Wow, the North Fork of the Flathead!

Of the three opportunities for adventure I listed in the previous post, fate dealt me "wilderness stream."  I had never floated the North Fork of the Flathead River which forms the western boundary for Glacier National Park and I'm so glad that I did.

Here are some good pictures to waste some time at work wishing you were in Montana, or at least not at work...

Stunning views of Glacier National Park

Green and blue hued crystal clear water

Sunny days on the North Fork

The Northern Lights Saloon in Polebridge, MT

Lots of bears

Flathead Lake sunset

The fishing up there is really fun for small cutthroat.  It is a great place to take a beginner who needs some confidence building and practice with actually catching fish all day.  There are a bunch of bull trout in there but it is illegal to fish for them.  Look down in those deep holes though because you'll see them.  Look for the leading white edge on their fins to tell them apart from the big native suckers. 

Go explore, I'll be in some mine waste this week.  Mmmmmmm. 

Xerophyllum tenax

Xerophyllum tenax - beargrass

I've been seeing lots of bear poop up in the mountains.  Most of it has been full of some kind of plant material and huge amounts of ants.  Also saw lots of rocks turned over.

You know how to tell the difference between black bear shit and grizzly bear shit?
Black bear shit is full of seeds and berries; grizzly bear shit is full of bells and whistles and smells like pepper.
-Dumb old Northwest joke