North Fork of Krause Creek. (Keith Hammer photos)
Eleven Swan Rangers skied the North Fork - of Krause Basin - on a beautiful Saturday, February 22, 2014!
The snow was fresh, light and deep; something that will soon become rare as winter wanes!
To find out how the North Fork Flathead is connected to the Swan Range, read on!
An old network of roads in Krause Basin, snowed-in during winter and great for skiing and snowshoeing, are shown on the Swan Lake District Map.
Nearly six inches of fresh snow right out of the car!
This SNO-N-TEL site indicates snow depth of about 5' up the North Fork Krause Creek!
Turning around at the North Krause Creek crossing.
Threatened lynx need lots of "horizontal cover" (limbs near ground and snow level) because that is what their primary prey, snowshoe hare feed on - as in this photo.
Indeed, Forest Service and other researchers have determined protecting lynx movement corridors from Canada down the Whitefish and Swan Ranges is key to conserving lynx in the Northern Rockies.*
The Swan Rangers meet every Saturday at the Echo Lake Cafe for breakfast at 8:30, leaving at 9:30 for a partial day outing in the northern Swan Mountains and foothills.
They carpool from the Swan River School parking lot next to the Cafe.
Everyone is welcome!