Pioneer Mountains – Day 2

The K2R2 pulled off the road along the Wise River and dropped towards the floodplain and into a grove of pines that would serve as its home for the next few days.

During this time the Common Nighthawks swooped above the willow thickets along the river’s edge issuing their buzzy “BEErzh” call. Sandhill Cranes flew around the valley making their goofy calls. Willow Flycatchers darted in and out from their perches catching insects out of the sky. Kingfishers did low level patrols barely two feet off the surface of the water matching every turn in the river. A nervous male Spotted Sandpiper mimicked the Kingfisher over shorter intervals while calling a familiar “twii twii”. Warbling Vireos feeding on insects and larvae in the trees announced their presence with a run-on warble. A pair of Evening Grosbeaks appeared and the female tried to dive bomb our position. On two occasions a mother elk and her yearling were browsing the fresh green tender shoots of early spring just across the river from us. Then, late one evening during the magical crepuscular hours Rebecca spotted a mink bouncing around near the K2R2 and disappearing off into the brush.

On two of the mornings before the wind picked up the K2R2 drone was launched to explore the area around us. Aside from the narrow ribbon of road we are surrounded by wilderness as far as you could see from an altitude of 525 feet above the ground. In this setting stress melts, anxiety evaporates, and life slows to the fluid motion of the river as it passes by.

It was one of those times where we were content to sit for a few days taking in all the beauty of nature that surrounded us.