As mentioned in our previous post, we enjoyed the fishing around Libby. Below is a shot of Steve and Gari fishing along the Kootenai River just north of town. This is a very interesting river. The COE folks at the Libby Dam manage the flow through Libby and below and that determines the conditions for farming, fishing and other recreation. They also want this river to produce trophy trout and therefore limit the open season, and when it is open the limit is two fish that must be 29" or longer! As a result there are an abundance of fish in this river. Yeehaa!
A few pictures below from a paddle and fishing expedition on Bull Lake near Libby, Montana. Kayaks ready to put out. A calm morning on Bull Lake but some smoke hangs in the air...
Steve is out on the water ready to wet a line.
Steve closes in on the western shore.
Steve has a strike!
Impressive... but not in the good way.
Looking off Gari's bow on this still morning.
Gari spots a Doe and her fawn by the waters edge.
The fawn is very curious.
Steve unhooks another whopper.
Gari got out of her kayak to scout the bushes and immediately sees... bear scat!
Bull Lake looking south.
Gari has a fighter!
Gari glides along silently...
The Ross Creek Cedars were nearby Bull Lake so we slipped by that old growth of giants for a short hike that same day. Gari holds her Garmin GPS up to lock the satellites so we can get this hike underway!
We found trail 142 and walked for a few miles down that before turning around.
Gari leads the way into what looked like a prehistoric forest.
Come with me, walk with me into this hushed place.
A cooling air greets us, a dimming light softening through silent shades of ancient green.
Gari stands at the roots of a long since fallen giant.
Gari in front of another giant down.
A root tangle.
More perspective on that tangle.
Steve stands between giant twins.
Small Steve, Big Cedar.
Trail 142, Steve moves out.
Gari among more giant friends.
Stand still! Hush!
You will hear that quiet thrumming, which is the heart of the Earth,
tapping deep into some richer well of the soul's eternal seeking.
Hold onto that peace; it calls to you from a deeper place.
Drink in the stillness of this hallowed grove, and be content.
The leaves of the undergrowth are also giant. Steve's thumb to pinky is 10" across.
Those leaves have small red berries.
More berries among the ferns.
Steve leans on a giant friend.
Gari climbs between two giant friends.
Gari crosses the dry wash.
Shelf fungus.
Gari finds a seat on an Indian trail marker tree.
Perfectly whorled fern surrounded by the big leaves.
Gari stands in a fire scar on this Cedar.
Steve found a stick up with Pileated Woodpecker holes.
Next post - fishing the Kootenai River and Lake Kooncanusa...
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