Smoked Out of Glacier – Again!

~Doug Stevens

I have three main Summer/Fall passions when it comes to the outdoors:  backpacking, landscape photography and fly fishing.  Montana offers great opportunities for all three of these, and much more.  However, lately I’ve been leaning more to backpacking/photography.  In hindsight, maybe I should have stuck to fishing.

For several years, I have been trying to photograph a certain trail in the northwest section of Glacier National Park.  This trail runs from Goat Haunt, at the south end of Waterton Lake to Kintla Lake in the northwest corner of the Park. In between, it passes through some of the most dramatic breathtaking scenery the Park has to offer.  At one point on the trail, you can see Bowman Lake way below at about 4,000 ft above sea level, up to Rainbow Peak, a sneeze below 9900 feet.

Taking the boat into Goat Haunt from Waterton is a great way to enter the Park.  It’s a 45 minute “voyage” and the scenery just builds as you approach the end of Waterton Lake.  There are the Cathedral Peaks on the right and Mt Cleveland straight ahead. At 10,466, its the tallest mountain in the Park.  In 2017, I finally had sites for the end of August.  I was stoked! 

This was to have been a fantastic 4-day hike – up Olson Creek below the Cathedral Peaks, past Francis Lake, over Brown’s Pass, through Hole-in-the Wall, over Boulder Pass and down to Kintla Lake.  However, 2017 was a pretty bad fire year, with fires all over Montana, including several in the Park.  That morning Waterton was clear and sunny.  Unfortunately, as the boat approached Goat Haunt, you could see smoke from the Sprague Fire below Sperry Chalet was infiltrating the south end of the lake.  Additinally, a series of lightning storms and wind rolled through along the way that started new fires, like the 100,000 acre Kenow Fire – a fire that nearly torched the town of Waterton, as well as whipped up the Sprague Fire that claimed Sperry Chalet.  Despite all that, it was a great hike, but the smoke definitely impacted the quality of the photos.  This route is so beautiful, that I was determined to try again in 2018.

Luckily, I was able to secure a return itinerary.  This time, a couple weeks earlier to try and avoid late August fires.  Like 2017, 2018 has been another bad season for fires.  From early August on, western Montana was wrapped in smoke again.  Much of it was blowing in from the large fires in California and BC (again!).  The smoke was looking so bad that I almost canceled my trip, but there was a glimmer of hope.  A front was to come through the day before my start.  This had the potential to push the smoke south out of the way and I could maybe get those clear shots this time.  ‘At least the Park wasn’t on fire this year’, I thought, so I headed out for Waterton, again.

As I came around Lake McDonald, there was a new, small fire on the west side of the lake.  This had started the day before from a lightning strike.  I didn’t think much of it. The fire was burning in an area that had burned in the 2003 Roberts Fire – how bad could it get?

When I arrived in Waterton, the air was filled with smoke.  The front came through that night as predicted and the next morning (8/13) was noticeably clearer – but not really “clear”.  I decided to go ahead and take the first boat out, at least it would be a great hike, like last year.  How can you get tired of that kind of scenery?  As the day wore on, though, the air quality started to degrade.  The smoke seemed to be sucking back in.

My first night was at Francis Lake again - usually a very beautiful, serene spot.  At the west end of the lake there is a long, delicate waterfall that cascades down from a glacier high above.  To the east, down the valley are Porcupine Ridge and the Cathedral Peaks that culminate in the towering Mt. Cleveland behind.  Unlike last year, when I could at least see them through the smoke, there was nothing there this time. I later learned that the small fire on the west side of Lake McDonald, (Howe Ridge Fire), exploded when that front blew through.  It roared up to over 10,000 acres almost overnight.

