Glacier National Park: Logan Pass in August

Visual beauty of flora, fauna and landscape.

A road trip from Minnesota to Glacier National Park is a memorable one and the first stop on our trip was Logan Pass. To get there we entered the park at the Saint Mary entrance and shortly we were on Going-to-the-Sun Road. If you’ve never been on this drive it’s a must do for a nature lover. Going to the Sun Road takes you through some incredible scenery and straight to Logan Pass.

Ignoring the Logan Pass Visitor Center we headed straight to the Hidden Lake Nature Trail. This trail offers incredible scenery and abundant nature in the form of flowers, birds, marmots, ground squirrels and of course mountain goats.

Logan Pass is located on the continental divide. It’s named for Major William R. Logan the first superintendent of Glacier National Park.

Logan Pass receives a mountain of snow each winter. Going to the Sun and Logan Pass is only open during the summer. Please make sure your visit coincides with the road being open which is typically is from Memorial Day Weekend to October 15.

Logan Pass is at 6642 feet above sea level and it will require a bit more from you physically to hike the area. For families with young children you can easily take the Hidden Lake Nature Trail to the overlook.  This is about 1.5 miles. For others who wish a more vigorous hike the area provides a more remote hike along the Garden Wall.

Hiking to the overlook we spotted many marmots in the rocks and mountain goats grazed in the grassy areas. Hiking further there were more mountain goats cooling themselves on the remaining snow. This short hike offers an array of captivating views from mountain meadows to incredible vistas.

Initially you may think Logan Pass is a quick stop and it can be, but if you are enamored with the beauty of mountains then you may find yourself spending many hours enjoying this area of Glacier National Park.

The Seen at Logan Pass

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Yellowstone is a Birding Destination

The Beauty of Birds in Yellowstone Park

Geysers, Mountains, Beasts and Yes, Birds!

A trip to Yellowstone Park is a wonderous adventure. The highlights of this park are too many to list but I’ll bet most folks don’t know about one of them, birds. All kinds of birds.

I’ve visited Yellowstone Park many times and I still haven’t really taken it all in. The wonders of this park are endless. A walk down any trail and even a drive from spot to spot can produces lifetime memories. For a guy who is always looking for stuff and have been since I can remember I find Yellowstone to be a great birding destination. Let me preface this by saying I didn’t go to Yellowstone to go birding. In fact a fellow nature guy commented to me “You went to Yellowstone and came home with bird photos. You captured redtail hawks in Yellowstone ha ha ha!”

For me the birds are always a part of driving. Looking for birds of prey is a great game for a family on a road trip. On this road trip throughout Yellowstone the first birds noticed were summer tanagers and yes, redtail hawks. In fact I watched a redtail hawk hunt form a dead tree on the ground for longer than one might imagine.

Birds in Yellowstone are at almost every attraction with Mount Washburn and Mammoth Springs having the most species during my visits. On to some specifics. I had to take out my camera gear at the Canyon Campground because there were many Summer Tanagers. And on the way to Mount Washburn Redtail Hawks were incredibly common. As we in the midwest say “like robins”. On the mount Washburn Trail Head there were Mountain Bluebirds, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Roughed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Chipping Sparrows and a few more that I didn’t identify. Visiting Mammoth I saw and attempted to photograph Northern Flicker, House Finch, Black Billed Magpie, Sparrows of a few sorts, Robins, Juncos, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Kingbirds, Stellar’s Jays, Cedar Waxwings and some species I couldn’t ID.

To the best of my memory here is a list of the birds I saw during a single trip to Yellowstone.

• Swainson’s Hawk
• Ferruginous Hawk
• Redtail Hawk
• Bald Eagle
• Harrier
• Kestral
• Prairie Falcon
• Merlin
• Peregrine Falcon
• Dusky Grouse
• Roughed Grouse
• Sage Thrasher
• Common Raven
• Northern Flicker- Yellow and Red Shafted
• Black Backed Woodpecker
• Summer Tanager
• Mountain Bluebird
• Sparrows of a few varieties
• Gray Jay
• Stellars Jay
• Clarks Nutcracker
• American Dipper
• American Wigeon
• Killdeer
• Crow
• Hermit Thrush
• Goldfinch
• Mountian and Black Capped Chickadee
• Swallows of a couple varities
• Golden Crowned and Ruby Crowned Kinglet
• Cedar Waxwing
• Red and white Breasted Nuthatch
• Common Merganser
• Gadwall
• Harlequin
• Mallard
• Pintail
• Scaup
• Pie Billed Grebe
• Sora
• Sandhill Crane

This gives you an idea that there are great birding opportunities in Yellowstone! So when in Yellowstone it’s not just about bison, geysers and scenery…it’s the birds!

