Week 3

 

The Quest for snow

Lolo Peak. 

Good afternoon friends and stalkers alike.  Today is Monday, June 25th, 2012.  I spent the last week in the town of White Sulphur Springs.   It was actually a pleasant little community that had a hotel with a hot tub this time. Oh, and wifi.  Its funny to me that these towns are considered "Tree City USA"  when they only have 10 street trees.  I guess they had plenty of newer plantings in their parks and such.  But trees on the street are always  tough to convince people they need them. The usual response to that is  " I like trees, Just in the neighbors yard..."  There is my rant about the latest cow town venture.  He is some of the more interesting photos I took while in W.S.S.:

Here is a couple views from W.S.S. that I felt like sharing. The landscape still grabs my attention even after 4 weeks of being here. I'm starting to really like what montana has to offer. To there is no "happy medium" of the YOOP, Wisconsin, and Montana.  And if there were, FIBS would probably ruin it anyway... haha

 The  picture at left is my very first hot spring I have been to. They are pretty interesting and smelly.  The sulphur stinks and also corrodes the metal around there Black instead of the usual rust color.  Kinda crazy looking. I didn't get and pictures of the pools. But they are like normal pools that stick. One is 103 degrees and the "hot" pool was around 107. Damn hot.  Let me tell you, I felt the heal effects of the spa.... haha.

The Cemetery in W.S.S. was absoutley beautiful from a forestry stand point.  over 200 evergreen trees and some were just huge.  It may be creepy to some to be counting trees in a cemetery but in reality there are just beautiful parks with dead bodies occupying the earth.  Here you can see for yourself.  Funny. I came across a head stone that had STOYANOFF on it. Never even seen a name that came as close to mine before. Sheep raunchers also...

So here is one of the idea so a cabin if i ever build one.  Simple but yet has some character.  It also turned out to be a pretty nice snapshot... If I may say so myself. 

Here is a beautiful victorian house that really was out of place in this cow town.  For sale if any of you wanna move to small town montana.

This is Giant Douglas-fir.  Beautiful for a cemetery.

Now on to my miss-adventures around missoula.  This week I tried to reach the summit at Lolo Peak which is just out of missoula about 15 miles.  I was pretty eager to get close to my goal of reaching 10000 Ft in elevation.  The peak at lolo is around 9000 feet.  The trail to the top is over 4 miles one way due to the amount of switchbacks (zig-zag trails to the top). Since my roommate all had plans for the weekend I decieded to take Luka, my roommate dog and my valuble hiking companion.  The trail started with billy goating my dodge up 8 miles to the trail head.  The road was like driving to my cabin, except it was steeper then hell on both sides. Probably just enough room to get two vehicles by.   the elevation of the trail head was about 5700 feet above sea level.  The hiking trail was narrow with a few down logs. Quite a bit of horse poop too. It's funny people ride beasts to the top of these peaks, but i guess make the beasts do all the labor.  I came across a couple different forest types on my way.   The first three pictures from this hike are of some thick balsams around 6000 ft.  The canopy was thick enough to blick most of the sun and also GPS signal. 

At about 7000 feet the forest composition started to change and started seeing more pines and an ocasional patch of snow.  Luka was estatic to see some snow, I bet it was satisfying to cool down with all that hair she has.  She was rolling and running around like it was Xmas again.  I was also like a kid in a candy store. To bad I would never beable to get the FOFO us there to ride... Bummer.  but the snow kept on getting deeper and wider. But since i came this far I wanted to get to the summit.  Little did I know that just below 8000 ft was a glacier. haha. 

So eventually the trail was completely covered with snow, so i tried to just climb up the snow, hoping I could see where the trail continued. But to no prevail. I didn't really mind because the scenery was amazing and i was sitting on a stash of snow that I hope will be there untill i can go back and make the summit.  Hopefully the pictures I'm about to show do the steepness and the beauty of this peak its justice. 

Soo steep you could ski with your shoes on it. Gotta go back soon

Here is what I'm dealing with... Try and find your way through that...

Here's my heavily modified jansport that has been with since 06'. Complete with Binocs and a 9mm.  haha. Dakine, Eat your heart out. Add couple wraps of paracord and she is ready to take on everest even if I can't make it past 8000ft.

<--------Me!!!!

My personal highest elevation To date.

I'd like to go through and post some pictures this week of any that I feel should be shared. I know I'm missing a bit and would also like to spot light my roommates... I'm sure they will be thrilled.

Until then, God speed!!!

Today is Tuesday June 19th.  I got wrapped up in this drinking game on Sunday and really didn't have the brain capacity to write a blog. So for you faithful 8 who checked my blog Sunday, I apologize. The game was called cardinal, or something along those lines. It would be impossible for me to teach it over a blog. But I can say, "You bet your sweet ass I'm a Cardinal" and I will defiantly be bringing it back to Wisconsin so we can pound beers over it. 

This picture about is a pretty tasty beer brewed in Missoula at the Kent house.  It is called Coldsmoke.  It is a scotch ale.  It is a dark beer that is sweet. Goes down good and is 6.5%!!  I recommend it and I guess others do to. Every one around has suggested it to me and also tells me it had won all these awards.  But it is no mildew. 

