One of the first wilderness horse trips Connie went on was up to Elk Lake.  This little lake is  a gorgeous gem and the trip up over Devils Hump to get there rewards one with awesome views.  It had been 6 years since Connie’s last visit and she had been requesting a return.reflecting on blessings..

Pictures don’t do justice to this beauty

The fish did not seem very hungry, but we did have a little luck and a lot of fun.

The views going over the pass are just breathtaking.

Although we planned to spend the day, the forecast was for possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. So when the clouds started getting thick, we gathered our gear up and hit the trail. Traveling over the pass in a thunderstorm was not something we wanted to experience.

I usually get a trip up to this lake every summer, but Connie hasn’t been able to join. I’m betting next year it will be on her agenda for sure.

The first few weeks of June are always spent conditioning horses for backcountry riding. Some of the trails we are on have significant elevation changes and when combined with warm temperatures stock can get stressed pretty hard. We did have one horse come up with a lameness issue, but numerous X-rays showed no injury. We’re hoping to have him back in the lineup in another week.

We don’t allow our dogs to accompany us on mtn trails. The risk of an accident with other backcountry users is just to great, so they are locked in the garage when we are gone. Connie gets pretty stressed out doing this and has been asking for a new fence to keep them safe in our backyard.
This will keep them and her happy.

We’ve ridden a few times up the North Fork, a picnic trip up Granite creek, a scenic ride along the middle fork in Glacier Parkand numerous short rides around our mtn to bring the boys into condition for extended backcountry excursions.They are ready for some adventures, but this week it’s snowing and cold in the high country.

With many of the extra chores done on Apgar View Ranch, it’s time to look towards these gorgeous mtns. Soon as the weather clears…..

We’ll be back experiencing these beautiful areas.

The weather has been so nice here lately we had to get the horses out on a little longer outing. One of our favorite rides is to take Granite Creek trail off of Skyland road to the Middle Fork. The drive up to this trailhead is very enjoyable

This trail had been cut so it was just a great leisurely ride with very little work. 

This is about a 11 mile round trip ride if you take the cut off trail down to the river. If you travel down to the FS cabin you are looking at about 12 miles.

We just went to see the country and have a picnic. No fishing today although the water looked very inviting.

This was a beautiful sunshine day that did get a little warm in the afternoon. Our horses aren’t fully conditioned yet and Tanner wasn’t drinking enough from the creeks. So he got a little special service. 

We’re back on the Mtn and working at conditioning horses. One of the places we enjoy riding is up the North Fork of the Flathead. There are numerous FS roads in this area that remain closed to motorized vehicles until July 1. This provides a super area for easy early season riding and conditioning. The views up the north fork area are always spectacular.

Great day and great horses.

Lots of bear scat up this way. We must seen well over a dozen piles on our ride, but we failed to see any critters.

The last couple weeks have been drizzly wet unproductive days up here on the mtn. Today though we awoke to clear skies and a beautiful Easter morning. It is so nice to celebrate the resurrection while basking in the early morning sunshine. When we reflect on the atrocities that Jesus endured so that we may have everlasting life, it is heart wrenching. But we know that he is sitting at the right hand of God. We celebrate with elegant dinners, Easter egg hunts, and other festivities, but it is most important to celebrate His gift of life!

When we do have nice days we strive to make the most of them. Last week we toured up the east side of Glacier Park.

The views of Chief Mtn. were spectacular.

This is looking up the St. Mary valley

We also took a little break along the middle fork of the Flathead.

We hope you are enjoying your day and celebrating this special time with family and friends.
Happy Easter!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve added anything new to this webpage. We were sticking pretty close to home through the past few weeks. The second half of our winter on the mtn was a little severe. Improved temps and clear skies last week have been a welcome sight, prompting many excursions.

The views of the Flathead river and surrounding mountains have been tremendous.

These pictures are taken from the old West Glacier bridge.

Warmer temperatures and sunshine quickly took the ice off our roadway allowing us to saddle up and start riding again. We’re confined to the bare roads for now, but it’s still great to be riding.

These bluebird spring days are  absolutely beautiful.

Sam and Callie are loving it.

I went for a ski trip with my neighbor heading up the mtn on a route I haven’t been on for a number of years. Spectacular  conditions and views  were our reward for the day.

We try to take advantage of this nice spring weather with daily rides. Our newest addition  had not been ridden by Connie yet,  so it was great to see them bond immediately.

Connie also jumped on Tanner  for a little ride, but he was somewhat full of himself with these spring days.

He  just needed to burn off some energy. He gets a little to accustomed to being the boss. 

The transition into spring is so beautiful up on the mtn.  Sunshine gives way to rain/snow showers and back to sunshine. It won’t be long and the trails will be open and the backcountry will be accessible. Can’t wait to start exploring again.