Birds of Yellowstone Park

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Some Big Bass Are Shallow During a Minnesota Summer

Shallow water in mid-summer?

In lakes I do not know, I start shallow.

On a mid-summer morning I put my boat in Green Lake by Zimmerman. I’ve had the hankering to fish this lake for a few years. At the boat landing I took a look around and saw an expanse of emergent weeds in front of the creek to the east. So without firing up the outboard I started to fish this shoreline run of weeds.

It had rained a bunch the night before and into the morning. I can’t know whether or not the water flow was more than usual but I’m a shallow water guy, when I fish a new lake I go shallow for a few reasons.

Experience has taught me that there are almost always bass shallow. Combine that with what I guessed was a flow of water above the average flow entering the lake I guessed that bass would be in the area. I started out with by running a buzzbait thru the emergent weeds and this produced about 6 blow-ups and 3 bass caught all around 15-16 inches. Good start. I worked down the shoreline west of the creek and little action was had with only one more largemouth. Now I had to make a move so I went to the West near where the deeper water came close to the shore. I worked some shoreline habitat in 3-4 feet and some trees that I could see sticking out of the water. This area had some scattered bass that ate my offering of a jig worm rigged weedless. These bass were on the small side of 12 inches but I kept fishing this area because my eyes could see structure that said bass will live here. Switching baits a few times included casting that buzzer again and the time tested jig and pig produced a few more small largemouth around clumps of weeds. I probably spent two hours working toward the South. It was fun but none of the big bass that rumors had informed me of ate my offers.

Now I made move to the East shoreline just North of that point. My go-to shallow presentation is what I refer to as a twitch rig (pictured left), a soft plastic rigged weedless and weightless on a 4/0 wide gap hook. Staying shallow I began to work towards the point. It took a bit but I finally connected on a couple of two pounders. Then I reached the actual point. This point has trees overhanging the water and it looked prime for summer bass that my mind said bass live here. Skipping my bait through the overhanging limbs I envisioned numerous bites. I caught one bass and missed another. Now looking at a pocket adjacent to the biggest limb, it was about 10 feet over the water, I skipped the twitch rig into that pocket and I let the bait settle in about a foot of water. I picked up the bait and began a slow twitch back to the boat and bam a big largemouth ate the bait. This is a big bass in the 20 inch range! I had my GoPro running at the time and the big bass was successfully landed and released. Check out the video below.

It was now around 11am and I could see another round of storms was approaching so I continued down the shoreline toward the boat landing. I caught one more fish on the twitch rig, another nice one around 3 pounds. With time running out I left the lake just in time with a dozen bass caught all in less than 4 feet of water.

20 Inch Shallow Water Bass in July

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Make a Wish List, Then Pair it Down

Lists; most men don’t like them, me included, but it’s a must for a wilderness canoe trip.

A list can make packing and gear selection easier.

I’ve spent over 250 days in Quetico and the Bdub. And in my younger days I didn’t have any list that wasn’t in my head. But as I grew older making a list became as neccessary as an extra pair of Smart Wool socks. What a list will do for you besides reminding you what to pack it will give you a shopping list and a wish list that you will use to make your trip to the Canadian Shield in a canoe more pleasurable.

My list is at the bottom of this page. But don’t stop there, make your own based on what you think you may need. Write it all down, write it crudely with no regard for spelling or format if you need, but write it down. Trust me this will help you ID not only what you absolutely need but other luxury or safety items that will be serious consideration for your personal What to Bring list.

Start with what you know you need, a canoe, paddles, PFD’s, fishing license, park passes, maps, fishing rods, tent and general food items like instant foods and snacks, Knorr pastas, Velveeta Mac n Cheese, instant mashed potatoes and a variety of spice packs. We’ve even made bisquits and gravy. Then think it through even more. What else can you bring to make your trip better that won’t drag you down with too much additional weight. Start this list well in advance of your trip. Get others on the trip involved in making the list. Keep it open on your device so you can add to it on a whim. If you’re anything like me you take mind vacations during the day to ponder what you’ll need and encounter on a canoe trip and having that list handy allows you to add stuff as you think of it.

