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.