A bright spot near the end of the last pitch! (Keith Hammer photos)
Ten Swan Rangers hiked Mt. Aeneas on Saturday, June 22, in hopes that clouds would part and sun would shine!
They had faith and were not disappointed!
Click here to watch a 45-second video of clouds parting around Mt. Aeneas!
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A Ranger returns from Crater Notch with views of the Swan River and Flathead Lake! (Keith Hammer photos)
Twelve Swan Rangers hiked the Crater Notch Trail on Saturday, June 15, under beautiful sunny skies!
The trail is free of snow until the Notch itself and there are bear grass blooms galore along the way!
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Strawberry Lake is ice free and ready for swimming! (Keith Hammer photos)
Twelve Swan Rangers hiked to Strawberry Lake Saturday, June 8, under sunny skies following late night thunder showers!
Temperatures were perfect for hiking while the morning sun and lingering water droplets made for a photographer's delight!
The trail is free of snow and the lake is ice-free, though some snowfields linger around the lake.
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A great view of the Swan Valley, Swan Lake and a flooded Swan River Wildlife Refuge! (Keith Hammer photos)
Fourteen Swan Rangers hiked the Sixmile Trail to Alpine Trail #7, where they encountered deep snow pack on Saturday, June 1!
The trail to that point is mostly free of snow, lined with blooming trilium and other flowers, and punctuated by a few babbling brooks!
The Rangers left the remaining 1.5 miles to Sixmile Peak for another day when more snow has melted!
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Lunch on the boulder pile that gives birth to Elk Springs! (Keith Hammer photos)
Fourteen Swan Rangers hiked to Elk Springs on Saturday, May 25, seeing tracks of grizzly bear in this week's fresh snow!
It was a sunny but cool day in the higher elevation breezes.
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Clouds above, clouds below, a bit of rain, but at least it ain't snow! (Keith Hammer photos)
Nine Swan Rangers hiked the Peters Ridge Road on a rather drippy day Saturday, May 18!
Krause Basin and the upper reaches of Peters Ridge Road are closed to motor vehicles until July 1 to protect calving elk, grizzly bears and other wildlife.
The rangers saw tracks and scat of elk, grizzly bear and wolf - and lots of wildflowers!
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Returning to a bare Peterson Creek Trail! (Keith Hammer photos)
Ten Swan Rangers hiked the Peterson Creek Trail on Saturday, May 11, encountering snow and turning around at the junction with the Sidehill/Broken Leg Divide Trail!
It was a warm, blue sky day with wildflowers galore!
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Swan Rangers eat lunch and turn around within view of a still distant Crater Notch. (Bob Muth photos and info)
Twelve Swan Rangers hiked the Crater Notch Trail Saturday, May 4, getting to within view of Crater Notch before turning around in deep snow pack!
It's a contrast of seasons, with wildflowers blooming at lower elevations and winter snow pack just beginning to melt higher up.
The Rangers saw trilliums, glacier lilies and tracks of grizzly bear, mountain lion and grouse!
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The "better weather" survivors turn it around near Alpine Trail #7's Malfunction Junction. (Keith Hammer photos)
Fourteen Swan Rangers went after the Switchback Trail again on Saturday, April 27, hoping to hike higher up Mt. Aeneas on a better weather day!
Folks turned around in small groups at various points as hiking slowly evolved into post-holing!
A blue sky morning slowly turned gray and windy, but griz tracks and nice views made the day!
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Rangers turn a switchback as they climb into the clouds! (Keith Hammer photos)
Ten Swan Rangers hiked the Switchback Trail Saturday, April 20, until they ran out of switchbacks and promptly found graupel instead!
They got a brief glimpse of the valley below, between the tree line and the cloud line, as occassional springtime squals moved through!
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