Polebridge, and some recent ramblings

The locale at Polebridge

As I record my past week's worth of adventures, I sit at the airport in Kalispell, Montana awaiting my 6am flight to Seattle tomorrow. I have three days off and am looking forward to visiting family in Seattle!

Today woke up at Grace Lake, a small campground in the backcountry of Glacier in the Logging Creek drainage. Yesterday Matt and I surveyed above Logging Creek to a small unnamed lake. I hiked out 16 miles today from our campsite, seeing lots of predator sign: wolf tracks, scat, grizzly bear tracks, feces, and deep holes dug in the trail. (The griz digs up bulbs wherever they grow) Also a good amount of black bear scat and tracks along with elk, deer, and weasel.

Some photos:



Small, un-named alpine lake that I enjoyed a well-deserved dip in! Nothing better than fresh snowmelt!


Surrounded by tons of waterfalls!

Getting to Polebridge is an adventure in and of itself. I drove this long, mostly unpaved logging road that twisted and turned throughout the foothils. Most of the locals are big on "saving, not paving". Driving into the small town I passed a sign that cleverly read SLOW DOWN! PEOPLE BREATHING! The open meadow contained several small cabins, including the mercantile building (built in 1904), which is a tourist shop/post office/bakery. Outside sat a three-legged dog, guarding the smells that wafted from within.




Baked goods quickly became the precursor to my dinner- 3 cookies for a dollar. They make incredibly-awesome cookies (huckleberry, chocolate chip, sugar, coffee, snickerdoodle, etc.) as well as beer bread, cinnamon buns, and everything else one could imagine. The whole building wafted with the smell of fresh cookies. On the walls hung old photos, pictures, an elk head, wolf skins, and many other historical items.



Outside, the dusty lot slowly filled with local Montana ranchers, raft guides, and other randoms. The nearby saloon quickly turned into the happening spot- with live music, fresh pizza, and drinks for the drinking crowd.

As the sun set, the scenery lit-up with a glow from the road dust.

Sure was a beautiful night!


Now, off to Seattle!

Days off in Glacier

My past few days off have been great! I've had a chance to explore the park a little bit... relax, watch movies, and go biking on trails around the park and do a little birding. It's been nice to be out of the backcountry and socialize with some people, take care of paperwork and data recording, do laundry, go shopping, and have a great dinner at Famous Dave's barbecue with a friend from Kalispell. Here's a few more pics from recently.

View from McDonald Lake




Harlequin Duck


Hanging out in my hammock along the Belly River



Sunset after dinner in Kalispell

Background to my summer

As I left for the summer, things happened quickly and I didn’t have an encompassing idea of what exactly I would be doing with Harlequin ducks in Glacier National Park. Here are some of the details of the study we’re doing, so you have a better idea of what I am doing.

The Harlequin Duck is a designated species of concern in Glacier National Park, and in the state of Montana. Also, it is categorized as a “sensitive species” by the U.S. Forest Service. Given its life history characteristics, unique habitat requirements, and ecological niche as a river specialist, Harlequins may be adversely affected by climate change.

Glacier National Park provides key breeding habitat for harlequins, which includes turbulent streams, rich in food and vegetative cover along the banks. Within the park, little is known about the distribution and population trends of the Harlequin duck, and the factors which affect its reproductive success and survival. Previous work with harlequins has been limited to McDonald Creek, including banding 13 birds in 2004, and 148 between 1991 and 1999.

Our research for this study will provide essential data confirming the presence or absence throughout the park, as well as developing methods that can be used in the future for monitoring harlequin ducks in the park. We survey randomly-selected streams throughout the park, mainly in the backcountry. To survey a stream, we have pre-determined GPS coordinates we stop at to gather habitat data such as wet-depth and bank-depth, width, speed, and vegetative cover. We hike as close to the water as we can to ensure that no harlequins are missed. This often means heavy bushwacking through willows, alders, and other very dense brush, and walking through swampy areas. The chances of happening upon a moose or bear definitely exists!

