Wonderful Waterfalls

In my very first blog post, I promised you waterfalls. So, without further ado, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

WATERFALLS

I have always been enchanted by moving water. There is just something completely mesmerizing to me about the ebb and flow, the eddies, and the currents in a river. Twice in my life I have stood at Niagra Falls in utter awe of the sheer volume and power of the water. Taquamenon Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is another world-class favorite of mine. Victoria Falls (yes, the one in Africa) is on my bucket list, but it may well still be in the bottom of the bucket when I kick it!

Upper Woodbine Falls

Montana has hundreds of waterfalls. Dan and I took a hike in the Beartooths outside of Red Lodge several years ago, and we photographed six different waterfalls in twelve and a half miles. 

What I especially love about Montana waterfalls is how they change from season to season. In the spring, as snowpack in the mountains starts to melt, the rivers rise and the volume in the falls increases. But as soon as summer heats up, some of the falls slow to hardly more than a trickle, and some disappear entirely. For instance, the falls at Natural Bridge (the photo at the top of the page) actually only looks like that in the spring, and even then, not every year does it flow over the top. (See She's Over the Top for more on Natural Bridge and Falls.)

Woodbine Falls in winter.
The top portion is the one in the close-up
photo above, but good luck getting there
once the snow falls. 

Winter creates a very special waterfall - a frozen one. Sometimes run-off freezes into a "waterfall" that is a limited-time offer... they are gone when spring comes. 

The very best part of Montana waterfalls, though, is that there are still so many left to explore, and that's just the ones that are known and named. I wouldn't be surprised if there are still some unseen by human eyes. But I'm not sure that I am hardy enough for those! I'll have to leave those for the intrepid, modern-day adventurers. I have plenty to keep me entertained for many years to
come. 

This is a "winter special" on the trail to Souix Charley Lake.
When the weather warms up, there is not even a spring here.