"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in...:"
And it is beautiful in our little headwater valley of southwest Montana, watching the weather come in from fifty miles away.
24 February 2011
Skywatch Friday: Storm Across the Valley
As John Denver put it,
"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in...:"
And it is beautiful in our little headwater valley of southwest Montana, watching the weather come in from fifty miles away.
"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in...:"
And it is beautiful in our little headwater valley of southwest Montana, watching the weather come in from fifty miles away.
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Last weekend we drove down the valley to Missoula to take in a few days of the 10-day long annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. It was fun to stay at Don & Andrea Stierle's new home up The Rattlesnake (they left Montana Tech, taking their high-level research programme to the "mother ship," The University of Montana, but that's another story) and to meet up with Celia Schahczenski for the festival.
The festival centers around the two screens at the old Wilma Theatre (built in 1921):
The Wilma doesn't look like much on the outside and it's not as grand as Butte's Motherlode Theatre or Anaconda's Washoe Theatre, but it is a nice place inside with the usual Rococo touches (although sorely in need of an improved sound system):
We only had a few days and I'm sure there were many other excellent films, but here are a few good selections. The Foodies among us loved the international competition featured in Kings of Pastry:
Artists and former Beatniks went for William S. Burroughs: A Man Within:
No documentary film fest is complete without a quirky but beautiful selection. For this year at Big Sky, that award went to Steam of Life--"naked Finnish men in saunas speak straight from the heart about life, love, birth and friendship:"
For me and many others (it won the Best Feature prize for the festival), the very best of the lot was This Way of Life, an amazing intimate portrait of a New Zealand family with 6 kids and 50 horses living in an intimate connection with nature. This family -- kids and all -- jump horses over steep banks, ride horses up and down steep rocky slopes, and swim horses across swift rivers. If you love horses, romantic rural lifestyles, and amazing cinematography, SEE THIS FILM! It will be available on NetFlix in the near future. Wow:
"What do I do for a living? I live for a living."
The festival centers around the two screens at the old Wilma Theatre (built in 1921):
The Wilma doesn't look like much on the outside and it's not as grand as Butte's Motherlode Theatre or Anaconda's Washoe Theatre, but it is a nice place inside with the usual Rococo touches (although sorely in need of an improved sound system):
We only had a few days and I'm sure there were many other excellent films, but here are a few good selections. The Foodies among us loved the international competition featured in Kings of Pastry:
Artists and former Beatniks went for William S. Burroughs: A Man Within:
No documentary film fest is complete without a quirky but beautiful selection. For this year at Big Sky, that award went to Steam of Life--"naked Finnish men in saunas speak straight from the heart about life, love, birth and friendship:"
For me and many others (it won the Best Feature prize for the festival), the very best of the lot was This Way of Life, an amazing intimate portrait of a New Zealand family with 6 kids and 50 horses living in an intimate connection with nature. This family -- kids and all -- jump horses over steep banks, ride horses up and down steep rocky slopes, and swim horses across swift rivers. If you love horses, romantic rural lifestyles, and amazing cinematography, SEE THIS FILM! It will be available on NetFlix in the near future. Wow:
"What do I do for a living? I live for a living."
– Peter Karena, in This Way of Life
Moonlight Ski
A week ago, Don & Andrea Stierle hosted a full moon ski party at their cabin at The Moulton. A dozen or so hearty souls turned out, snowshoeing or skiing their way to the cabin from the parking lot a half-mile below. The night began inauspiciously with snow and a heavy cloud cover. After a potluck feast and a cup or two of IPA from the Quarry Brewpub, the sky cleared and moonlight reflected from the snowy hills.
Those more familiar with the trails led without headlamps, followed by a string of bobbing lights behind them:
Some young people on snowshoes can go about as fast as some "old" people on skis!:
MollyTheDog was dwarfed in size by her new friend, a Bernese Mountain Dog, but she more than made up for it with her usual spunk as the two romped around-and-around:
Meanwhile, some kids got a peaceful nap:
All too soon it was time to gather up the leftovers, wake the kids from their slumber, zoom down the trail, and drive home. Everyone slept well that night!
--------------------------------------------------
The Moulton: Montana's finest classic cross country ski trails.
