North Fork Trail, Big Sky

View of Yellow Mountain from North Fork Trail

Today, I couldn't seem to interest Chelsea in tennis or a hike and I just had to get outside so I picked out a nearby trail. The North Fork Trailhead is less than three miles from the condo and I have heard a lot about it. It is an expert mountain biking trail and, as such, I was going to hike it.

But, instead of burning up some hydrocarbons in the hybrid, I did the eco-friendly thing and rode my mountain bike to the trailhead. After one mile + of uphill I was wondering what was wrong with my head. It took me well over half an hour to get there in the granny gear (no offense to all you grannies out there but the granny gear is that lowest of gears that lets you pedal up nearly anything as long as you keep your legs moving; I enjoy this gear often, I might add).

In any event, by the time I reached the trailhead for the start of the four-mile round-trip hike, I was pretty sure that I had had enough exercise for TWO days. No matter. Plans were plans. So, I found a good place to lock the bicycle, put the bear spray on my hip, double-checked the route on the topo map and began the hike.

Hiking alone in bear country is something I am not completely used to yet. I would like to hike with my iPod sometimes but I won't do it here. You just never know when you might come around a corner and meet up with a black bear, or worse yet, a grizzly. I also feel really silly clapping, whistling or singing off and on to warn the bear of my wimpy presence.

Luckily most of this trail was wide instead of narrow, providing for ample room between me and the lodge pole pines behind which a bear could be browsing for roots or berries. I also confess that I take comfort in the can of bear spray on my hip. I imagine this is how the cowboys of yesteryear felt walking around with their pistols in a gun belt.

Wildflowers were nice here and there but the photo below does not show how nice the paintbrush looked in the meadows. In general though, I must say that this was not the most scenic hike I have done in Montana. Yesterday's Storm Castle hike was far more interesting. I did get a nice view of Yellow Mountain, which up until now I had only seen from afar. Wilson Peak at 10,705 feet in elevation was visible at one point (this is one of the Spanish Peaks).

Indian Paintbrush

I hiked the trail for 2 miles until it crossed over the North Fork of the Gallatin River. I saw no mammals on this hike and few birds also. Maybe it's because this is a well-traveled trail by hikers, horse-riders and mountain bikers. Even though I had some fear of running into a bear unexpectedly, I was also hopeful that I would see one. Oh well, it's probably just as well that I did not.

The predominant sign of non-plant life on this hike was the dreaded deer fly, or horse fly, or maybe moose fly. I don't know what kind it was but they were fairly annoying, buzzing around my head and bumping into me now and then. At the stream crossing, I opened up the map to see exactly where I was and one of these evil creatures landed on the side of my leg. I slapped my leg so hard that it stung worse than if I'd just let him bite me. Youch!

After my aborted review of the trail map, I had to close it up, pack it away and walk back to my waiting bike AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. These things were starting to ruin the experience for me. But, for the most part, as long as I was walking they did not bother me too much.

Upon returning to the trailhead, I was somewhat surprised that I had not seen at least one deer. As fate would have it, I had just begun flying downhill in a nice high gear when I spotted a bounding black tail deer about 50 feet away from the road. It was a buck and a big one. This was a ten-pointer and following behind him was a young two-point buck. Yeah! Wildlife!

Heading back to the condo with a renewed faith in the natural world of Big Sky, I put the bike in the highest gear possible. I think I was home in about 6 or 7 minutes. What a difference. Nonetheless, I think I will drive to the trailhead next time, especially if I plan on biking this 8.4-mile loop.

Ten Point Black Tail Deer