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. 

   

Some of My Friends Are a Little "Fishy"!

Dave "wets a line" at North Picket Pin Lake.

Hooray for friends! While Dan and I certainly don't mind doing what we do by ourselves, it's even more fun when our friends come along. Saturday morning, we were joined at our favorite campsite near Nye by four friends who came to ride Picket Pin with us. 

The weather was pretty chilly for the first week of August. The tops of the mountains were socked in, and for a while, I really thought we might get snowed on. (Hey, it's happened before... Maybe someday I will do a "throwback" post on our climb to Silver Run Peak.) Our friends Leroy and Nona were in the lead, and they took us down a trail that we had never before traveled. At the end of the trail, we came to a beautiful little lake. The sun was finally starting to burn through the clouds, but a layer of mist hovered over the lake. Dave and Ronny could hardly get their fishing poles out fast enough. Of course, Dan and I were equally eager to get out the cameras. After a little bit, Dave had to admit that this lake appeared to be more of a photo op than a fishing op. 

The lake was absolutely still, and the reflections
were as much fun to photograph as the surroundings. 

We finally tore ourselves away from the lake and resumed our ride to the top. The view from there, Iron Mountain, was panoramic, and while the mountains were hazy, we could see for miles in every direction. We then dropped back down a little, circumnavigated another hill, and splashed through a creek before ascending Chrome Mountain. This is another 10,000 ft peak with million dollar views. 

Apparently, fishing is a
dangerous sport! ;)

By now, it was late afternoon, so we started back down the mountain. Ron and Dave had one more chance to land a fish when we reached the bridge over Picket Pin Creek, but the fish remained elusive. However, the fact that the guys came home "fishless" didn't seem to diminish their enjoyment of the day. (That is one thing to be said for photography: we did not leave empty-handed.) Oh well, the fish will be there another outing. 

Bonus Pictures

This bug is on the perfectly clear surface of the lake. 

Indian Paintbrush

I "caught" a fish, even if the guys didn't!

Creeeeeeepy!

My best friend and photo-buddy!