waterfowl in the front yard,
a canoe trip circumnavigating the hostel,
as of today we are a waterfront hostel!
Author: Oliver Meister
Come and visit us @ the North Fork Hostel & Inn
some wildflowers on the Rocky Mountain Front
Here are a few examples of the Flower Garden you will find east of Rockies this time of the year…
Back on River Time
You won’t see me on the cold spring river water until the air temperature hits a least a comfortable 25 C, or for the metrically challenged in the mid-seventies! Today was just such a day and for a bonus there was a fine wolf print in the mud by the slough when I got back home to the hostel!
A few things to know about The North Fork Hostel & Inn
…that are good to know:
Check in between 5:30 PM and 9 PM
Make prior arrangements if you need a late check-in!
Check out before 10 AM
Please, leave room or cabin as you found it. Return pillowcases, etc. to hamper.
Electricity: We get our power from the sun but our system is fairly small. We encourage you to use the electric lights (especially until you get used to the propane lights) and prefer it in the wash and shower room. Please, always turn all lights OFF after use. Charging power for your devices only works during the power hour. (check with Oliver, usually between 7 & 8 PM)
Shower hours: 7 AM to 10 AM and 5 PM to 10 PM (Hot water not always available) The shower has electric light, you find the switch to the left of the light fixtures above the sink. Please conserve water: We are in a fragile environment: Low groundwater table & flood plains. So, limit your time and water use, be respectful to those after you and use squeegee after each use; Please keep shower door propped open so air can circulate. Shower for hostel guests only.
Kitchen hours: 7 AM to 10 AM and 5 PM to 10 PM (Please, respect quiet times) Always clean up after yourself and be respectful to others; There is a guest refrigerator for your use. Please mark and date all your food. If you leave foodstuff behind date and mark “free” so it can be safely shared with other guests. Wash all your dishes, wipe counter and stove top immediately after use! Use blue tubs. Wash, Rinse, Sanitize. Help conserve water and energy!
Please recycle: Aluminum cans in blue recycle bin. Glass bottles in card board box, there is no glass recycling but it makes life easier as we have to haul all garbage to Columbia Falls; Egg shells (they compost better if burned) and paper in paper bag. Because this is bear country please no cooked or processed FOOD scraps in compost pail – only coffee, tea and raw, uncooked matters (in doubt throw in trash or ask Oliver).
How to light propane lamps: Please familiarize yourself with them first and ask for assistance if in doubt: First light match (make sure you have a solid and big flame) hold it to the mantle (make sure only the flame, not the match, is touching the mantle) and turn gas on (lever/ knob on side of lamp) For your safety, do not turn gas on first and do not blow out! Oliver loves to show you how to light the lamps safely!
Sheets and Towels are normally not provided but are available (Ask for help) for a fee! Always use bedding or sleeping bags! Pillow cases (No charge) are next to the kitchen in the Hallway; Please return pillow cases and sheets to hamper after use. Hang towels to dry.
Toilets are Outhouses! You find them in backyard, there is also a urinal! Only toilet paper and human waste goes down the hole! Absolutely no plastic or hygiene products in pit please, they belong in the trash! Keep lid closed to keep smell down and remember: Changing toilet paper rolls does not cause brain damage!
Ride to Kintla Lake
If you don’t mind to hike a few patches of snow, which probably will be gone shortly, Kintla Lake makes a beautiful bike ride this time of the year. You can drive half way up if you prefer not to ride all the way from Polebridge, but that’s missing half the fun!
Bike Riding season has begun
Camas Road has opened and other park roads are drying out. Big Prairie is dry half way up to Kintla Lake and full of elk and deer. It might open the 7 miles towards Kintla Lake by Monday Bowman Lake road is dry halfway up then snow covered also.
Demers Ridge
Here are some views from Demers Ridge: First along the ridge to the south you can make out Huckleberry lookout; the north towards Winona Ridge and the upper north fork; in the third photo you can make out Rainbow and the north fork road and Demers trail head down below; then we are looking north again, you can make out home ranch bottoms, Winona Lake and Big Prairie in the park; and finally on the last photo we are looking south at the Camas ans McDonald Valleys and Camas Road.
Deer leg on Bowman Lake
It was one of those days, way out of reach of the camera’s eye but well within reach of the binocular: I spent over an hour watching the instigators of this poor little deer’s demise; I watched the four where they were way down the middle of the frozen lake, napping and dozing, rolling in the snow and wrestling with each other, scratching and stretching, napping some more and another stretch for good measures. It was one of those days..
Logging and Grace Lake
no words needed!
Cyclone Lookout
Here is Oliver on a great outing to Cyclone Lookout, just a little south of Polebridge. Great views reveal the frozen Bowman Lake with little sleepy Polebridge in the Foreground. The view towards the south shows the lower part of the North Fork Valley and some more of the Glacier Peaks, all capped by the cloud ceiling.