The unsettled weather of May and June and even into July has left us with some impressive and long-lasting wildflowers. I drove to 6000′ elevation and saw quite a variety.
Tag Archives: Geum
In Montana, we stayed with friends in the Bitterroot Valley. They welcomed us with good food and hot showers! Sky and I got to do one day of agility (where she earned her first NADAC title) and the next day Mary took us on a big field trip! Our first stop was the Big Hole Battlefield National Historic Park.
Big Hole is the site of the biggest battle between the Nez Perce Indians and the US government. It is a sad and beautiful place. The Indians, native to the areas of SE Washington and Idaho, had camped there to regroup in a camas meadow along the stream before traveling to Canada where they hoped to escape. An attack in the wee hours of the morning left many dead. After burying their family members, the people continued to try to get to Canada but they were caught at Bear Paw and forced to reservations in Oklahoma. Later their Chief, Joseph, and some of his followers were sent to the Colville reservation in north central Washington where he died and was buried in Nespelem.
Prairie smoke, Geum sp.
Prairie smoke, Geum sp.
Tipi poles mark the sites of the original tipis where the Indians were camped.
Some of the tipis have the names of the occupants
Camas, a staple of their diet
Lots and lots of ground squirrels
Kim and I hiked up to the top of Tiffany Mountain and then around it, crossing Whistler and Honeymoon Pass and then around Tiffany Lake before leaving the trail at Tiffany Springs Campground where we had left my car in the morning. Ken had generously shuttled us from there to the Freezeout Pass trailhead before going fly fishing. The temperature was comfortably cool most of the day; clouds built up with the threat of thunder storms. Luckily the storms did not materialize.
Most of this area was burned in the 2006 Tripod wildfire. Many people would look at this now and see nothing but dead trees. However the grasses and forbs and shrubs are thriving. Wildflowers are abundant and vibrant this month. In wetter areas we found young aspens and willows – perfect habitat for moose and other animals.
The trail begins by climbing steeply up from Freezeout. Fireweed blooms in the understory
Ken started up the trail with us
The first glimpse of Tiffany Mountain from the trail
It’s a gorgeous route through the flowers
Red paintbrush
A dried up puffball
More gorgeous meandering
The view from the top. Tiffany Lake and Little Tiffany Lake
Looking down at Salmon Creek. Later we walked up that valley to get to Honeymoon Pass.
And looking down towards Winthrop
Fabulous delicate rock gardens on top of 8200′ Tiffany Mountain
Walking through another field of wildflowers
We saw lots of these butterflies
Cool rock formations
Whistler Basin after we crossed Whistler Pass
Geum sp
These were common on the east side of the mountain and nowhere else.
The trail goes sidehill on the east side before dropping into Salmon Creek
Oh yeah, I liked these.
Geum sp
Geum sp
Geum sp
You can see Honeymoon Pass in the distance
In the creek bottom, it seemed like we went a long time in the wrong direction but finally after crossing the creek, we found the burned sign that said we were headed towards Tiffany Lake.
Can you see the trail through all that lush undergrowth? There are orange diamonds on the snags, marking the way. Sometimes those snags fall.
Woodpecker holes
Looking back UP at Tiffany Mountain where had been just an hour or so before.
Almost to Honeymoon Pass, looking down Salmon Creek
Columbine
A glimpse of Tiffany Lake on the other side of Honeymoon Pass
The end of the trail
My Everyday Photos 