Five Great Things To Do In Winter
By Phil Knight
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Tracking Lynx
Photo by Phil Knight
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We’ve all heard the adage about Montana: ten months of winter and two months of visitors. Well, the visitors are gone, and even with climate change winter still lasts at least six months. What to do during these long months?
Actually, if you get out and play, winter can be the most enjoyable season in Montana, and you don’t have to be an Olympic-caliber cross-country skier or radical snowboarder to make the most of the shining season.
How about dogsledding in the Absaroka Range, learning wildlife tracking from an expert, ice skating on remote mountain lakes, or cheering for your favorite racing team at the national ski joring finals?
Running (or riding) with the Dogs
Who hasn’t daydreamed of racing across the Alaskan wilderness with a well-honed dogsled team, following in the tracks of the great dogsled racers? While few of us would be able to withstand the rigors of the Iditarod, a more manageable alternative awaits you with Absaroka Dogsled Treks (ADT).
Based at the historic Chico Hot Springs Resort in Paradise Valley, ADT has offered dogsled treks deep into Mill Creek since 1990. Teams of Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, dogs that live to pull and run, will tow your sled on treks anywhere from two hours to all day. Chilly air cools your cheeks as you ru nor ride, with the dogs setting a brisk pace, the musher leading the way. Mill Creek is an amazing display of ice sculpture and cold burbling water, while all around you rise the majestic Absaroka mountains in their winter cloaks.
The half-day dogsled trek includes trailside lunch; the full-day adventure includes buffalo steak and grilled trout. Guests can drive their own team of dogs or enjoy the ride from the basket of the sled.
If you want to get serious about it and plan to take up dog sledding on your own, ADT’s Musher’s School involves three days of comprehensive, hands-on instruction.
Absaroka Dogsled Treks
Mark and Sharon Nardin
Phone: 406-222-4645 or 800-468-9232
Email: info@extrememontana.com
For rates and reservations: www.extrememontana.com/contact.html
Winter Wildlife Tracking with James Halfpenny, Ph.D.
Montana is lucky enough to host populations of some rare and many not so rare wildlife species. Deep in the mountains lurk wolverine, marten, and fisher. Bobcats, mountain lions, and the rare Canada lynx crisscross the deep woods in search of prey. Wolves, coyotes, and foxes are especially active in winter. Rabbits, hares, grouse, squirrels, weasels, mice, and voles all keep busy in winter, leaving signs of their presence.
When there is snow on the ground, every creature moving across the land leaves a track. These tracks tell a story you can learn to read.
Jim Halfpenny, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading experts in wildlife tracking, lives in Gardiner, on Yellowstone’s doorstep, and offers a variety of classes for those interested in learning his art. Jim’s Track Education Center and Museum makes a perfect base from which to venture out into the winter world and see who has been there before you.
Most of Jim’s classes involve a modest amount of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, along with a classroom component that may offer you a chance to make a plaster cast of a wolf or bear track. You can sign up for one of Jim’s classes through the Yellowstone Association Institute. Call (307) 344-2294 or log onto www.YellowstoneAssociation.org/institute/fieldSeminars.aspx.
The Basic Snow Tracking class is offered January 19-21, 2007, course #104. You will stay at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the heart of Yellowstone Park’s northern range, and learn directly from James Halfpenny. Discover just how much you can learn about an animal by the sign it leaves behind: behavior, habitat preference, health, sex, age, feeding habits, etc. There are endless stories written in the snow, waiting for you to read them.
For more information contact:
A Naturalist’s World
PO Box 989
Gardiner, MT 59030
trackdoctor@tracknature.com
www.tracknature.com/mm5/
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Ski Joring
Photo courtesy of Big Mountain
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National Finals Ski Joring Races
Ski joring is a wild and crazy sport, which you are more likely to watch than participate in. Sometimes described as a cross between dogsledding and cross-country skiing, or sleigh riding and cross-country skiing, ski joring involves having a dog or horse pull you on cross-country skis.
Ski joring requires skilled coordination between skier and dog or horse. Skiers are attached to the animal with a long tow rope that clips to a harness on the horse or dog and a belt on the skier with a quick-release buckle. It’s generally done on a course, with the racers negotiating barrels and jumps. You can imagine the thrills and spills as racers compete for the fastest time on an icy course, with spectators cheering, their breath forming clouds in the cold air.
Many Montana towns host ski joring competitions throughout the winter. Bozeman hosts the Western Regionals, a ski joring competition held on the second weekend in February. The scenic and historic town of Red Lodge hosts the National Finals Ski Joring Races March 10-11, 2007. This is America’s top ski joring event, with timed runs, a rowdy jumping competition, and competitors flying as much as 60 feet! There are many different divisions including women’s, junior, and pee wee.
The Ski Joring Finals hosted by the Red Lodge Ski Joring Association. Call 406-446-1718 for information or log onto:
www.redlodge.com/ski-joring
As they say, a good time is unavoidable!
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Pond Ice Skating
Photo by Jeremy Hollman
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Backcountry Ice Skating
Many towns in Montana have one or more public skating rinks available in winter. But who has ventured off the groomed ice onto wild, untracked ice on one of Montana’s many lakes? There are plenty of lakes set in spectacular settings, which have seen few, if any, skaters.
This activity is for experienced skaters only and should be regarded as hazardous. Some backcountry skaters carry a large pole to brace across the ice should they fall through, and a pair of miniature ice picks to claw their way out of the water.
I grew up backcountry skating in New England. Usually we would skate small ponds and swamps where the water is relatively shallow, meaning it freezes early and is not as dangerous should you fall through.
In Montana, it’s harder to find shallow lakes, but there are a wide variety to choose from. Canyon Ferry Lake is popular with both skaters and ice boaters.
If you want to get more adventurous, try a high mountain lake. The window of opportunity may be small, as skating becomes difficult if not impossible once snow accumulates on the ice. The best time to try skating on Missoula-area lakes is early in the winter during a good cold dry spell. Ideally you want at least 5-6 inches of ice. If the ice thickness is at all questionable, stay close to shore where the water is shallow. Check out Bass Lake or Lake Como in the Bitterroots or any of the small lakes in the Rattlesnake Wilderness.
All you really need is warm clothing, sharp skates, a friend or two (NEVER try this alone), and an adventurous spirit!
Treat Your Valentine to Brockel’s Chocolates
What would Valentine’s Day be without chocolates? Show your sweetie just how sweet he or she is with a treat or two from Brockel’s Chocolates, a small favorite shop in downtown Billings.
Brockel’s has been offering unique, top quality chocolates for over thirty years. They don’t bother with advertising or catalogues or Web sites; they just make delightful candy and sell it in their packed store.
All of Brockel’s Chocolates are handmade from scratch in their shop, using real fruit juice and the highest quality chocolate. Many candy makers are using pre-mixed bases for their products now, but not Brockel’s. Brockel’s uses Darigold whole fresh cream, rather than sweetened condensed milk from a can.
Brockel’s specialities include chocolate-covered strawberries, available on order only. Also popular are Valentine Petites, made with solid dark, milk, or white chocolate and decorated with a heart. Brockel’s also makes turtles with fresh whole pecans, homemade truffles, chocolate covered caramels, and chocolate covered almonds and other whole nuts.
Brockel’s Chocolates is located at 117 North 29th Street in Billings. Call Patty Brockel at (406) 248-2705 to ask about availability of specialties or to place an order.
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