Families and friends at the first fork in the road! (Keith Hammer photos)

Fifteen Swan Rangers broke into several groups, skiing and snowshoeing various loops and returns in Krause Basin on Saturday, December 28, 2013!

With family home for the holiday, it was a cheerful romp through the hemlock forests. Though there was sign of moose, there was sadly no sign of woodland caribou that favor wet hemlock forests but are thought now absent from the Swan Range.

Click here for an excellent article on woodland caribou and a look at their saucer-sized feet that keeps them atop the snow pack.

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.

Hanging lichens are important food for ungulates, but woodland caribou with their large feet can outreach moose, elk and deer to get them!

Clear cut logging greatly reduces the amount of lichen available to wildlife.

A snowshoer crosses over a frozen South Krause Creek.

A typically droopy western hemlock tree!

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!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!