Bitterroot

The state flower of Montana

Marmot Rock, Lonesome Ridge, Blackleaf?? Oh my!

Pine Butte 2010

Neices and Nephews.

Spring has arrived with a vengeance -- along with my Niece and Nephews! These are some pictures from my brother's children's visit this past week. Helping ol uncle Mikey clear the garden plot!

SPRING!!!

Sure it may still look and feel like winter outside, but if you pay close attention, the signs of the coming season are more and more obvious. The drip drip of melting icicles in the afternoon sun - the critters scurrying about with a renewed sense of purpose. It seems no matter how cold and dark the winter months are, the promise of spring is with us.
To me, spring is a time of renewal - a time to take stock of life and think about changes that need to be made. this winter has been especially rough for many reasons, but I'm hopeful and excited for whatever 2010 has in store. It's going to be a good year!
The other day I talked to Annie -- my Montana Boss -- about returning to Pine Butte for another season. I'll be starting work May 1st! It's an incredibly special place and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to live and work there again.
Goodbye winter!

September

I was going through my pictures today. Discarding some really bad shots, and finding some good ones I never realized I had. While doing this, I came across a batch of photos that vividly reminded me of a certain thing that happened while I was in Montana.
You see.
It was a beautiful frosty September morning -- The kind of morning that makes you feel glad to be alive -- and I had decided to take a nice long hike up Rierdon Gulch.
It's a beautiful place. The trail starts out by passing through a rather thick coniferous forest with aspens, willow, and rocky mountain maple interspersed throughout.
As you climb higher up the trail, you find yourself emerging into a vast wide open valley with steep rocky hillsides on either side. On this morning, there was a fresh dusting of snow on the ground as I made my way higher.
It was when I stopped to rest and take a drink of water that I noticed -- what appeared to be -- bear scat on the trail ahead of me. A closer look brought me to the conclusion that it was most likely grizzly scat.
In retrospect, I suppose I should have probably turned around. But it was such a beautiful day, and I had bear spray with me, so I decided to continue on for awhile

Perhaps not my brightest moment.

A short while before you reach the pass, the trail leads you into a smallish band of scraggly timber. It's as I entered this stand of trees, that I heard a loud crashing sound off to my right. I turned to see a sow grizzly barreling out of the trees at me! I also saw 2 small cubs in the trees behind her.
And the rest is a blur...
I responded to her charge by doing the worse possible thing a person can do in this situation.
I RAN
I could hear her behind me as I bolted back down the trail -- and after a short distance -- I turned and saw that she was still coming towards me huffing and just generally looking displeased. I estimate that she was no more then 15 feet away from me at the time. Before I could even think, I was pulling the bear spray off my hip and spraying a stream of pepper spray right at her. After that, She stopped coming and ran back into the trees. I then proceeded to run like a mad man back down the trail. The journey back down seemed like an eternity. I kept on looking behind me as I went -- wondering where she was-- and if she could possibly be following me. as I neared the trail head, I was beginning to think that the chances of running into that same bear again were fairly slim. I really didn't think she was in any condition to give chase after being sprayed directly in the face. Also, would she put her cubs in danger by pursuing something that she considered a threat? I didn't really think so. I was concerned; however, that she may have fled down the drainage -- in my direction -- instead of up and over the pass.

It was as these thoughts started creeping into my mind, that I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a large animal (or animals) running through the forest.
I was feeling very vulnerable to say the least. My bear spray was used up and I had no other means of defending myself. I had stupidly tossed my backpack away shortly after our first encounter so I didn't even have what little protection that could have provided me in the event of an attack.
And then I saw them.
Two mule deer running through the forest.
After that I was simply too tired to continue so I stopped and caught my breath before continuing the short distance back to my car.


I guess I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Well, a couple actually. First, I now understand why some people hate and fear these creatures. A close encounter can be very terrifying! Especially when you come across a sow with cubs. But, the way I look at it is this: I was in HER territory. I was an intruder and she perceived me to be a threat to her offspring. So she did what any good mother would do; she confronted the threat. How can you possibly blame her for that? Obviously, if this ever happens to me again -- I will handle it differently. I look forward to getting back out there next season and enjoying Gods creation with new found respect for the creatures that inhabit this beautiful area.


This fall there have been numerous "incidents' between man and bear along the rocky mountain front in Montana. In fact, a record number of these confrontations have been reported, and many have been fatal. Not for the humans involved but for the bears. I think we have a responsibility to these animals. To understand them better, so we can dispel the stigmas and rumors that make people hostile towards them.
I think we owe them that much. After all, they were here long before men with guns and bird dogs came along...
My 2 cents... Take it or leave it.
That September day will certainly go down as one of the more memorable days of my life.
Cheers,
MJB


Grizzly sow with cubs --- May 2009