Enjoy our wild places

Bob Simpson

ALONG RYE CREEK, Mont. - Wilderness and wildlife have many things in common. Both we can live without, but once they're gone, they're gone forever. So far, there's nothing man has created that can replace them. We value wild and open places as opposed to the slum and slime of cities. Yet, there are growing problems with the use of motorized vehicles (all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and beach buggies) within these otherwise wild or natural areas, where the wildlife has no choice.

The problem is with those who insist their recreation and their supporting industries are more important than piping plovers or elk.

It becomes even more important to the rest of us who also enjoy access to these natural areas to guard against the desecration of the wild aspects of our lands and to remember that, although we might believe access to these places is our inherent right, we are the minority.

Outdoor adventuring isn't limited to game hunting and fishing or ATV riding. Here in the Big Sky Country, during the offseasons, mushroom hunting and huckleberrying become family sport. Entire businesses find themselves shut down as employees take leave for the opening of the mushroom season seeking to pick a mess of chanterelles for a gourmet supper.

There's a host of delightful berries in the wild. Serviceberries, blueberries, raspberries and thimbleberries are abundant. Most popular are huckleberries. It takes lots of pea-sized berries for a pie.

The goal is locating a good patch that bears haven't yet worked over and picking a season's supply. Be warned, however, it might -- rather, it does -- take a mighty lot of mountain climbing, rock scrambling and nosing around deep in bear country to gather a season's worth of these treasures.

Gene and Sue Huntsman Havelock and their pack of dogs appeared on our doorstep early one morning with two objectives in mind -- huckleberrying and fishing.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves atop a mountain side at about 7,000 to 8,000 feet, climbing a trail carved out of a sheer slope of granite above stands of ponderosa pine. Misty banks of dark-bottomed, white-topped clouds blanked out the depths of seemingly bottomless canyons. Mountain bluebirds flitted from tree to tree, dark-striped chipmunks, undisturbed by our presence, darted about, wagging their pert tails as flags.

There is nothing silent about the wilderness. Here the rumble of traffic is replaced by the singing of water cascading over the rocks rushing to join the waters below. The whistle of wind in the pine and ponderosa, bird songs and perhaps, the distant barking of fox or coyote are heard in the distant hills.

It was a mighty tired, finger-stained crew that night who sat down to eat huckleberry pie. I decided fishing a wild mountain trout stream is a lot easier.

But either way is a great way to enjoy our wild places.

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Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1672900.html

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