I drove to the Clearwater Crossing on Monday (Apr 14) afternoon and stayed the night at the campground so I wouldn't have to get up at 3 am to go on the hike. The night was cold, there was some ice in Skye's water dish in the morning. We had the place to ourselves. In the morning a couple bow hunters came in and headed out.
It was a very nice day for a hike. The trail (#101) was in very good shape with just a dozen or so blowdowns across the trail; all but one were just easy step overs. There was snow in the draws but for most of the way the trail was dry. We quit at the 5 mile mark due to snow and headed back. We cut down the Crater Lake trail to the crossing and had lunch there. There was quite a bit of snow at the crossing. The runoff has not really gotten underway in this area as the creeks are still manageable but cold. On the way back, about a 100 yards from the junction with the Straight Creek trail (#99) there was Mountain Lion kill right next to the trail. Either I missed it in the morning or it happened later after we passed. The deer was halfway in the creek; it had been fed on with the hind quarter being worked on. The area is known for its cougars and I have seen tracks the both times I have hiked out of the Clearwater Crossing this spring. I talked to the hunters a bit when they got back to their truck as I was packing up.
I stopped on the drive home and got a picture at the "Big Pine" for a photo. This is the largest Ponderosa Pine in Montana. This was the only hike I did during the week as I headed over to the Great Falls area on Thursday for a couple days to help my nephew and family with a house remodel they are working on.
