Hello Montana

20090524

The Clearwater River was even higher this morning. A tree I had noted on the shore at the campground last evening was out in 1.5 feet of water this morning.

I took off without breakfast, and stopped for that a short time later where I could watch some vigorous rapids. Then drove slowly upstream, stopping often to look at the river and some cool suspension bridges the Forest Service provides for access to trails on the opposite bank. I used one of these to access Trail 49 along Warm Springs Creek. The springs were 1.5 miles upstream--a nice walk among old growth cedar, spruce, fir and lodgepole pine. Many signs of work by Pileated Woodpeckers, but I could not pick any up. The springs were very warm, as warm as a hot shower, but the pools were small and not very deep. A few folks were enjoying them, and ~15-20 were coming up to the springs as I walked back down the trail. As I descended I saw two larger hot flows steaming out of a rock, but could not reach them since they emptied directly down the rock face into the creek, which was also very high.

By early afternoon I was at Lolo Pass. The descent into Montana was via a much wider valley, eventually reaching Lolo. At Lolo I regained wireless phone signal which had not been available since entering Idaho. There I turned North to Missoula. Am spending the night in a commercial RV Park. Caught up with Patt on the phone, email, and uploaded blog entries.

Birds: American Robin, American Dipper, Osprey, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Wild Turkey, Common Raven, Western Meadowlark