Those more familiar with the trails led without headlamps, followed by a string of bobbing lights behind them:
Some young people on snowshoes can go about as fast as some "old" people on skis!:
MollyTheDog was dwarfed in size by her new friend, a Bernese Mountain Dog, but she more than made up for it with her usual spunk as the two romped around-and-around:
Meanwhile, some kids got a peaceful nap:
All too soon it was time to gather up the leftovers, wake the kids from their slumber, zoom down the trail, and drive home. Everyone slept well that night!
--------------------------------------------------
The Moulton: Montana's finest classic cross country ski trails.
18 February 2011
Skywatch Friday: New Clouds on Old Peaks
A cloud mass forms in the morning air over the Highland Mountains south of Butte Montana:
14 February 2011
Biathlon (ski/shoot) Begins
The weather has been cold most nights and I welcome those first few rays of morning sun on the ski trails:
The cold weather makes for slow skiing, even with green or polar wax. I laid out a little Biathlon course with 1.5" black center targets--as you look through the rear peep sight, the target size is designed to fill the circular front sight of a .22 target rifle at 50 feet:
I don't mind skiing a little slowly while carrying an 8 and 1/2 pound rifle slung over my shoulders:
Skiing a bit slow makes for better breath control and better offhand shooting (though it's a bit chilly for the ungloved trigger hand!):
MollyTheDog waits patiently behind the firing line:
We've also had unusually strong winds this winter (the air in the Butte area is usually remarkably still). It makes for lovely cornices on the lee side of west-facing slopes (the deep drift to the right of the tree):
And beautiful beach-like sculpted patterns on the snow:
While skiing or hiking over snow I watch for tracks, whether the usual squirrel, snowshoe hare, fox, etc or the graceful wings of a hawk etched in the snow where the bird of prey stooped to take a hapless mouse:
The Moulton: Montana's finest classic cross country ski trails, and just 15 minutes from Butte America.
The cold weather makes for slow skiing, even with green or polar wax. I laid out a little Biathlon course with 1.5" black center targets--as you look through the rear peep sight, the target size is designed to fill the circular front sight of a .22 target rifle at 50 feet:
I don't mind skiing a little slowly while carrying an 8 and 1/2 pound rifle slung over my shoulders:
Skiing a bit slow makes for better breath control and better offhand shooting (though it's a bit chilly for the ungloved trigger hand!):
MollyTheDog waits patiently behind the firing line:
We've also had unusually strong winds this winter (the air in the Butte area is usually remarkably still). It makes for lovely cornices on the lee side of west-facing slopes (the deep drift to the right of the tree):
And beautiful beach-like sculpted patterns on the snow:
While skiing or hiking over snow I watch for tracks, whether the usual squirrel, snowshoe hare, fox, etc or the graceful wings of a hawk etched in the snow where the bird of prey stooped to take a hapless mouse:
The Moulton: Montana's finest classic cross country ski trails, and just 15 minutes from Butte America.
31 January 2011
Moulton Wildlife in Winter
Despite the unusual fluctuations in this winter's weather (50 deg F one day, -20 the next), cross country skiing has been very good. We received a good base of snow in Thanksgiving and have been blessed with some fresh stuff each week since. I love the physical act of skiing--getting the wax just right for easy kicks and long glides, skating the flats with smooth 20-foot strides, climbing the steep aerobic hills without (if the wax is right) going into a herringbone, and carving pretty turns with my imitation telemark on downhill runs.
Nothing like waking up to a little fresh snow, looking west to the Pintler Range, and saying "Let's ski:"
For both solitude and exercise, the Buzzy Trail is wonderful and it leads to a lot of good backcountry too:
But it's not just about exercise: one could do that in a gym. Skiing is outside, solitude, Big Sky, weather, and critters. There is "watchable wildlife," like the charismatic megafauna (moose cow and calf--the calf is shown here) that hang around the willows below the parking area:
Most wildlife is primarily nocturnal, so we're more likely to see tracks than the actual animal. Among my favorites is Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus). They turn white in winter so even when you do see one during the day, it's often just a quick blur that camouflages into the background when it stops (watch for the black ear tips). But the large hind feet -- like little snowshoes! -- leave distinctive tracks and help the hare run on top of the snow to evade predators:
Their rabbit-cousin, Mountain Cottontail (Sylivlagus nuttallii), have more trouble getting around in deep, soft snow, yet are very common throughout the area. Note that Cottontail can be "right-handed" or "left-handed," depending on which front foot they lead with:
Weasels are called Ermine when in their winter coat (Short-tailed Weasel Mustela erminea with a black-tipped tail; the almost Mink-sized Long-tailed Weasel M. frenata; and the tiny Least Weasel M. nivalis) spends a lot of time under the snow seeking out mice. They're curious, though, and will pop up (pun intended) to look at you as you pass by. If you think you see one or see fresh tracks/tunnels, just pause and make some chirping noises to lure them out (see the black tail & ear tips?):
Many species of mice and voles are out and about on winter nights, too. Watch for tracks around squirrel caches or in meadows with grass and shrub seeds. With the right kind of snow, you can distinguish the footpad and tail length variations of different species:
Red Squirrel (or Pine Squirrel; Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are active during the daytime, as Molly-The-Dog is happy to attest:
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) often cruise along the ski trails as they make their way from one hunting ground to another. With their small cat-like feet and narrow gait, they can easily stay within the width of a ski-track:
Here's a (rather small) domestic cat track for comparison. Kitties have a rounder track that of course shows no claw imprints (that's a MollyTheDog track at the top):
And let's not forget the other wildlife -- the kids who party at The Moulton, get their car stuck trying to drive on the ski trails, spend a cold lonely night, and seek help from the first skiers to arrive the next morning:
Ah, The Moulton: Montana's finest cross country ski trails.