The cold temps in western Montana finally moved out and heavy snowfall moved in. We’ve been getting out skiing quite a bit, but off trail traversing is definitely some work. Callie and Sam love to tag along in the deep snow

Beautiful sunshine prompted an outing in Glacier Park along the Flathead river. Tough breaking trail through all the deep snow, but still enjoyable to get out.This trail takes off from the horse barn at Apgar and branches off from the lookout trail. It parallels the Middle Fork of Flathead river back to Blankenship bridge, then turns up the North Fork. McDonald creek joins the Middle Fork.

Middle Fork views

The horses did have their blankets on through the cold temps, and were glad to get them off.

Sam and Callie were lots of help

Beautiful days for sure, but everyone’s looking forward to spring!

Connie was having some fun making a video of some of our excursions. Check it out!

What a beautiful morning for a train ride through the mtns. The views one sees from the rail are so different from what you see driving Hwy 2. I decided to take a quick trip back to ND to celebrate my Uncle’s 90th birthday with him. My grandson Jalen also had a birthday earlier in the week that he is celebrating tomorrow, so fortunately I get to join in his festivities also.

Spring of 1981 with Arden and Pete

Way back in 1981 my Uncle Arden made me an offer to come to ND and work for him and learn the farm game. A great big Norwegian bachelor that was well respected in the community and known for his easy going temperament. It was my good fortune that he was also long on patience. When a green kid shows up on the farm things don’t always go as planned. Many times that first spring he could be seen shaking his head in disbelief at the predicament his new hired hand had gotten into. Under his guidance though I was able to learn machinery operation, maintenance, and repair. He taught me so many valuable lessons in growing crops, livestock, and family. Arden provided the first home that Connie and I had when we moved to the Churchs Ferry area.Surveying his hired mans handy-work

Arden had told me at the beginning of my employment that if I was able to learn the operation and stick with him that he would get me started with the business and perhaps I could take over when he retired. Back in those days farming and raising cattle were not very lucrative, but I still considered this a tremendous opportunity. These were fun times. These were days when you worked hard, but also had a lot of fellowship. Coffee time was 10 and 4, and without fail we would always break for 15 minutes to just sit back, relax and visit. I have so many fond memories of days working beside this man. Very seldom did we have words of disagreement and when we did my respect for him dictated that he was right, so do it his way.

In 1987 he did finally marry, to a widowed neighbor lady that he fell in love with. Sylvia brought a new vibrance to Arden’s life. This was a man who knew nothing but work. Now he had a partner with whom to experience other aspects of life. They enjoyed traveling and had a wonderful life up until her passing in 2013.

Arden did retire from farming in 2001. He continued to raise his beloved feeder cattle until 2010 when the flood waters of Devils Lake finally forced his decision to quit. Although retired from active farming, he was still out helping us combine in the fall into his 80’s. When he wasn’t helping with harvest he was still present to help with moving machinery or sometimes he and Sylvia would just come out with coffee.Arden Picking up wheat swaths

I owe this man so much for the opportunity he gave me as a young inexperienced whelp. It is because of him that my own farming venture had some success and I was able to work with my son to bring him into the business. Last fall he and I took an afternoon drive just to tour the farmland and reminisce. So often we tend to be so busy with our lives that we forget to take time for special people that helped create what we have become. I really enjoyed this afternoon together.

At the age of 90 now, Arden has had some health concerns, but still lives at his home with the assistance of my cousins Louise and Connie. Hopefully we will get to take another crop tour this spring during planting time, but for now we celebrate this milestone with a little more coffee, cake, and fellowship.

Happy Birthday Arden!

Have you ever been here? The name of this place is like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Actually this is a trailhead into the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Located a little northwest of the reservation town of Heart Butte is a dirt trail heading up into the mountain front called the Palookaville trail. I used to venture into this area with my parents camping and riding trail bikes over Mt. Baldy via Whiterock Pass, but that was 40 years ago. I remember my father telling me the story of a early mapmaker mistakingly dropping a spot of ink. Not wanting to start over with his work he named the spot “palookaville”. I can’t attest to the validity of this story, but it always sounded good to me.

Connie and I ventured into this area recently to check out the trailhead for some possible excursions next summer. Not much has changed, other than motor vehicles have been prohibited into the backcountry in this area.

The eastern front of the Rocky mtns can be so beautiful. It can also be extremely harsh during a winter blizzard. Fortunately we picked a perfect winter day to be roaming around up here.

Can’t wait to return next summer and enter into the Badger/two medicine country from here

We’ve been getting a little new snow up on the mtn., but not enough to stop riding. Freckles and I got out for some funThis fella is the old guy of our herd, but he still has a lot of spring to his step. Old guys with attitude – gotta love em!