For many years a group of 4 guys have been meeting in the Gallatin valley for elk camp. We’ve been joined at times by other friends who wanted to have the experience, but the core 4 were always there. A great group that meshed well and enjoyed each other’s company. Elk camp is always a lot of work, so when you have a group of guys that each pitch in and contribute it makes life easy. Someone always helping with horse chores, cooking, cleaning, building fires, keeping tired hunters motivated with evening stories of elk spotted and the many memories of past hunts.

Last year and this year I was very fortunate to have my two sons get to join us at elk camp. What a joy it is to share the knowledge of country and terrain that has taken many years to learn. Unfortunately two of our regulars were unable to attend this year. There was a noticeable void, but the boys were great at picking up the slack. We hunted hard and located elk every day, but we failed to find a shooter bull in the 8 day window we had this year. Still the experience of elk camp was a thrill. When we reported our lack of success to our missing partners in hopes of softening their sorrows of absence. Their response was heartfelt. They were missing roaming the Montana mountains on horseback, the great meals served up early each morning and late each night. They were missing sitting around each evening with a beverage discussing what was seen during the day and planning what to do tomorrow. They were missing the commradery and friendship that we shared during elk camp. Harvesting a bull elk is the icing on the cake, the real joy is just the experience. 

My two boys Cody and Steve

These two are sure great in elk camp

This is some beautiful country we get to see.

Tanner and I were up on top of Cinnamon mtn one day. It was cold and windy, but we managed a selfie

We are usually on the trail well before daylight and our rides back to the trailhead are always in the dark, so mid day breaks are relished.Build a fire, warm up yourself and your lunch, and maybe shut your eyes for a little while. All part of the experience!

Elk hunting requires a tremendous amount of patience and glassing. The boys were great at spotting elk.

Yep, I think the guys are right. The real thrill is the whole experience. Jeff and John – hope to see you in camp next year!

2019 will be remembered as one of the worst harvest years for a long time to come. Following a few nice days in the beginning of August the weather turned cold and wet and prevented harvest from taking place all over North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.  On our farm in ND we were lucky to get our barley acres off early in August, but struggled with wheat, edible beans, and soybeans. 

With all the air bins full of barley and no cooperation from the weather, we had to invest in and set up a new dryer system in order to make any progress with wheat harvest. We have been fortunate that since the major flooding of 2011, we have not needed the 8000 bushel bin dryer located on my uncles farm. When Devils Lake flood waters peaked in 2011, this dryer site was rendered unusable. Then with the water receding the past few years allowing access, vandals came in and stole the control panels and the fan for the dryer. 

Bagging grain at harvest is a relatively new concept.  We started bagging a few years ago out of necessity because we couldn’t transport grain loads in harvest and had to wait till the ground was frozen. This year we bagged a substantial amount of wet wheat. Theoretically the grain in these bags is in a anaerobic condition and will keep for a period of time until it can be dried to suitable moisture. 

We finally finished bean harvest in November, after many rainfall events and a major snowstorm. With just corn left and Steve and Kenton getting prepared for this, I took off for Montana to start working horses and getting them ready for a planned elk hunting trip.  Normally these guys would be in pretty good shape, but with this abnormally long difficult harvest it’s been 3 months since they have been worked significantly.

Connie joined me to help on one of the trips up Mcginnes creek. We only have 10 days to get these boys ready. Fortunately we live on a mountain so our horses are acclimated to all the wild smells and terrain, we just have to try to improve their legs. Obviously 10 days is not sufficient time for conditioning, but hopefully we will get them back into workable shape.

Red and I found a game trail heading up on a mountain ridge allowing us to ride up for a great vantage point.

Tanner and I took a route traversing a few mountain ridges and meeting up with the trail to standard peak. We covered a lot of beautiful country without seeing much game. Elk and deer hunting in this area seems very difficult. 

On the ridge below standard peak we heard voices coming down the trail, Tanner was on high alert.

Next week we head for the Gallatin!

We had a fabulous time on the mountain this summer, but it’s always to short.  We started with a few trips up the north fork to get the horses legged up a little, and then proceeded to numerous trips along the middle fork.

Riding along the middle fork is always scenic and frequently you will hear the whoops and hollers of the floaters down below.

A trip up to elk lake was on Connie’s agenda this summer after missing out the past few years.

Glacier lake in the mission mountain wilderness was a new adventure. These mountains definately will be looked at for future trips.

Red and I made the hike up to Grant Ridge.  Tremendous views from up here.

We were fortunate that Angela, Mady and Mila made a trip out along with their good friends from Hudson.

Our niece and her children along with some friends of theirs were also visiting.  The horses received lots of attention.

We had yard work and trimming that was getting away on us, so we enlisted some help.

Marion lake was another destination that I had not been to before. Nice lake, definately worth a return trip.

The massive mountains on the east side of glacier are always impressive. This was on a trip up to medicine grizzly lake.

Cody, Whitney, Skylee, Decker and Emery were also able to visit. First solo rides are so fun to watch.