Nothing like waking up to a little fresh snow, looking west to the Pintler Range, and saying "Let's ski:"
For both solitude and exercise, the Buzzy Trail is wonderful and it leads to a lot of good backcountry too:
But it's not just about exercise: one could do that in a gym. Skiing is outside, solitude, Big Sky, weather, and critters. There is "watchable wildlife," like the charismatic megafauna (moose cow and calf--the calf is shown here) that hang around the willows below the parking area:
Most wildlife is primarily nocturnal, so we're more likely to see tracks than the actual animal. Among my favorites is Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus). They turn white in winter so even when you do see one during the day, it's often just a quick blur that camouflages into the background when it stops (watch for the black ear tips). But the large hind feet -- like little snowshoes! -- leave distinctive tracks and help the hare run on top of the snow to evade predators:
Their rabbit-cousin, Mountain Cottontail (Sylivlagus nuttallii), have more trouble getting around in deep, soft snow, yet are very common throughout the area. Note that Cottontail can be "right-handed" or "left-handed," depending on which front foot they lead with:
Weasels are called Ermine when in their winter coat (Short-tailed Weasel Mustela erminea with a black-tipped tail; the almost Mink-sized Long-tailed Weasel M. frenata; and the tiny Least Weasel M. nivalis) spends a lot of time under the snow seeking out mice. They're curious, though, and will pop up (pun intended) to look at you as you pass by. If you think you see one or see fresh tracks/tunnels, just pause and make some chirping noises to lure them out (see the black tail & ear tips?):
Many species of mice and voles are out and about on winter nights, too. Watch for tracks around squirrel caches or in meadows with grass and shrub seeds. With the right kind of snow, you can distinguish the footpad and tail length variations of different species:
Red Squirrel (or Pine Squirrel; Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are active during the daytime, as Molly-The-Dog is happy to attest:
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) often cruise along the ski trails as they make their way from one hunting ground to another. With their small cat-like feet and narrow gait, they can easily stay within the width of a ski-track:
Here's a (rather small) domestic cat track for comparison. Kitties have a rounder track that of course shows no claw imprints (that's a MollyTheDog track at the top):
And let's not forget the other wildlife -- the kids who party at The Moulton, get their car stuck trying to drive on the ski trails, spend a cold lonely night, and seek help from the first skiers to arrive the next morning:
Ah, The Moulton: Montana's finest cross country ski trails.
05 January 2011
The Moulton Cross Country Ski Trails: a brief guide
It's winter in southwest Montana and will be for another 10 weeks or so. Why not get outside for some warming exercise?
Just a few miles north of Walkerville and Butte, Montana, lie The Moulton Cross Country Ski Trails. Established in the mid-1970s by competitive skiers such as Paul Sawyer and John Mike Downey, the area has become a local institution and is now groomed by the Mile High Nordic Ski Club. The trails are on National Forest land, skiing is free, and dogs are welcome. Driving directions are here. A map of the trails is here.
The road/trail from the parking lot is "shared use" for skiers and snowmachines, and occasionally torn-up by locals thinking they can drive their truck or four-wheeler on a ski trail. It's a bit steep for novice skiers and can be quite a challenge. The Butte office of the Forest Service makes some effort to regulate motorized use, but it's a challenge. If you have problems, call Jocelyn Dodge, NFS Recreational Forester, at 406-494-0246.