That night was pretty rough.  My eyes were burning, my throat was getting sore and my nose started really running.  I got up right at sunrise and went back down to the lake.  With the sun backlighting the scene, I could now make out the silhouettes of the ridgelines.  The thick smoke and was far worse than last year, and yet the whole scene was rather surreal.  Exercising heavily, breathing in this much smoke would probably not be a smart health move.  So, I packed up and hustled to make the first boat back to Waterton. ‘Smoked out – again!’, I thought as I enjoyed the cruise back.  ‘OK, I’ll try again in the Fall’.

As Fall rolled around, and with the Howe Ridge Fire now somewhat under control, I looked optimistically at the status of the backcountry campsites along the way.  All the campsites in and around Goat Haunt were closed.  ‘What? Why?’  Another fire! – the Boundary Creek Fire, started by lightening on August 23^rd.  So much for the third time being the charm!

Will I try again in 2019?  I don’t think so.  I don’t think it has anything to do with me, but it seems bad fire things happen when I try to hike this section of the Park.  Like I said at the beginning, maybe I should go back to fishing in August – it might be best for me and the Park!

Small Towns, Big Screens: Filmmaking in Montana

~Allison Whitmer, Montana Film Commissioner

Montana is proof you don’t have to live in a big city to attract film and television production to your community. In fact, sometimes the smallest and most remote locations may be exactly what a filmmaker is looking for. Here’s a look at some of the rural places featured in recent projects and old favorites. Some you might have spotted on the big screen. Others you might have missed.

Libby

Near Libby, the impressive Kootenai River enters a canyon and flows over Kootenai Falls, one of the largest free-flowing waterfalls in the northwest. Kootenai Falls was the setting for "River Wild" and tossed Leonardo DiCaprio over the edge in a gripping scene from “The Revenant.”

Darby

Nestled in the Bitterroot Valley, Darby provides the main ranch location for the new television series “Yellowstone.” The historic Chief Joseph Lodge and ranch was constructed in 1914. Using Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn as a guide, the architects built this log structure over a three-year period. Since then, it has been featured in various media and is now on television every week.

Havre/Chinook

“Winter in the Blood,” a searing adaptation of the novel by James Welch, features characters searching for redemption on the streets of Havre and Chinook, wandering the hayfields of the plains, and finding answers beneath the quaking aspens of the Bear Paw Mountains. Andy’s Supper Club in Havre not only set the stage for the film’s drama but also became a favorite location of the cast and crew.

Lewistown

The next time you get held up by rustlers on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, imagine being there in 1995 when custom railcars, props, and explosions ruled the rails between Denton and Lewistown for the filming of “Broken Arrow.” Celebrity sightings of John Travolta and Christian Slater were common downtown during the six weeks of filming that included stunts, gun battles, helicopters, and more!

Glasgow

From T-shirts to signs downtown, Glasgow proudly proclaims itself the “middle of nowhere.” For a filmmaker looking for just that, it’s no wonder Clint Eastwood came to the snow-covered prairies and hangers north of town on the decommissioned Glasgow Air Force Base for “Firefox.” Look closely at the scenes of a plane on a deserted polar ice cap, for some of them are right here in Montana. We move down the road to Fort Peck Dam in “Northfork,” with the massive towers of the dam and spillway looming over James Woods as he contemplates mortality.

Miles City

Television came calling to Miles City this spring when RFD-TV came to town with its docuseries “Special Cowboy Moments” on rodeo legends, western history, historic ranches, and the ranchers that made them. Capturing the heart of the steadfast western spirit, the producers dug deep into the history of Fort Keogh, the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale, and the Range Riders Museum. As they put it, Miles City features “more western history per capita than anywhere else in the world!”

Sidney

When new technology spurred the communities of Sidney, Fairview, and Williston into a massive oil boom in the Bakken, the world took notice of the pump jacks, trailers, and mancamps sprouting up in grain fields and pastures and dotting the side roads. The influx of oil workers put people and machines into some of the most intense work environments in the country. The Smithsonian Channel sent a crew of journalists and filmmakers, and unknown to them at the time, documented the last throes of the boom before the price crash in 2012. “Boomtowners” showed this firsthand through the eyes of newcomers and longtime residents making a living in a modern-day oil rush.