Emmy was a little to small but still got some time with Harley.

Castle lake is such a gem. I was lucky and had it all to myself for a overnight pack trip

Riding into Kiyo Craig lake over on the east side of the mountain front was another new destination worthy of a return trip

One of the last rides Connie and I got to take was up the south fork of two medicine. A late morning start prevented us from traveling up and over white rock pass, but we still logged about 17 miles in this beautiful valley.

Although summer fun has come to an end, I still make it back for a couple days when there’s a break in harvest. Was able to get out on Tanner and Red for some short trips up our mountain.

Harvest in ND is in full swing now so new adventures will have to wait. Let’s go combine!!

On the east side of the mountains between Mt. Baldy and Half Dome Craig is a sweet little lake called kiyo Craig. The road to this trailhead is a very rough trail that lies just a little north of Heart Butte. When Cody was back visiting we trailered horses over here and took a day trip from Palookaville (trailhead) into Kiyo Craig.

We took the slippery hoof trail going up to the lake. This trail climbs though a creek bottom and up a beautiful valley to access the lake.

Gradually you reach the huge rock walls that tower over the lakes west side..

Cody with his favorite horse – Red

The forecast had been for excessive winds along the eastern front so we were hoping these huge walls would offer some protection. 

The wind ended up getting the better of us though and soon became to difficult to attempt fly casting. We did catch a few fish, but this wasn’t a fair test of this nice lake.

The east side of the mountains is such a beautiful area. Always love the grand views and open country.

This lake can also be accessed from the Badger/Two Medicine area by traveling over white rock pass.

We’ll be back to challenge those cutthroat again on a better day.

Located back in the Great Bear Wilderness is a sweet little place called Castle Lake. Most visitors to this lake access it by floating down the middle fork of the flathead and taking a day hike up to fish here. To access by trailhead it’s about a 10 mile trip with a forde of the middle fork. The last 1.5 miles being steep and brushy. This lake used to be seldom visited, but nowadays it is very popular with middle fork floaters. I rode in from the Granite Creek trailhead for a overnight visit and was fortunate to have this beautiful spot all to myself.

There is a nice spot to camp with a small creek running along side for water source. This was the first time I used my electric fence for the horses. It worked great.

Early morning sunrise was just gorgeous. 

I wish I had brought my good camera to capture these pictures. 

So beautiful and peaceful in the early morning hours. Sounds of the creek flowing,  birds chirping and the horses munching grass. But watching the numerous fish rising on the lake quickly sent me down to try my flies.

The fishing was superb. I hate to say this and attract more attention to this little lake, but the early morning hours were spent reeling in many of these beauties.

If this lake is on your wish list for visiting you will surely enjoy! If you’re lucky you may have it all to yourself like I did.

Medicine Grizzly Lake is located up the Cut Bank Valley. Connie and I took a ride up here on my birthday. We had both visited this lake as children, but well over 40 years since either of us had been here. To access this trailhead you take a left on the gravel road immediately after the Cut Bank creek bridge on hwy 89 (traveling north). It’s about 5 miles of pothole ridden road to get to Cut Bank campground and the trailhead. There is a small parking area at the trailhead for vehicles, but we used the fairly new stock ramp area. This area was signed no parking, but really stock use is what it was built for. Obviously you can’t block the ramp. Parking is very limited for stock trailers in this area. Although it would be easy to pull off the side of the road there are numerous no parking signs placed warning you not to. Very odd, that in this primitive area of the park they would attempt to curtail stock use in this manner. Also there is a sign at the onset of the gravel road restricting vehicle length to 21′. Now this is reservation land and I highly doubt that the tribe is applying this length restriction. Use your own judgement on whether or not you wish to break this rule with your horse trailer. We pulled our old 16′ bumper pull in here.Leaving the trailhead you are greeted with meadows of wildflowers, gorgeous!

The trail runs along Cut Bank creek treating you to beautiful views of Bad Marriage mtn, the creek, and numerous meadows of wildflowers.

Arriving at the lake.

Medicine Grizzly has numerous beautiful waterfalls feeding down into it.

We had a little bit of a blustery cloudy day for our trip, but were still treated to magnificent views of the surrounding peaks.

There is a trail skirting the north side of the lake that you can take up to the head end. Here there is a nice area to have lunch and view the waterfalls.

Pack you rain gear cuz you never know when you are on an east side excursion.

It is about 6 miles from trailhead to foot of the lake and about 1/2 mile further up to the head end. Very gentle grade with a well used trail. If you’re here on a nice day with no wind I would recommend a side trip up to Triple Divide Pass. It was way to windy for us to head up there so now we have to return!!

Cody had a full day layover in Missoula so he called and asked if I wanted to meet somewhere in the swan valley and take a trip into one of the many lakes in the Mission mtns. We decided on a hike up to Glacier Lake. I have never ventured into the Missions before and was very surprised at this beautiful range. There are numerous access roads and trailheads to venture into this mtn range, allowing varying degrees of treks into their basins. We chose a short (1.6 mile) hike into Glacier Lake rather than to haul horses down for the day.