So the past week for Work I went to the small community of Stanford, Montana.  A place I will remember for the rest of my life as a town of tree butchers and "it isn't as bad as Stanford" when comparing town populations.  They was around 400 people in city itself and 297 public trees. I would guess 50% were topped and by my guess to make them more bushy.  For you laymen out there, just because you have a chainsaw, doesn't mean your an arborist. Needless to say, The town wasn't worth staying for an extended periord of time. Josh Hogan (new partner in tree inventory) and I wrapped up the inventory ASAP and left after being there for 36 hours. Though I rag on Stanford, the way the flat landscape of the cattle country met with the mountains had a charm that made time almost stand still.  I guess motel rooms without wifi can do that to a modern man. haha

The trip to Stanford was about 3.5 hours from Missoula.  We drove right through the heart of the Helena National Forest and a couple mountain passes.  The landscape still awes me when I see new snow covered peaks. But I also wonder how much longer the snow will last. I Gotta get to some before it melts completely.

"WATCH OUT FOR BROKEN HANDLE"

I'd like to mention my friend Kyle. Not in a Good way. And I hope he reads this so don't tell him I mentioned him.  Any way, Kyle wrecked my cooler one of the nights at the cabin party.  I tried to duct tape it, but to no prevail.  The duct tape didn't hold.  The lid falls off, The handles busted, and it has a split.  I think it holds a bag of ice for only 24 hours. I hope the new one is in the mail.... (notice the new Paracord handle)

Today is Jun 9th, I guess it a Saturday.  I had Friday of this week off due to getting the inventory of the small town of Whitehall, Montana finished in four days and three lonely nights at the Super 8.  Total trees counted were 396.  I must say the "Urban Forests" in these parts really lack the diversity that I am used to in the Midwest. I mean Green Bay would never plant a Quaking aspen as a street tree (even though I would take one over a Little Leaf Linden).   My contact in Whitehall was a gentleman named Ron.  He was a forester for the forest service in Yellowstone, but now he is retired and volunteering his time to help with planting a array of trees in his town.  I had shared with him that I would really like to work for the U.S. Forest Service for at least a summer of sighting fire.  He offered to give me a reference and a letter of recommendation from him if I ever needed it.  He said that I have the right mindset to get far in forestry.  It's great to be appreciated for just doing what is normal to me.  I gotta thank my father for the work ethic and the desire to always make more money. haha.  I have some picture to share of the landscape and the town itself.   To bad none of you will ever get the chance to see me driving the 93 Oldsmobile Cutlass, so I posted a picture to prove to you I'm riding in style,  Also I noticed two trees in Whitehall that had pipes inserted in to them, kind of weird and I have no explanation except that extreme boredom cause people to do rash things to trees. 

It's kinda crazy, I have been trying to get rid of useless drunk pictures on my computer and my memory card of my camera, but I come across some that just mean to much to me.  I can picture exactly where I was and how the night went down(well most of the nights anyhow).  But there is some I'd like to share with you guys and hopefully you may remember/get a rise out of them.  Never thought of myself at pudgy, but from high school I have filled out more. Obvious in the following pictures.  

Here's some DEERS that wouldn't leave the neighbors yard across the street. These deer wouldn't last to long in Wisco. Bow and arrow is quiet at night...

This next part is for Dad. I have been taking some picture of interesting cars I see here in Montana. It seem that the winters or weather in general are not that rough on the vehicles in these parts. I am noticing lots of early model trucks and other cars you just don't see to often.  Here is my list so far :  Feel free to name the model if you know it!!

So I made it to Missoula and it pretty awesome. I Have 3 Roommates.  Jamie, Kristen, And J.R.  All pretty cool. Jamie is from lacrosse.  Kinda weird meeting all these people who move here from the mid-west and never go home. Actually worries me some.  I don't know if I could ever leave the northwoods, but the mountains have there own allure that is mystifying.   First day of work was a normal first day. Lots of book work and policies. My boss is Jamie Kirby and she is the Urban and Community forester for the state of Montana. She has been Awesome. I get my own "office" and the best part is free coffee and they even supply a cabinet full of mugs. Less for me to do.  

On Friday, I went for a bike ride/walk with the two girl roommates Kristen and J.R. ( also J.R.'s dog luca) We went through the campus in missoula and I must say it was impressive. I'll get pictures up soon. But the trees were beautiful and same goes for the all the buildings. The pictures are of where I'm working and also my little venture up a hill on the University of Montana Campus. The Hill is comparable to climbing 13 sledding hill in Wisconsin. Thought it was kinda funny. Bunch of hippies every where, hence the sign.  But it is cool to have people who care about the environment around them as much as I do.  

  

Missoula is in a valley with an elevation of 3000 or so feet above sea level.  But every where you look it is surrounded by mountains. Sometimes the camera doesn't even do it justice. But I'll try. I mean on my way here there is snow at about 6000 feet in the passes. Don't get me started on all the snowmobilers I passed on the way here. So I think this is a little better than my first post. When I get the ambition Ill talk about my house and the trip out. Hope all is well in wisconsin.

Josh