Beartooth Mountains - Dayhike on The Beaten Path

Lake at Falls

We were delighted when we rounded a corner to catch our first sight of Lake at Falls.
We'd climbed 2 miles from Rainbow to an elevation of 8,100 feet.

The waterfall inlet (center - click to see an enlarged image) plunges down the mountainside from Martin Lake at 9,100 feet on the ledge above.
This flower was prolific along the trail near Lake at Falls. I was not familiar with it, but it is called "Large Flowered Brickle Bush".
Onward and upward!

Beartooth Mountains - Dayhike from Rainbow Lake Base Camp

Dayhike

We got up the next day, planning to do a dayhike up "The Beaten Path" to see how far we could go before we got worn out. With only daypacks to carry, we hoped it would be possible to reach Dewey Lake, 7 miles up the trail.

The trail continued to climb - above you can see one set of switchbacks - and Rainbow Lake in the distance.

The higher we climbed, the better the view of Rainbow Lake!

One last look at Rainbow before we lost sight of it, continuing on up the mountainside.

Beartooth Mounatins - Rainbow Lake Camp

Rainbow Lake

Rainbow Lake was a welcome sight after 7 miles on a steep trail with heavy backpacks.

We had another 1/2 mile to hike around the lake before we reached the meadow at the north end of the lake, where campsites are available.

The steep banks of the lake and forest opened out into a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers.

We set up camp in a wooded area near the inlet.

Beartooth Mountains - Rimrock Lake

We were delighted to finally climb over a rise to catch our first view of Rimrock Lake.
This lake is at 7540 feet elevation, and is 6 miles in from the trailhead.

We were grateful for a cool breeze to keep the bugs away and dry our sweaty bodies. It was a very warm sunny day - and a rather steep climb.

After a snack, we climbed down to cross the outlet on a sturdy wooden bridge, then we continued around the lake on a trail that has been carefully carved out of the granite wall along the lake. You can see the trail on the right side of this picture - just below the huge gray boulder.

Moving around the lake, we discovered the inlet - a waterfall. Nearly every lake on this trail has a waterfall at the inlet.

Beartooth Mountains - East Rosebud Trailhead

Joe and I had a multi-day backpacking trip planned for late August, but I feared my injury would make it impossible. Happily, the Doctor said it would be OK for me to go as long as I wore the brace around the clock. So, after monitoring the weather forecast, we chose our dates and packed our backpacks for 4 days in the wilderness.
We had never done this hike - originating at the East Rosebud Trailhead. This is a popular trail for a 26 mile trek through the Beartooth Mountains - known as "The Beaten Path". Because of my injury, we planned to hike as far as Rainbow Lake, where we would set up a base camp, doing day hikes from there.

Starting out on the trail - a last look at East Rosebud Lake (above), near the trailhead, which is at 6208 feet elevation.
Up ahead - we got a closer view of the rugged valley we would climb into.

The trail followed close to East Rosebud Creek through the valley. The sound of rushing water echoed through the valley, bouncing off the granite walls and spires.

Uphill all the way!

Broken Arm

This is where it happened.
I was hiking down the trail with my backpack on my back - keeping a good pace, when I got distracted by the scenery or a mosquito or something. I stumbled on a big rock in the trail and before I could catch myself, I fell face forward, bumping my head on another big rock and injuring my wrist.

Despite the pain, my wrist never did get swollen and I could move all my fingers, etc. - so I delayed going to the Dr. for 4 days. Finally, I began to realize it might be fractured, so I went in for X-Rays. Yup. A non-displaced fracture on the lower end of my right radius.

I'll be wearing this brace for the next several weeks. Bummer.

Beartooths - Fishing with Airus

We took our 3 year old grandson, Airus on his first fishing outing one day last week.
His daycare was closed so we were babysitting. It was a perfect opportunity to try out his new fishing pole.
It was partly cloudy and we had a brief shower (while the sun was shining!)
There was a small family of ducks hanging around. They were very friendly.

Airus was really interested in the worms.

He was game for holding the fishing pole and winding the line in.
But he was a little afraid of the fish when they got too close or started flailing around.

Greenough Lake is a small pond, really - it is about 1/4 mile walk from the parking area, and they stock it 4 times per year, so there are plenty of fish to catch. We caught a fish on every cast.

Airus' first fish - this tiny thing - was his favorite. He loved holding and petting it. He was so interested in examining all it's parts, etc.

There were a lot of dragonflies at the lake. They won't let you get too close, but I have a new camera that zoomed in very nicely! I was probably about 5' away from this when I zoomed in. My new Nikon Coolpix S560 takes awesome pictures for a pocket camera! I chose it, in part for the 5X zoom.

Indigo - Reviving the Vat

My indigo vat has been languishing in the bucket over the past 2 months. It was completely oxidized, but I have instructions for reviving it, so I spent a day adding chemicals - waiting - adding more - waiting - and viola! It came back to life! What fun!

It changed from a dull murky puddle to this - yellow-green liquid beneath a coppery blue surface, with a nice bubbly "flower" floating on top!
I wanted to try starting with some MX dyed fabrics - I chose these yellow and pink pieces - hoping for results more in the greenish or purplish range.

One dip - a quick one - just 5 minutes.

I swear, watching the change from yellow green to dark indigo is a lot of fun.

These three were pulled out one after another . . .

A little grasshopper stopped by to investigate.

My results.

Now, I have skimmed off the flower and am going to set it aside to allow the water to evaporate out. I have printed out instructions from John Marshall's website - for using the remaining residue as a pigment paint for fabric with soy milk as a binding agent. Stay tuned!

Ikea Sofa Conversion

Believe it or not, this Ikea sofa was a natural canvas just one week ago.
Last summer, when daughter Michelle moved to Missoula for school, we found this sofa at a garage sale while looking to furnish her apartment. When she left for Hawaii last winter, I brought it home to Billings with the idea I might paint it and put it in my art gallery.

But then, the economic downturn took its toll on the gallery and it has been just sitting in my workshop for several months with noplace to call home.

This summer, my other daughter, Elizabeth, bought a house and when she was unable to find furniture she liked, I offered the sofa.

Elizabeth is a naturally talented painter, and a practicing Buddhist. She carefully selected imagery to reflect her lifestyle.

It will be going away to her house soon.