Our office receives phone calls and emails every day about Montana’s incredible locations. If you’re well connected in your community and would like to see more film activity near you, consider signing up to be a community film ambassador—local liaisons for the Montana Film Office. Call 406.841.2887 or email [email protected] for more information.

There are some places you need to see to believe. Montana is one of those places. From breathtaking mountain vistas to the sweeping plains with charming small towns in between, there are incredible experiences located around every corner. Combine all of the endless adventure and pristine views with our winter season, and you have a snow-covered paradise.
 
With an average of more than 300 inches of yearly fresh powder, you’ll find some of the best snow in North America here and plenty of ways to enjoy it. Montana boasts 14 downhill ski areaswith over 15,000 acres of skiable terrain, endless miles of pristine backcountry powder waiting to be explored, and thousands of miles of both groomed and ungroomed snowmobiling trails.
 
Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park are open year-round to offer epic winter opportunities from snowshoeing to cross-country skiing. Our small towns offer lively music and nightlife scenes; not to mention delicious food and cozy lodging to round out your perfect winter stay.
 
So, whether it means relaxing in hot springs or curling up by a fireplace in a mountain lodge after a day on the slopes, taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride or snowshoeing in Glacier National Park, your perfect winter escape to Montana awaits.  
 
 

The Glory of Aspens

~Sean Jansen

If one were to truly think about it, trees as a whole are the single most important organisms on this planet. They provide wood for fires to keep warm and to create heat for cooking. Offer timber for shelter out of the elements. Some offer fruits and nuts for edible options. And most importantly, they provide oxygen for us to breath whilst also consuming CO2 during photosynthesis, being the active catalyst on our front line battle against climate change.

With trees inhabiting six of the seven continents, they all vary in color, size, shape, and season. For us in Montana, we have numerous amounts of tree species in all altitudes the state offers. However out of them all, the Aspen shows its seasonal colors better on the fashion runway then the rest.

Aspens, or Populus Tremuloides, also known as quaking aspen, are the most wide spread tree in North America. They can be seen in 39 of our 50 states and north through Canada and into Alaska. Even a few areas in Mexico. Ranging in size with regards to girth of trunk and height, the smallest can have trunk widths of less than an inch, while rare, can also be seen with nearly a two-foot diameter and reach heights upwards of 80 feet. Living up to 150 years with some old timers going into 200 years.

Their bark is unique in that it has a white color that can indeed show hues of grey and green that produces a powdery substance that shows the trees health but also can be used for a variety of medicinal purposes as well as protection from the sun when placed on the skin. However what makes the aspen infamous, are its leaves. In the summer months, the small bright green leaves make the landscape vibrant with green amongst the border of the coniferous forests they dwell. But its fall colors of bright orange, yellow, and occasionally red are what can literally be seen from space and remind us all of the seasonal change.

They are called the quaking aspen because if one were to go on a hike in an aspen grove with a slight breeze, you can hear the leaves almost whispering to one another. I personally love hiking, running, and fly fishing along aspens because it almost seems like the leaves are clapping at your presence, encouraging you to keep going.

Beyond its gorgeous visual stimulation, the trees provide shelter, food, and repair to a multitude of animal species and damaged landscapes. They are quick to recolonize areas after a burn, as they need nothing more than water and lots of sunshine. Black bear, moose, elk, deer and an array of rodents and birds all need aspen for food and shelter.

On a curious note, aspens are quite useful for humans as well. Their wood is considered a soft wood however can be quite strong and we use it for particleboard, tooth picks, chopsticks, and line our saunas with them, as they will never splinter as you sit and enjoy a good sweat. Montana certainly isn’t the headquarters of the quaking aspen, but our landscapes, altitude, environment, and climate all make for a great field office that I as well as many others love to see this time of year.

Websites used for information:

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/aspen/grow.shtml

https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/tree-profile-aspen-so-much-more-than-a-tree