An Unexpected Guest
We camped along the Boulder River at Hickspark campground, which is approximately 50 miles South of Big Timber, Montana. The wagon trail road is far from ordinary. A wild and invigorating ride full of potholes, large rocks and very narrow at every turn. But the beauty makes the trip worthwhile.
The elk had all gone to their summer range up the mountain, leaving the once encompassed meadows bare. I was surprised to not see a single one, as the forage is plentiful.
As I enter the campground, I feel like I'm home. The smell and sounds are all too familiar. The trees are abundant with squirrels and chipmunks as they scuttle around collecting pinecones for their winter stash.
Each day we awoke to crisp mountain air but as the day continued, so did the warming of the sun. You couldn't have asked for better weather even with a quick mountain shower in the evening.
We had an unexpected guest greet us throughout the week - even one night as the fire was doused and the lantern flickered off.
Day 1 was pretty uneventful. The weather was warm and the stillness of the forest serene. We did see two woodpeckers beating away at a pine tree and then they moved on. Falling asleep to the rushing sound of the river is magical. Waking up to noises is a bit unsettling at times.
Day 2 brought encounters and rumors. I was early to rise and after my blazing fire was started, I went for a short walk. I met a man who said we had had a visitor overnight. While enjoying their midnight fire, a small black bear made an appearance. After a chuck of a rock, he fled like he'd been scalded. So maybe the noise I heard the night before wasn't my imagination.
After hearing this rumor it was time to go out on a scavenger hunt for bear signs. We were lucky and found bear scat close by our site and more along a fence line. There was also some digging here and there. I kept my bear spray close by the rest of the day.
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