You can think of The Moulton trails as a sort of three-leafed clover, with the stem leading from the parking lot to the south and the petals oriented west, east, and north. The petals meet at Mainshaft Junction, about one-half mile up the stem road/trail from the parking area.
The west petal is defined by the Green (easiest Nordic designation) Neversweat Trail loop. It provides access to the easy Claimjumper trail and the Blue (intermediate) Sluice Box trail. Claimjumper connects the Neversweat loop to the northern petal via Amalgamation Junction. Neversweat also provides access to Big Flat (aka Moonlight Flat), parallel to and just above the trail:
The east petal is defined by the Blue (intermediate) Motherlode Trail loop. It provides access to the intermediate Nugget Trail and to the ungroomed, Black Diamond (difficult/advanced) Buzzy Trail. Buzzy connects the Motherlode loop to the northern petal via the Big Nipper Trail. Buzzy and Nugget also provide access to great backcountry skiing, from the poleline up to Reservoir Flats. Note that a short stretch of Motherlode, marked with orange signs, is for shared use by snowmachines:
The north petal (my favorite!) is defined by the intermediate Orphan Girl Trail loop. Instead of turning east toward Motherlode or west toward Neversweat, simply continue north up the road and through the private cabins/meadow area (historic Moulton Dairy). Orphan Girl provides access to two difficult/advanced trails -- Yankee Boy and Big Nipper -- as well as to the intermediate Little Nipper and In Vein trails:
All the trail names derive from Butte mines or mining terms. For example the Orphan Girl and Neversweat were mines, a Buzzy was a pneumatic drill, and Nippers were tool fetchers. I like the use of local mining terms for trails, rather than naming trails as an egoistic exercise like peeing your own name in the snow.
The trails are narrow and primarily for classic skiing (i.e. "kick & glide"), though they are "skatable" by those seeking a challenge. Those who want interstate highway width trails groomed hard for skating should seek out the Mount Haggin trails along the Deep Creek highway between Anaconda and the Big Hole River valley.
After some years of seeing little use, it seems that many more folks are skiing The Moulton this year. I hope this little guide provides some help in orienting yourself. Welcome to winter fun!
More information:
Buzzy Trail
Yankee Boy Trail
Just a few miles north of Walkerville and Butte, Montana, lie The Moulton Cross Country Ski Trails. Established in the mid-1970s by competitive skiers such as Paul Sawyer and John Mike Downey, the area has become a local institution and is now groomed by the Mile High Nordic Ski Club. The trails are on National Forest land, skiing is free, and dogs are welcome. Driving directions are here. A map of the trails is here.
The road/trail from the parking lot is "shared use" for skiers and snowmachines, and occasionally torn-up by locals thinking they can drive their truck or four-wheeler on a ski trail. It's a bit steep for novice skiers and can be quite a challenge. The Butte office of the Forest Service makes some effort to regulate motorized use, but it's a challenge. If you have problems, call Jocelyn Dodge, NFS Recreational Forester, at 406-494-0246.
You can think of The Moulton trails as a sort of three-leafed clover, with the stem leading from the parking lot to the south and the petals oriented west, east, and north. The petals meet at Mainshaft Junction, about one-half mile up the stem road/trail from the parking area.
The west petal is defined by the Green (easiest Nordic designation) Neversweat Trail loop. It provides access to the easy Claimjumper trail and the Blue (intermediate) Sluice Box trail. Claimjumper connects the Neversweat loop to the northern petal via Amalgamation Junction. Neversweat also provides access to Big Flat (aka Moonlight Flat), parallel to and just above the trail:
The east petal is defined by the Blue (intermediate) Motherlode Trail loop. It provides access to the intermediate Nugget Trail and to the ungroomed, Black Diamond (difficult/advanced) Buzzy Trail. Buzzy connects the Motherlode loop to the northern petal via the Big Nipper Trail. Buzzy and Nugget also provide access to great backcountry skiing, from the poleline up to Reservoir Flats. Note that a short stretch of Motherlode, marked with orange signs, is for shared use by snowmachines:
The north petal (my favorite!) is defined by the intermediate Orphan Girl Trail loop. Instead of turning east toward Motherlode or west toward Neversweat, simply continue north up the road and through the private cabins/meadow area (historic Moulton Dairy). Orphan Girl provides access to two difficult/advanced trails -- Yankee Boy and Big Nipper -- as well as to the intermediate Little Nipper and In Vein trails:
All the trail names derive from Butte mines or mining terms. For example the Orphan Girl and Neversweat were mines, a Buzzy was a pneumatic drill, and Nippers were tool fetchers. I like the use of local mining terms for trails, rather than naming trails as an egoistic exercise like peeing your own name in the snow.
