hiking – Green Lake Chronicles

Travel Review: Big Sky Country

September 26, 2016September 26, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Montana is unreal, let’s just start with that. My wife and I just returned from a great trip to our good friend “Bearman’s” house in Southwestern, MT, where the Bitterroot Valley abuts two mountain ranges. It’s been a few years since I was out there and since then, Bearman has been telling me unbelievable stories of his outdoor adventures (some of which you may have previously read about). September is an awesome time of the the year to visit the mountains. The temperature is brisk in the morning, then typically warms up to a comfortable mid-70s.

What to do in September?

Fishing- Traditionally the Bitterroot river is most well known for it’s rainbows and once the water calms down after ice-out (later May/early June) the action heats up. In September, fishing can fire up with larger trout hitting trico hatches. The pressure from tourists is limited and you can have exclusivity on certain parts of the river. During our trip, I fished the west fork a few times, but enjoyed non-stop action on some of the local mountain lakes. I primarily used elk hair caddis drys, but the cutties in those mountain lakes would have probably crushed anything.

mt-lakepano — Epic Scenery and non-stop cutthroat action

Hunting- If you are from the Northeast, the time September comes around, the hunting itch becomes almost unbearable. Montana and many other western states, can be your remedy to get back into the woods early. The more popular species for the 2016 Montana archery season shown below:

Elk- September 3rd – October 16th
Whitetail- Same as elk
Black Bear- September 3rd – September 14th
Mulies- Same as elk
Antelope- September 3rd – October 7th

mt-elk2016 — Bearman’s father with his first Archery Elk harvest

Hiking- Aside from the hunting and fishing options Montana offers for the outdoor enthusiast, the Bitterroot Mountain ranges provides excellent hiking terrain for beginner to expert trailblazers. Click this link to learn more.

Next year, I hope to get back out to Montana and fill an Archery Elk tag. The Big Sky Country is beautiful and I highly recommend a trip out there. If you have any questions about the information in this article or would like to be pointed to the right direction in planning a hunt, please feel free to contact me. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

mt-sheacoors — My wife and I, enjoying a nice Coors after a long hike

Hiking/Hunting stories/National Park/National Park Service/Uncategorized

An Adventure to Remember- Lion Attack

February 3, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Mountain Landscape — Rock ledge where the Lion attacked

Our Greenlake Chronicles celebrity, Bearman, called me on Sunday with a hell of a story. We talk weekly, to catch up, swap stories and 9/10 times Bearman has something better to chat about than myself. Living in Montana at the base of a mountain is definitely more exiting than a crowded apartment in Downtown Boston! Please enjoy his first hand account of his Mountain Lion attack!

“The morning started off as a normal midwinter Sunday in search of sunshine, exercise and time away from the norm. This adventure satisfied each of those needs. Shortly after sunrise, my dog Angel and I began our trek up the mountain. Two lung and leg burning hours later we reached top of the ridge where we would drop down and loop around the south side slopes in hopes of finding shed deer antlers. As many shed hunting days go, we found nothing, but did stumble on the unexpected.

To gain a better look at the terrain below I headed towards an abrupt rock outcropping. Underneath was a thick patch of mountain mahogany and tall grass among the otherwise bare sage hillside. It was almost noon and the sun beat strong enough to start melting the skiff of snow laid down the night before. Suddenly Angel hit the brakes hair on her back stood up tall. Her hears alert and tail straightened told me something was definitely up. Cautiously approaching the edge, I drew from its holster my Ruger Superblackhawk revolver chambered in .44 Magnum. I came to the edge and saw nothing below. “Maybe there is a bear den down there” I thought to myself. “I’ll sit here for a few minutes and look around, then drop down to check things out.” I’ve always wanted to see a bear sleeping in its den. Pistol back in its holster I picked up my other piece of equipment for the day’s adventure; my new 12×50 Vortex Diamondback binoculars to survey the landscape. Meanwhile, Angel had detached from my side and wandered to the left side of the rocks twenty feet away, separated by a narrow, near vertical crevasse descending to the thicket below.

