Welcome back to NancyLand!
Every day I look out my kitchen window and see the northeast face of Fleecer Mountain, in the Pioneer Mountain Range. From my window, it looks to be a perfectly smooth, pointed, circular peak:
However, there are two peaks at the top. You can see this when you approach Fleecer from the south or southeast. A herd of elk calls Fleecer home, so Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (FWP) tries to manage the area. They actually call it a wildlife management area and try to protect the elk herd by keeping the area closed until the 15th of May every year. Until this time of year, the elk stay at lower elevations (too much snow up high) in order to find food. This is their “winter range” and it’s a much smaller area than where they roam in the summer. Spring is calving season for the elk, so it is critical they are not disturbed or displaced out of their winter range during this time. The elk in the photo below, courtesy of FWP, is "in velvet" with his furry antlers. What a neat thing to see.
On May 22, 2011, I skied Fleecer with Carmen, Pat and Linda (and Linda's dog Zorra). This my second time skiing Fleecer after the May 15th opening. My first time was two years ago. I've skied, hiked and mountain biked on Fleecer. I'd like to camp up there some time. What a great (extended) backyard I have!
This first link will take you to a video of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
http://vimeo.com/25009688
This second link will take you to a photo montage of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
Until next time,
N
However, there are two peaks at the top. You can see this when you approach Fleecer from the south or southeast. A herd of elk calls Fleecer home, so Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (FWP) tries to manage the area. They actually call it a wildlife management area and try to protect the elk herd by keeping the area closed until the 15th of May every year. Until this time of year, the elk stay at lower elevations (too much snow up high) in order to find food. This is their “winter range” and it’s a much smaller area than where they roam in the summer. Spring is calving season for the elk, so it is critical they are not disturbed or displaced out of their winter range during this time. The elk in the photo below, courtesy of FWP, is "in velvet" with his furry antlers. What a neat thing to see.
On May 22, 2011, I skied Fleecer with Carmen, Pat and Linda (and Linda's dog Zorra). This my second time skiing Fleecer after the May 15th opening. My first time was two years ago. I've skied, hiked and mountain biked on Fleecer. I'd like to camp up there some time. What a great (extended) backyard I have!
This first link will take you to a video of this year's adventure on Fleecer:
http://vimeo.com/25009688
Until next time,
N
No comments:
Post a Comment