Some photos of Glacier

I've been super busy lately, and this is the first time I have wireless. I'll upload some photos, and then fill in later about what I've been up to...  Call my cell phone- i have service!

Enjoy!

Hey y’all! It’s hard to believe that six days has elapsed since I flew into Montana! It has been a big transition from living in “civilization” to living in the backcountry of Glacier.




 
I have spent the last four days in the backcountry, surveying the Belly River for Harlequin Ducks. Since we are surveying creeks chosen from a random sample, not every creek we study is suitable habitat for harlequins, in fact- most of them aren’t. We did gather some data that remained consistent with other rivers without harlequin ducks present, which helps with our results. Even with the absence of our duck, “the belly” was full of other wildlife. Elk, moose, and whitetail deer, the moose standing nearly 30 yards upstream. My favorite wildlife encounters this trip included finding a nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes along a beaver pond on the border, and sneaking up on a ruffed grouse while it was doing a mating display (drumming). I found numerous bear tracks as well, from both black and grizzly bears, however my first bear sighting still eludes me. Don’t worry- I carry bear spray!
 


Today is the first of my four days off, in between backcountry trips. I am in Kalispell where I have the first access to internet since I left Seattle. The best way to reach me is by my cell phone. I have reception at the apartment and love to talk to people!

Day 1

Wow! Everything here in Glacier is beautiful! People say I brought the weather with me, since it’s been warm and sunny since I arrived. Today we woke up at 7:00am and departed at 8:00am for McDonald Creek, to survey for Harlequin ducks. I mentioned that I hoped to find a nest, to which Matt informed me that I was more likely to get attacked by a grizzly bear than us finding a harlequin nest. I am baffled by the odds…

We covered the lower half of the creek, hiking along the rocks and steep slopes bordering the whitewater. Along one of the rock faces overlooking some rapids, we flushed a female from some bushes and a downed tree right next to us. Sure enough, there was her nest with six eggs! You can probably imagine our excitement. Several pictures followed, and we recorded the location in our GPS and then moved on so the female would return to her nest quickly. Now I’m keeping an extra-careful watch for grizzly bears!

Surveying went well for most of the morning, until we reached this section of river that was steep cliffs and large rock slabs angling down into the fast-flowing rapids. We carefully traversed the algae covered rocks, taking small baby steps to ensure good traction. I was being very aware, but two small steps carried me onto a slick patch that couldn’t be avoided, and my weight slowly carried me closer to the raging water. I watched Matt and Nate stare at me while I slid down the rocks into the water. My fingers quickly found a crack, and I jammed my fingers into it to keep my chest and head out of the icy water. Nate quickly broke off a small stick, but they couldn’t get any closer because the rocks were too slippery. I wasn’t afraid, because I knew I was safe. I let go, and the next crack in the rocks several feet downstream was clearly my way out. The practice on Prin’s bouldering wall paid off, and I easily dragged myself out to grab Matt’s hand and get onto safe ground. I was wet, but safe.

I hiked a couple miles upstream to the truck, where I stripped down and blasted the heat, ate my lunch, and napped, until the rest of the crew got done surveying. When they finished, we drove up to the ending point of the creek survey and took a nap in the sun, in the bed of the truck. I hiked around a little bit, and took some photos of the scenery.


I also spotted a pair of Harlequins along the stream. The males are just about to leave and migrate back to the ocean while the females nest and raise the young. This pair napped on the rocks for a while.



These males were right along the stream bank, and I army-crawled right up to them, and spent about ten minutes watching them bathe, sleep, and play in the water. They didn’t seem to mind me being so close.

Summer!

Wow... my freshman year of college- DONE! With my exams finished, I spent most of today relaxing and packing. Tomorrow I'll head home and spend some time with the family until I fly to Alaska to visit University of Alaska Southeast. Then I'll fly back to Seattle and "base camp", packing my things for a summer in Glacier National Park. Should be gorgeous! Hello summer!