In the blink of an eye, a mountain lion bounded up through the rocky crevasse towards Angel, poised to attack! With little time to think, I drew my pistol again from it holster and cocked the hammering in one motion as I watched the lion twenty feet away as it approached my dog. Lips curled and teeth showing, I knew that it one thing on its mind. The cat, now eye level to me, crested the edge within feet of angel when I fired. It quickly wheeled around and bombed down through the crack in the rocks and I fired again. Moments later I saw the cat sprinting over the ridge below. Heart thumping I spotted movement in the mahogany below. The reason for the predator’s aggression was two or three large kittens. The young cats worked their way over the hill and were soon out of sight. Looking beyond I saw the big cat working its way through the burnt timber across the draw atop hard packed snow.

The lion appeared to move along uninjured, though I always follow a trail beyond the shadow of a doubt. Sure enough, my bullet made contact. Angel and I tracked sparse blood for nearly half a mile through snow and bare ground until blood dissipated and the encounter became un-walkable for two legged creatures. Confident that the lion was not fatally wounded, and far from my location, I sat down to refuel on food and water. Sun began to peak out from behind the clouds which dusted snow on the big mountains across the valley. Elk were feeding on grasses on the adjacent hill. In that moment I glanced at my revolver and to my hiking partner Angel bedded in the snow and panting. “Guess I won’t be leaving my gun at home any more” I thought to myself. Thankful for a memorable day I stood up, gave a whistle, and said, “Let’s roll Angel, on to the next adventure!”

Awesome story Bearman! Mountain lions are tough animals and I’m sure this one will walk away with a small scratch and a bit wiser. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

National Park/Road Trip

Soul cleanse

September 22, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

One of the best decisions I have ever made, was quitting my consulting job in Upstate New York, packing up my apartment and taking a six-week road trip across the U.S. This was my first real job since graduating college almost three years earlier and I already felt like a drone; monotonously performing the same activities over and over. Don’t get me wrong, I was very grateful for this job opportunity, but after a few years I knew it was not going to be a career. One day, my buddy and I walked into our bosses office and handed in our resignation. We had already determined that a road trip across the country was going to “cleanse our souls” and give a foundation to start anew upon our return. A week after our resignation and move, we ventured out west wide eyed and enthusiastic for the unknown.

This trip would entail 13,000 total miles, 32 states, three time zones, four oil changes and one bad ass 255,678 mile Toyota-Camry. My goal with this post is to not tell you how to plan your sabbatical or urge you to quit your job, but to share some of my experiences and advice. Our purpose was to explore and appreciate other parts of our country, seek out answers to what the hell we wanted to do with our lives and most importantly, quench our adventure thirst.

SLEEP– you will barely get any if you plan on trekking across country with your buddies. This picture was taken as a “remake” from how we ended up in the middle of Arches National Park in Utah. We arrived around 2:30AM after a long drive from Las Vegas, plagued by headaches and sleep deprivation. We ended up sleeping on the side of a road in the park, one of us in the car and the two others on the ground on sleeping bags. The giggles from tourist a few hours later, woke us up and prompt us to get hiking. That was one of the most memorable nights of the trip. My advice, grab a hotel or comfy tent site after two full days in Las Vegas. You need rest.

CAMARADERIE- My buddy and I planned this trip together for months prior to giving our boss the gas face. It was easy, because we worked at the same company and were roommates. If you plan on taking your trip alone, no sweat, this part of the article does not apply to you. Traveling with my buddy was awesome. We got to share the amazing landscapes, culture and experiences together, while individually seeking out direction. I generally did not drive, which was perfect, because I got to sleep and be annoying to the gomer who did. I worked the map, took pictures and videos, watched our spending budget and shouted back seat commands. It got tense here and there, but with every new mountain or portrait that came into view, we dropped jaws and soaked it in. Also, taking selfies with someone is way cooler than holding the phone up alone and snapping one off.

Prepare to have your mind BLOWN- I grew up in Upstate NY, so I was used to seeing green everywhere, then bright fall colors followed by awful snow and muddy springs. I never went past Ohio.The second we hit the mid-west, my mind started to melt. The vast plains, massive windmills, mountain ranges, the colors of fall in Colorado and the black volcanic sand on the coast of Oregon. It was unreal. If you are ever at a point in your life where you do not necessarily know what is next, I would advise taking a personalized road trip. You will learn things about yourself and experience new adventures, then with a clear mind, figure out your next steps! Take a look at some cool shots below:

Tag: hiking