What you will absolutely need is one thing and what I refer to as luxury items are another. Luxury items might include steak, butter, Koolaid with suga r, Canes Chicken Tenders, a Garmin In Reach, a cutting board, a cooler or even a chair. You can decide to obtain and bring these things or discard them during your final preparation. I have found myself bringing steaks (frozen) and eggs on most trips and they will last when packed correctly. So will cheese and butter, for at least a few days, I’d say 5. Our cooler pack also includes a frozen block of beef and barley soup in a reusable tub wrapped in a plastic bag. This is our ice and placed in just an ordinary soft sided cooler will last 5 days when placed on the bottom of the canoe and in the shade. Even in 80 degree temps. One thing I did learn on a 14 day trip is don’t get half butter half oil butter substance in a tub. Our tub of half butter failed, everywhere inside the bag the tub was packed in was a mess. In terms of butter, which we love, just by a pound or maybe two, wrap it in a zip freezer bag and use it over 4-7 days depending on the season. Butter to me is an absolute must have but you can choose to use buttery Crisco or what ever suits your fancy. One other must have luxury item we bring is sourdough bread. This stuff fried in butter as an appetizer as I’ve been told by many is incredible to have after a long day of paddling and I agree. Make it while the fish are being cleaned!

So continuing on about what to bring you’ll need handy snacks like beef jerky, beef sticks and trail mix. I recommend bringing one extra day of trail mix per person just in case you’re held over for a day by weather. And bring one more day worth of instant pasta meals. Trust me.

On a recent trip my canoe partner Jay had tick proof pants. On the Cuddy Creek portages I had 33 ticks on me, Jay had 1.

If you are into fishing bring more jigs (10 per day if you fish a lot) than you think you need and at least one extra bag of your favorite plastic worms. I prefer Culprits but bring what you like. I don’t use treble hooks on these trips much. Maybe for lake trout  but even lakers will eat a white tube on a jig. If you are a troller then I understand that crankbaits will be in your arsenal. Pinch the barbs. In Quetico you must pinch barbs on all hooks. It’s good for you and the fish. I’ve impaled myself and it’s not an issue when the barb is pinched.

Just a few more things then you can go about making your list. Bring an extra pair of lightweight tennis shoes. Bring two fillet knives and for some trips a pair of gloves just might be handy. I’m hoping you get the gist of this and you certainly will get more of an idea when you look at the list below. Write it all down. Some gear may not go on the trip but you’ll be happy you had a list to go by.

Feel free to contact me about your canoe trip.

This stuff will improve your trip.

Speaking of a cutting board and Gorilla Tape. If you forget to make sure your wicker seats are sound for the trip. make a new seat with the cutting board and tape.

Wilderness Canoe Trip List

1. Tent
2. Backpacks- 2 or 3?
3. Food- Steaks, butter, cereal Great Grains, nuts, sourdough, instant meals, pasta, rice, pop tarts, jerky, summer sausage, fish breading, coffee
4. Tarps(2)
5. Tennis shoes/Sandals/Hiking boots (one pair)
6. Boots/portage rain boots(Muck boots or equivalent)
7. Clothing- 2 of each? 1 hat No blue jeans. Lightweight base layer just in case.8. Hats- Ball cap and cold weather hat.
9. Flashlight or other light sources. (one headlamp) batteries/(one flashlight)
10. Lighters/Other firestarter
11. Camp stove and fuel
12. Pot and pan
13. Coffee pot
14. Utensils- Dish towel / paper towels or napkins, dish soap (camp suds), plates, (gal. plastic bags) etc etc
15. Filet knives (2)
16. Ropes/Cords
17. Gorilla tape
18. TP
19. Pocket knife
20. Garbage bags
21. Nalgenes- 2(3)
22. Shampoo(camp suds)
23. Towels – 2 small ones
24. GoPro and extra batteries and chips.
25. Phones for photos/video
26. Back up phone power and charging cords
27. Texting/weather deal (looks like Garmin Inreach)
28. Foam wrap for canoe gunnel
29. Rods 2 each plus I have a 3 piece for extra back up, back up doesn’t have to be three piece
30. Extra reel
31. Extra line
32. Foldable net – don’t have to bring one up to you and room
33. Gloves
34. Reasonable amount of tackle. Lots of jigs and plastics. Needle nose pliers(2)
35. First aid kit
36. Paddles and an extra that attaches to the canoe
37. suntan lotion, (not just 100 year old spf 4 lol)
38. Passport
39. Wallet
40. Rain gear
41. canoe sponges
42. Fire starters
43. Head nets (2) – I have them
44. Stick of deet, permethrin, avon skin so soft for Black flies
45. Camp chairs? Cots? Probably out due to room but nice to have.
46. Throw PFD
47. PFD’s
48. Water Filter
49. Maps
50. Canoe coating
51. Tick proof pants
52. Canoe seats

Download the PDf of this list.

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