Author Archives: Bill Walker

Trail condition reports for July 18 posted

Fireweed below Nasukoin Lake, Aug 12, 2017 – W. K. Walker

The July 18, 2018 Forest Service Trail Condition Reports for the Hungry Horse and Glacier View Ranger Districts have been posted to the website Trail Conditions page. Note that the Glacier View entries for trails 2, 19, 26, 40 and 377 list work by the North Fork Trails Association.

These reports contain a fair amount of useful information. Besides trail conditions, they include trail numbers, their official names and end-to-end mileages. The reports may also list information on trail and area closures, especially during fire season.

Trail condition reports for July 11 posted

Whitefish Divide Trail (T26) near T3 intersection, July 12, 2017 – W. K. Walker

The July 11, 2018 Forest Service Trail Condition Reports for the Hungry Horse and Glacier View Ranger Districts have been posted to the website Trail Conditions page. Note that the Glacier View entries for trails 2, 19, 26, 40 and 377 list work by the North Fork Trails Association.

Trail condition reports for July 2 posted

Whale Falls, June 25, 2018 – by W. K. Walker

The July 2, 2018 Forest Service Trail Condition Report for the Hungry Horse Ranger District has been posted to the website Trail Conditions page. The Glacier View District update should be available shortly.

Trail condition reports for June 25 posted

Lower Chain Lake, June 15, 2018 – by W. K. Walker

The June 25, 2018 Forest Service Trail Condition Reports for the Hungry Horse and Glacier View ranger districts have been posted to the website Trail Conditions page. Note that the North Fork Trails Association cleared the Cyclone Lookout Trail (T40) on May 20.

How many calories do you burn on the trail?

Whitefish Divide Trail (T26) near T3 intersection, July 12, 2017 – W. K. Walker

How many calories do you burn hiking with a backpack? Turns out, there’s an equation for that . . .

Hiking with a backpack is a heck of a lot more work than hiking without one. It feels harder, but also you’re burning more calories—which is important to know as you’re planning your snacks and meals for the trip.

This calculator from Outside Online will tell you how many calories you burn if you tell it your weight, the weight of your pack, how fast you hike, how steep the hills are, and how soft or bumpy the ground is.

Play with the numbers, keeping calories constant, and you can find out more than just how much food to pack. For example, how much faster could you go if you lightened your pack by ten pounds?. Or if you know how fast you hike on flat ground, how many miles can you plan to cover on hilly terrain?

Gah! How ticks dig in

Following up on our previous post, NPR has an article, with creepy video, explaining possibly way more than you want to know about how ticks grab on and dig in. It also has some useful advice on removing ticks . . .

Spring is here. Unfortunately for hikers and picnickers enjoying the warmer weather, the new season is prime time for ticks, which can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

How they latch on — and stay on — is a feat of engineering that scientists have been piecing together. Once you know how a tick’s mouth works, you understand why it’s impossible to simply flick a tick.

Tick’s Mouth – Annette Chan-KQED

The key to their success is a menacing mouth covered in hooks that they use to get under the surface of our skin and attach themselves for several days while they fatten up on our blood.

Read/watch more (if you dare) . . .