The trails are narrow and primarily for classic skiing (i.e. "kick & glide"), though they are "skatable" by those seeking a challenge. Those who want interstate highway width trails groomed hard for skating should seek out the Mount Haggin trails along the Deep Creek highway between Anaconda and the Big Hole River valley.
After some years of seeing little use, it seems that many more folks are skiing The Moulton this year. I hope this little guide provides some help in orienting yourself. Welcome to winter fun!
More information:
Buzzy Trail
Yankee Boy Trail
01 January 2011
Skywatch Friday: Rocky Mountain New Year
Happy New Year to everyone!
The New Year was ushered in to southwest Montana by red morning skies forewarning a big snowstorm:
Followed by -20 deg F temperatures with blue skies so bright it makes you ache (view of Mt Fleecer south of Butte, Montana):
Of course, the skiing is wonderful--once it warms to around zero in the early afternoon!
The New Year was ushered in to southwest Montana by red morning skies forewarning a big snowstorm:
Followed by -20 deg F temperatures with blue skies so bright it makes you ache (view of Mt Fleecer south of Butte, Montana):
Of course, the skiing is wonderful--once it warms to around zero in the early afternoon!
20 December 2010
Winter Solstice; Yule Tree
As the days grow shorter and it seems as if the sun is about to leave the sky, we gather together for our annual Winter Solstice potluck celebrtion. Years past we gathered on local state or US Forest lands, but since Don & Andrea Stierle bought Frank Diebold's cabin at The Moulton, they have hosted the celebration. This year, three dozen or more foks gathered for the party. With deep snow closing the road, the gang arrived by skis, snowshoes, and some on foot.
Before feasting, I recruit daughter Emily to help pack The Yankee Boy cross country ski trail. Its steep ups & downs and twisting turns require a couple of snowshoe runs prior to grooming:
After packing, there is time for a ski (nothing like arriving back at the cabin with a big appetite!). Here is Emily followed by Andrea on the Wake Up Jim run:
After a big meal -- including a couple of Don's moose-burgers and a sampling of what everyone brought -- it's time for the big bonfire. Say goodbye to last year's regrets, affirm old friendships and make some new ones, and think about the year to come:
The next morning, Jan shoos Emily & I out of the house with a mission: bring home a Christmas tree! We drive to a favorite spot near town, park at the end of the road, and hike up a ridge dotted with Douglass Firs. What's this? Why, it's a herd of Santa's mule deer dashing across the hillside:
Instead of the usual Fir tree, Emily selects something a little different this year--a lovely, soft Rocky Mountain Juniper. She finds the wood a little tougher to saw through (meahwhile, MollyTheDog is keeping an eye on those deer):
It's a half-mile or so to drag the tree back to the truck, but all downhill on a crusty snow that (most of the time) supports our weight:
Soon we're back at the truck and ready to head for home:
Happy Yule-tide, everyone! If you'r out watching the lunar eclipse, watch out for Odin's Wild Hunt (aka the cowboy legend of Ghost Riders in the Sky ; here's a nice version of the tune on YouTube by Outlaws).
Before feasting, I recruit daughter Emily to help pack The Yankee Boy cross country ski trail. Its steep ups & downs and twisting turns require a couple of snowshoe runs prior to grooming:
The next morning, Jan shoos Emily & I out of the house with a mission: bring home a Christmas tree! We drive to a favorite spot near town, park at the end of the road, and hike up a ridge dotted with Douglass Firs. What's this? Why, it's a herd of Santa's mule deer dashing across the hillside:
Instead of the usual Fir tree, Emily selects something a little different this year--a lovely, soft Rocky Mountain Juniper. She finds the wood a little tougher to saw through (meahwhile, MollyTheDog is keeping an eye on those deer):
It's a half-mile or so to drag the tree back to the truck, but all downhill on a crusty snow that (most of the time) supports our weight:
Soon we're back at the truck and ready to head for home:
Happy Yule-tide, everyone! If you'r out watching the lunar eclipse, watch out for Odin's Wild Hunt (aka the cowboy legend of Ghost Riders in the Sky ; here's a nice version of the tune on YouTube by Outlaws).
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