and nest in moving water.

The walk up the road was wonderful. I was thinking how lucky the animals were at this time of year -- total peace and quiet with no tourists. I saw some beautiful, mossy, wooded areas that just soothed my soul.

I didn't find any ducks, but I had a great hike and made 2 new friends in the process -- Janet and John Flury. I sometimes worry about myself, hiking alone, and Wednesday was one of those days. Bears are out of hibernation, and come to the lower areas to find food. And of course, I had forgotten my bear spray.

Workmen are rebuilding the bridge on North McDonald Creek Road (which I needed to cross to hike down to the falls), and as I realized this, I decided I should just turn around. Right at that time, Janet and John came walking out of the woods -- they had the same idea I did, so we all headed to the bridge, and the workmen let us cross.

I am always amazed at what a small world it can be, and this was no exception. I found out that Janet grew up in Toledo, Oh which is just an hour from Milan, OH which is my home town. Janet and John have a fairly large horse breeding operation outside of Chicago -- and of course, I am a horse person. So as horse people know, this led to a very enjoyable conversation.

As to Glacier.....most of the snow and ice is gone at the lower levels, and there were a large number of butterfly's flitting around McDonald creek and the bridge. The sun was out, and it was in the high 50's (always cooler at Glacier). It was a marvelous day with good company. We did see paw prints in the soft earth on the trail, so I was very glad I had company on my hike.

This was my first real hike for the year, and I know it was 5 miles +. And I know that by how much my ankles hurt when I got home! Since I plan to do more this summer, it is time to get in shape! And what a great place to do that.



(McDonald Falls)

POND SKIM -- Ending the Ski Season with a Splash!

I know, I know.......how many crazy winter time sports does Montana have? On April 7, it was the 7th annual "Pond Skim", held at the Whitefish Ski Resort at Big Mountain. And it WAS a lot of fun. It's always the last event of the ski season, as the resort closed winter operations on April 8.

I have previously written about my 2 ski lessons at the resort, and I had a good time. But it wasn't as though I fell in love with skiing. But what I really DO love about skiing is the great "spirit" I feel when I go to the slopes. It's a sport for the very young (little 3 year olds going down the hill with a parent guiding their skis), and also for the old (which is the category I put myself in). There are novices (like me) and many young "experts" who are flying down the runs or doing somersaults and fancy jumps off the freestyle course. It's just such a fun, exciting feeling that I love going up to the lodge whether I am skiing, reading a book in front of the roaring fire, or having a beer at the "Bierstube".

The "Pond Skim" was another fun event of the area. It's the first time I've attended, and I'll be back next year. The basic premise is skiers and snow boarders, dressed in costumes, fly down a section of the slope to a 90 foot long "pond" which has been dug out of the snow. If they "skim" across this 90 feet of very cold water, then they go onto the next round. Round 2 includes a jump before hitting the water (new in 2012). The top ten competitors, then go into round 3. First price is $1,000, plus there are prizes for the best costume and the best crash (and plenty of those to choose from!).

Got there early, as I wanted to set up my new tripod to get the best pictures with my new camera (the test run). So I'm sitting on my little stool, reading a book, and two of the competitors (Daryl and Brandon -- Ironman and American Gladiator respectively) stopped and asked me if I was the photographer for the Flathead Beacon. I was flattered that at least my equipment looked "professional". I did tell them I was going to take photo's, and they asked if I would photograph them and their two friends (a bottle or Ranier Beer and a bottle opener).

I not only took their pictures, but took most of the brave souls who tried to cross the pond. I've attached some of those below.

Best Costumes:

There was quite a variety of costumes, and these first 2 were ingenious -- and definitely NOT designed to make it across the 90 foot pond.


Shamu the Whale -- Before and After
































This is the Ranier Beer Bottle which won the "Best Costume" award. Behind the bottle cap, was an opening where the skier had a cooler of beer!! When he crashed (see below), the cap opened up, and then there were 4 cans of beer floating in the pond!












Some of the costumes that COULD make it across the pond included:




"American Gladiator" (Brandon)










"Towely" (if you watch Southpark, you know the character), and this was the winner of the Pond Skim












"Jesus" (there has been a big controversy about a statue of Jesus that is on the top of a local mountain, as a tribute to WW II soldiers -- so there were THREE Jesus costumes in the competition)











"Polar Bear" (yes, I know it's a stretch). This was one of the female skiers -- she didn't make it across the pond but might have gotten the prize for the "Best Crash" -- face first!














"Penguin" -- Touchdown!! (in more ways than one)













"Ironman" (Daryl) who is about to be gator food



















This was a "Panda" -- although I would have given him the prize for the smallest amount of clothing.























Now for the Best Crashes:

I thought this was one of the best crash sequences that I photographed -- It's the "Bottle Opener" which went with the "Ranier Beer Bottle".































































I'm not sure what costume this was -- but the thing to look at is he is holding A REAL SWORD!!! Flying down the slope, taking a jump, and trying to skim a pond holding a REAL SWORD!!













