Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
The first snow of the season was a few days ago. Just a couple of inches, not enough to bury the last of fall’s glory yet. Today will probably be the last of the frosty fall mushrooms and leaves. It’s been a prolific fungi season. … Continue readingA Frosty Fall Day
I can’t believe the profusion of wildflowers we stumbled upon! Looking for a relatively close, new hike for this spring afternoon, I decided on the Mineral Point Trail. It’s a four-mile out-and-back along Lake Pend Oreille through forested habitat. The trail courses up and down … Continue readingMineral Point Trail Wildflowers
My thigh muscles are sore. It wasn’t the hiking or climbing, but the confrontation of fears, and a persistent gripping, using my leg muscles to anchor me as I moved through my fear of falling on loose footing and high places.I tried to come here … Continue readingGrouse Creek Falls
Create your own nature experience wherever you are. I left a land I nurtured, loved, and watched come to life to start anew in the mountains of my heart. I’ve literally put down new roots. This is how I came to love this new place … Continue readingA New Start in Idaho
A short hike to a mountain lake? Count me in! When I talked with people in town, everyone recommended the Boulder Lake trail. “It can get kinda busy on the weekends, but it should be good on a Wednesday. With that, I set out to … Continue readingBoulder Lake Trail in McCall
Zero to Eighteen in Two Weeks Two years ago, a pair of western flycatchers nested above a light under the eave of our garage in North Idaho. After the chicks fledged, Rob removed the nest. Our research suggested that songbirds prefer not to use the … Continue readingA Western Flycatcher Nest
Question what you think you know. Grebes I thought, “I don’t need binoculars to identify that bird.” Nobody’s got a bill like that but a Northern Shoveler. The drab, dull brown feathers mean she must be a female, and she’s kinda far away for a … Continue readingBirds! Birds! Birds! at Fernan Lake
There might be moose. North Idaho News posted these photos and cautioned hikers and climbers to be wary. “How is this not an invitation?” I thought. To me, it falls under the “don’t publicize wildlife sightings so as not to draw a crowd.” However, Q’emiln … Continue readingQ’emiln Park
“Sheep go where men don’t go. Goats go where sheep don’t go.” – Joe Rahn (Montana Wildlife, Fish and Parks) The Goats Word is that there are mountain goats at Bernard Peak on Lake Pend Oreille. Validating the rumor, Farragut State Park across the … Continue readingMountain Goats at Bernard Peak
I’m on a local four-mile round-trip trail in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The elevation gain is about 1500 feet, making it a fairly steep trail for this former flatlander. The route is mainly switchbacked with one last long steady climb. Necessary stops to eat … Continue readingChilco Mountain Hike