Two Medicine, Part II

As memorable as the big scenic sights are in Two Medicine -- lakes, waterfalls, mountains and the like -- the more intimate items I saw during my day there also have their own beauty and charm.

Mock Azalea were just starting to blossom.

Yellow Columbine was abundant, but not as far along in its development.

Sitka Valerian stood out starkly against a dark background.

I used Lightroom's new Denoise feature on this close-up of a Beautiful Bonnet growing from a fallen log, which I shot at ISO 3200 due to the low light.  I'm pretty pleased with the result, but would be happier if the little plop of bird poop wasn't also in the shot.

Common Beargrass served as a nice reminder to be on a constant lookout for, you know, bears.

The trail starts with an elevated wooden section, which also serves as the staging area for three Hoary Marmots who have clearly learned that the tourists dropped off by the boat are suckers.

I didn't see anyone in our group actually feed the little beggars, but that didn't stop them from trying to get us to give them goodies.

One decided he might as well just eat what nature provides.

They were even cuter in a pair, but I remained resolute in not sharing any of my trail food.

I was a little surprised at how little some of the other people seemed to care about these guys.  They're adorable!

Woods' Roses graced the lake's eastern shore, and were my final shot of the day.

The main takeaway: If you ever visit Glacier National Park, make time to check out the Two Medicine area!

Related Link:

• Two Medicine, Part I
• Avalanche Lake
• Going-to-the-Sun Road
• Hidden Lake Overlook
• Saint Mary Falls Trail

Sandstone Meadow Loop

On my Devil's Head Trail hike last week I got a tip to check out Sandstone Ranch Open Space in Larkspur.  It's relatively new, having just opened to the public in September 2020.  After a rainy weekend had me very ready to get back outside, I headed down on Monday to check it out.

The open space has two main trails.  I decided to try the Sandstone Meadow Loop first, and was rewarded with this lovely vista at the "Wildlife Overlook."  I assume wildlife may come to drink from the pond?  Whatever the case, the scenery didn't really suffer from a lack of animals.

Following the unfortunate but not unexpected demise of my trusty Nikon D5200 after about 10 years of shooting in snow, sand, rain, fog, and temperatures ranging from 10 degrees below zero to 120 degrees above, I was down to just one camera body.  That meant having to decide what lens I wanted to keep on -- my 18-105 landscape lens or my 80-400 zoom that I use for wildlife and wildflowers.  I stuck with the landscape lens for a while, but it soon became apparent that the trail's most photogenic subjects right now are ...

... WILDFLOWERS!  Crazy what a month will double the normal amount of rainfall will do for plant life, right?  So I switched to the zoom lens and took advantage of the bright overcast conditions to get shots of many different blooming wildflowers.  So the commentary going forward is basically going to be their names, courtesy of iNaturalist as usual. :)

First up: Western Spiderwort

Red-seeded Dandelion gone to seed

Wholeleaf Paintbrush

Lambert's Locoweed

Erigeron longipes, no common name given

Front Range Beardtongue

Pingue Rubberweed

Drummond's Milkvetch

Field Milkvetch

Hillside Arnica

Prairie-rocket Wildflower

Meadow Deathcamas

Mountain Goldenbean

Yellow Salsify, a favorite of mine

And last but not least, Redstem Stork's-Bill.  I'm sure I missed a few, but capturing 15 distinct species on one hike still seems pretty solid.

You know what else you get when conditions are wetter than normal?  Fungi!  These I know really nothing about whatsoever, but iNaturalist claims this one is Coprin de Romagnesi.  I actually don't think the pictures look that similar.  Hopefully another contributor will either confirm or correct.

And this may be Panaeolus antillarum, with some natural fertilizer conveniently placed alongside.

I never did switch back to my landscape lens.  I also never got any wildlife shots, which surprised me a little.  I did see a striking yellow-and-black bird that I couldn't get close enough to for a quality photo.  I expected to at least see some butterflies and bees, but maybe it's not warm enough yet.  Whatever the reasons for those absences, what I did see was truly splendid.  It took me just under two hours to cover just under four miles, which is a pretty typical pace for me when I'm shooting.  The day was still young, my legs were still fresh, and another trail beckoned!

Sandbeach Lake Trail, Part II

Click here for Part I.

My hike to Sandbeach Lake was just the right amount of exertion for my summer trip to Colorado.  For a nine-mile roundtrip hike to an alpine lake, the elevation change is fairly gentle -- only about 2,000 feet.  Couple that with overcast skies, and I felt like I could have easily gone even further.

This little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel was working even harder than I was.  Preparing for winter already in late July, perhaps?

Even tiny cascades can possess a lovely charm.  And this inflow to the lake was tiny.

I kept a closer eye out for blooming wildflowers on my return trek, and there were plenty to see.  Mountain Bluebells...

...Whipple's Penstemon...

...and Giant Red Paintbrush.

The trail itself was beautiful to behold.  The appeal of a wide, clear path through lush, green woods is immense.

Even the "rocky stretches" weren't especially troublesome.

I didn't know if this was a plant or a fungus.  Apparently it's a plant -- Woodland Pinedrops.

The clouds broke on my way back to give me a nice view of the North Saint Vrain Creek Valley.

The wildflowers weren't done yet -- first a patch of Gunnison's Mariposa Lily...

...then some Pinewoods Geranium.

Even some Ponderosa Pine cones looked like they'd been placed purposefully into a pleasing arrangement.

To see so much moisture-dependent flowers and fungi -- like these Sunshine Amanita -- and yet still get to walk on a perfectly dry trail was an unexpectedly delightful combination.  Map My Walk says I covered 9.15 miles in 5:35:21, which is a pace I can live with.

Maybe next year I'll get to Lion Lakes like I'd planned.  But for this year, Sandbeach Lake proved to be a more than adequate backup!

Sandbeach Lake Trail, Part I

I made grand plans to hike to Lion Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park this past summer -- 12 miles roundtrip, 3,000 feet of elevation gain -- take the whole day and really push myself.

Alas, this one sign changed that plan.  Fortunately, the Sandbeach Lake Trail was still an available option instead.

A nice early start and overcast skies made for excellent conditions.  I made good time, even stopping to shoot mushrooms like this American Fly Agaric.

The first mile and a half went quickly ...

... as the trail grew stepper and rockier.

I reached Campers Creek at a wonderfully opportune time, as rangers led a team of pack llamas back down the trail.

Personally, I preferred to take the log bridge.

I didn't mind stopping halfway across the bridge for a shot of the creek.

Interesting fungi dotted the trail in numerous spots, like this Butter Bolete.

The lake itself is certainly aptly named.  That's a sand beach, all right.

One little bird enjoyed the lake with me -- a Spotted Sandpiper.

One of my favorite wildflowers -- Elephant's Head -- grew on the shore.

The lake is beautiful, but what alpine lake isn't?

A short stay, a bite to eat, a few photos, and it was time for the return trip!