Looking south past Swan Lake from Sixmile Peak! (Keith Hammer photos except last one)
Swan Rangers found monkeyflowers, a disease among alder, and a Sixmile Lookout Trail logged in the name of "landscape restoration" in the week ending Saturday 8/8/20!
Click here or scroll down for their photos and details!
While the Swan Ranger Saturday group outings remain suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic, we will get a report out each week with items of interest to folks trying to get outside for some "social distancing" and spirit-calming fresh air.
Keith, Pam, Chris, and Fawn hiked up the Sixmile Lookout Trail on a nice cool Saturday!
They found the first portion of the trail devoid of its usual big trees and shade, due to recent logging under the Forest Service's "Weed Lake Landscape Restoration Project," both above the trail . . .
. . . and below it! It appears the big tree trunks, which don't burn during a wildfire, are being removed as logs, while the smaller trees and logging slash that does burn easily is left behind - with the net result being called "fuels reduction" by the Forest Service and timber industry!
The views from Sixmile Peak, however, were stunning. Here looking NW at Swan Lake, Flathead Lake and the Flathead Valley.
The sky was clear enough to look clear across the Bob Marshall Wilderness in the SE view along the Swan Crest!
The hike up revealed the wonderful earth tones of Hall Peak . . .
. . . baneberries both red . . .
. . . and white, as well as . . .
. . . monkeyflower along the small streams! Don't you wish you were a bee and could crawl right in there?
Pat Jaquith sent in this wonderful photo of alder catkin hypertrophy, in which a fungi causes the catkin scales to "enlarge and twist so that they look like reddish, curled tongues!"
If you have interesting photos of your socially distant times outdoors, send them along with a description to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we'll try to work them into these weekly reports!