Photo Hike #2 - More Photos

This may be the best picture I had of a butterfly today (1 of 30 or so!). Colin has many great ones too, adding to his collection of nature photographs.

In addition to the butterflies, another highlight for me was hearing a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. We heard a very similar howl on the last "Photo Hike" -- so spooky and exciting, but this one was even louder, i.e., closer!

Fan Creek Wetland

As we made our way back to the car after this 7 mile hike, we talked about how surprised we were that we had not seen any elk or moose. We saw scat and squirrels but no bears. Not even a deer! But then, within 200 yards of the car I finally spotted a "large" four-legged mammal. It was actually a really small buck black tail deer. Below, you can see him popping his head up out of the willows.

Where's Waldo?

This really was a great hike though. The early morning hikes are really nice with great lighting and perfect temps. As long as I get a good cup of coffee on the drive to the trailhead, even I am good to go.

Also, how fantastic it is to have so many great hiking options within 30 minutes of Big Sky. I did at least 10 hikes in the area on this trip and this really is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Can't wait to explore more...