When we arrived at the trailhead, there were upwards of 20 vehicles parked. We were very disappointed at the crowd, but had no time for changing plans so we headed into Glacier. This trailhead also accesses Turquoise, Heart, and Crescent lakes. As we neared Glacier there was a sign noting that no overnight camping is allowed. Arriving at the lake we were shocked that there was absolutely no one there. The trail goes to the lake, but no further. There is no access around the lake shore. If you do not have float tubes or other water transport device it will be difficult to enjoy this lake. We had packed in float tubes so it was awesome. Beautiful lake and great fishing all to ourselves.

This small area where we prepared our gear is about all there is at the lakeshore.

Cody primarily fished wet flies, while I fished on top. Both methods were successful, but he did nab a few more than I did. Most of the fish were around 12″ with some 16-17″. All cutthroat.

There is a beautiful waterfall at the upper end of the lake.

A thunderstorm rolled in pelting us with heavy rain and hail. About 1/2 hr later we were back to fishing in the sunshine.

Great Lake to make a day fishing trip. Don’t forget the float tubes!

The middle fork of the flathead is a beautiful pristine river that originates far back in the wilderness and emerges at the Bear creek area. From Bear creek on down to the Blankenship bridge is a very popular stretch for river floaters.  At peak times in the summer I believe you could walk across the river stepping on rafts. I’m exaggerating a little, but it does get very congested. 

The debate of many backcountry users is the growing number of river users in the wilderness. Primarily commercial use. The Forest Service seems to allow more day use permits each year to outfitters. Another growing method of access is to hire stock packers to bring your gear into the river and then the groups just hike in empty or with some personal items. This is what is getting out of hand in my opinion. I would hope that FS administrators do not restrict private floaters from accessing the river, but when you have these large groups accessing the river via outfitters and packers, I think it’s inevitable that there will be restrictions coming at some time.

I’m writing this blog following a quick trip I took to a location know as the Castle Lake crossing. I was there just to check river levels and wether or not it was safe to cross with stock to access Castle Lake. The middle fork trail is about a couple hundred yds up the mtn as you near the castle cutoff. From this vantage point looking down at the river it appeared to be a small town set up along the river. Numerous tents and big blue plastic tarps were present. I remembered seeing the 2 large vans and 1 mini sitting at the trailhead when I departed. I would guesstimate 15+ people down at the trail crossing area. This is the type of activity that needs to be curtailed in my opinion. These large groups along the river system undoubtably have a negative impact on this wilderness area.

I’m sure the area outfitters will book as many day use permits as they are allowed by FS. I would. They are in business to make money. Don’t get me wrong I’m not against the outfitters, I believe they provide a valuable service in bringing folks who would not otherwise have a chance to experience this wilderness. I just feel the time has already passed for restrictions in regard to the number of people and gear they can transport back into the river.  Both guided trips and drop camp/gear type services.

Forest Service facility – Granite cabin.. Great lunch spot

This river is so beautiful. 

I have never ventured up to this gem of a lake before. I was told that it gets a lot of traffic because of its proximity to the trailhead. Although I did meet a party on their way out there were no others at the lake when I arrived. To be honest this trail is steep,overgrown with brush and has lots of deadfall to maneuver. I regretted not bringing my bigger trail saw so that I could have cleaned some of it. Anyway by the look of the trail condition, I’m pretty sure there’s not excessive traffic back here.Your first views upon reaching the lake.

There is a large log jam at the outlet of the lake.

At the upper end of the lake are some nice camping areas with some grass for grazing.

Tanner enjoyed some lunch while I tried the fishing.

This is what the trail looks like. Doesn’t look like excessive traffic to me.

Lots of deadfall to work around.

Very nice lake to hike to for a couple days. If your heading up here with pack stock be prepared for some trail work.

 It’s been busy the last couple weeks at Apgar Ranch. We were fortunate to have our daughter and her girls visit accompanied by her good friend and her two children. Lots of horse rides and mountain touring for sure. After all the company departed Connie and I took a day trip up to firebrand pass to relax.It was a beautiful day to be having lunch up here

There is still a snowfield across the trail, but you can access the top by heading straight up the bowl.

Heading across the shale field.

A couple years ago we rode up on Grant Ridge via the Stanton Lake trail. We were treated to beautiful views, but the trail was not very horse friendly. This is a loop trail and we have never ridden the other side. Prior to our company coming I took our newest horse Red and headed up here (Grant Ridge trail) to explore. Although this trail is very steep, it is a much better trail for stock use. You actually end up riding up the ridge line to gain the top.

This country is amazingly beautiful and well worth the effort to climb up here!

We were also joined on the mountain by our niece and her family. So for a short time we had 9 kids loving up on the horses.

While our company was here, horses seem to enjoy the light duty work of riding kids. Just walk along quiet and receive a couple of treats when done.

Angie and Lindsey managed to get out for a quiet ride up in the McGinnis creek area. When you come from the city, this country is a peaceful place to unwind and reboot!

Till next year!