Chasing Rattlesnakes...

It wasn't raining this morning. It was cool, and windy... and the skies looked threatening. Which meant it probably was not going to rain, and just sort of look ominous all day. So off we went.

First stop, Greenough Park. A lovely path along Rattlesnake Creek.

We did a couple loops around the park, and over the many bridges.

Leaving Greenough, we headed north, bound for the Rattlesnake NRA. Julian has only been up there a couple times, and he mentions it every now and then.

Riding in the sun, and looking up at the dark, gloomy mountains.

In Missoula, this qualifies as a beautiful day to be out riding.

We arrived at the turnoff to the Main TH and stopped long enough to take a couple pictures at the bridge and notice the huge tailwind that had pushed us up the road. Brrrrr. 

The bridge over Rattlesnake Creek just before the main TH.

"We are at the Rattlesnake, Dad!"

Now, I thought it might be a good opportunity to get a feel for what trail conditions were like, and see if there was any possibility of sneaking in a few XC ski days this late in the season. Ummmm. No. Conditions are what you would expect after some very warm thaw/freeze cycles and rain. Icy. Rotten snow, slush, and puddles. I imagine one would have to get much more elevation in before being able to switch it up to the skis. Definitely possible in this terrain, but for such a small, and quickly dwindling return on all that invested sweat.

The main trail was a mess of sheet ice and slush.

So we found a good parking spot for the bike and set off on foot.

Julian carefully navigating the slushy forest.

He quickly found a walking stick to help him with the trail conditions, and carried it everywhere.

It felt like spring up there. It looked like spring. Just ignore all the patches of nasty off-white crud, and you could be in the rainforest. The valleys of western Montana are technically in the Pacific Northwest climate zone, and so we see lots of moss, lichens, dense green undergrowth, and other forest features that you expect to see in Oregon or Washington. This, blended with the moderate elevation and proximity to the Divide, makes for some truly enchanted forests.

Tree trunks covered in lichens.

Mossy stump jutting up out of the snow. A little island of green life amid the remains of winter.

So it was a great ride. It got cold on the way back, due to the lack of disappearance of the sun behind the usual eggshell skies, and the insistent headwind. I wrapped Julian up in my jacket as he was actually shivering. We stopped for a quesadilla lunch and headed for home. A truly magnificent day to be out on a ride, and hiking around in the woods.... for March, anyways.

RANT WARNING -- if you just wanted to see pretty pictures of our day outing, you can stop reading right here. Below contains graphic images, and me going off on some long tangential blah blah blah about a pet peeve of mine. 

Of course, now that the weather is getting warmer, and the woods are more accessible, lots of people (including us) are going there. Some people bring their four-legged friends along as well. you can see, smell, and step in the evidence that they have been there. Let's see... responsible humans bury their waste six inches deep and 100 yards from any trail or water source. Yet they let their dogs poop anywhere they please and just leave it there for my toddler's hiking boots to find? Do I grumble about the Elk poo just across the trail? No. I've got news for you, your canine is a non-native species. I'm pretty sure if I took a dump on the edge of the trail and left it there, someone might be none too pleased.

The tell-tale signs of invasive species coming to the woods in Spring.

I'm not even gonna get into the issue of leash laws, and why they exist, and how they would have prevented a near crash in Greenough Park this morning as someone's big black labrador came charging up the path at us... nope... not gonna go there.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate your dogs. They are mostly cute and lovable, and want to have fun just like everybody else. But they are your responsibility. And as more and more of us share the space which is the outdoors, we need to be respectful and courteous of one another and the land. 

End Rant.