Two things to see in this shot -- first......he has the holder, but THE SWORD IS GONE. So now the sword is in the water. Second.....his pants are almost gone, and if he was facing the other way, I'm pretty sure I would have a butt shot!







Most competitors were drinking, but this particular competitor was very drunk when he hit the pond -- he couldn't figure how to get out of the pond. And I'm pretty sure the concealed bottle in the skunk skin was the reason why. His pants are on (almost), but as a female, I certainly appreciated this fine specimen of a man!!

The skier in the underwear and fishnet stockings was Ranier Beer man.





Needless to say.....this was a blast. Even if you are not a skier, you should put the "Pond Skim" on your calendar for 2013.

THE "LEANING TOWER OF SNOWMAN" - Snowshoeing in Glacier

I had a FABULOUS day on Monday snowshoeing in Glacier National Park. We had over a foot of snow on Saturday night (and by "we", I mean Glacier and my house -- Kalispell and surrounding towns had almost nothing), and this meant fresh powder for snowshoeing (the skiers were thrilled as well).

Monday was bright, sunny, and just plain beautiful. So Monday afternoon I was off to Glacier with my new snowshoes and a walk down the "Going to the Sun Road" from Lake McDonald Lodge. On the walk, I ran across this snowman, who looked like he wanted to take a little nap in the snow. How cute....little pine cones for buttons, a stick for his mouth, and he even had a little evergreen stuck in his head. I was amazed that with all the sun on Monday that he had not finally succumbed totally to gravity and fallen over.

On my little adventure, I met several other hikers and skiers. One man was right out of "Jeremiah Johnson" (not Robert Redford, but that long haired, long bearded guy who taught Jeremiah the ropes). He told me he had been to McDonald Falls and seen several Harlequin Ducks. The Harlequin is a sea duck and normally winter near the rocky coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The ducks are short distant migrants, and their breeding habitat is cold, fast-moving streams (they won't breed in still water), which abound in Glacier. Normally the Harlequin shows up in Glacier in May and is gone before the end of June. This gentleman told me that since it had been a milder winter and Glacier's rivers (and the lakes) had not frozen over, it made sense that the Harlequin's were hear feeding and breeding.

(Picture of male Harlequin from the Internet)

I truly wish my ankle would allow me to hike longer distances, as I would have LOVED to snowshoe to the falls and the ducks. It is my objective this year to take my own photo's of the Harlequins.

On my way out of the park at about 4PM, the sun had melted some of the snow on the trees, and there where big drops of water hanging off the branches. The sun was in my face, and shining through the trees. It looked like all the trees were coated with crystals -- absolutely beautiful. The perfect end to a wonderful day.

While I didn't have my "good" Nikon camera with me, I did bring my point and shoot Canon. And it has a video capability, so I shot just a little film showing the beautiful surroundings -- enjoy.

What People Won't do for a Good Cause

That's what the Whitefish Penguin Plunge is all about -- raising money for the Special Olympics. This year 389 (crazy) people jumped off the ice into the freezing Whitefish Lake to raise over $52,000 for the Special Olympics. I'd prefer just to donate money.

But the event is very fun -- especially if you are spectating and taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

ACTION SHOTS:







































SOME GREAT COSTUMES:





(the theme for the festival was "Pescado Blanco South of the Border" which is why you see some Mexican costumes, including the Chili Peppers below)
















FREEZING!!







AND FACE MASKS:



































BEST COSTUME & ACTION SEQUENCE:

The "Ninjas" staged a ninja fight on the ice before twisting and turning their way into the freezing water. Good show!!

Whitefish Skijoring

It's Whitefish Winter Festival time -- and one of the most fun activities is the Whitefish Skijoring World Championships. I decided to keep the "text" to a minimum and use this blog to show more pictures.

The sport is not unique to Montana, but is well suited for this area of the country. It combines the old and traditional western horse culture and the new and innovative skiers who are drawn to our mountains. It's a horse and rider pulling a skier around a horseshoe shaped 800 ft. course over jumps and around slalom gates. It's fast paced, full of spills, and draws a fun loving crowd.

We have royalty:


....in the form of the Miss Pro Rodeo Queen and Little Miss Rodeo.







We have horse and rider combinations:












This is an ex-racehorse -- really fast -- and way bigger than the other quarter horse types in the competition.


And this horse is 30 years old, which in people years would be like an 80 year old running around this course -- amazing.








And we have skiers:




























And even one snowboarder in the competition -- I believe he crashed after the last jump.











There are people who compete as.....












.....riders......












....skiers (and wear strange helmets).....






.....AND WIN!! This is Barton Slaney, and he won his division in both 2011 and 2012.










In 2012, the Ski Joring competition added a division for MULES, where they crowned "the Best Ass in the World".




































This particular mule had a problem....he wouldn't stay on the track and kept trying to run into the center of the ring. So he would leavethe poor skier almost at a stand still until the lady could get the mule back on the track. One man told me on Saturday, the mule ran into the middle at the end of the track, and the saddle slide all the way down the side of the mule -- lady came off.













So there you have it -- the winter sport of Montana. Come and enjoy!!!