SusanHatch Photography

SusanHatch Photography Montana Native. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

Just for fun...Moms are the same in every species.Picture A: You have a youngster who tasted something Mom told him to "...
08/01/2026

Just for fun...
Moms are the same in every species.

Picture A: You have a youngster who tasted something Mom told him to "definitely" leave alone, so the minute her back was turned in the cherry tree, he ate it anyway...and it was HOT.

Picture B, you have a teenager whose mom just found out her little girl, less than a year old, got her ear pierced. "WHAT have you done!" she screams.

“There's no bitch on earth like a mother frightened for her kids.”
― Stephen King

Elk in VelvetLost Horse RoadDarby, Montana If you are not a fan of elk, this might not be the page for you. Many of my p...
07/28/2026

Elk in Velvet
Lost Horse Road
Darby, Montana

If you are not a fan of elk, this might not be the page for you. Many of my photos will feature barns, mountains, and elk. We have an abundance of elk, and I love them. Not in the amounts and visibility of Yellowstone, but a fair amount.
Some say their numbers have been vastly reduced by wolves. Since the reintroduction of wolves in the mid-1990s, the Northern Yellowstone elk herd has experienced a significant decline. The population has dropped by approximately 80%, from nearly 20,000 to less than 4,000 today. This decline is closely associated with the presence of wolves in the area.
However, while wolf predation is a major factor in the reduction of elk numbers, it is not the sole cause. Other elements also play a role in the decline of elk populations:
Habitat Issues: Changes in habitat quality and availability can affect elk survival and reproduction.
Other Predators: The presence of other predators, such as mountain lions and bears, also impacts elk populations.
The main factors affecting elk decline in Montana are Mountain lions. Lion predation is the main cause of death in young elk calves, significantly impacting overall elk population numbers. Additionally, factors such as habitat availability, winter severity, and nutritional conditions also play crucial roles - boone-crocket.org, wildlife.org

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had...
07/26/2026

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Thistles in all stages, a doe deer with triplets, and a father quail , who herded his children away on the road as a fawn tried to get them to play, and the last remnant of snow in the shadows and canyons of Como Peak, Bitterroot Valley, Montana
Hot July evening.

July 25, 9:30 p.m. The North Fork Lost Horse Fire is located 8 miles northwest of Charlos Heights, 13 miles northwest of...
07/26/2026

July 25, 9:30 p.m.
The North Fork Lost Horse Fire is located 8 miles northwest of Charlos Heights, 13 miles northwest of Darby, and north of the North Lost Horse Creek. Near Ward Mountain, now 40 acres. A Type 3 incident management team, a mid-level team that handles moderate complexity incidents, is being formed to manage the fire. Heavy equipment, engine crews, water tenders, and more aircraft are being ordered. Today, a rotation of 3 helicopters dropped water since 9 a.m.. The road is being closed.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be realit...
07/13/2026

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu
Lake Como, Darby, Montana
Sunday afternoon.

These photos are for those who have believed the tales of Montana being unpopulated and wild.
For the old-time Bitterrooters, who reminisce about when we could swim at Lake Como and perhaps meet three or four others..
Commerce and new people have exploded in the last few years.
We want to welcome you because, as a traveler, I have seen where many of you are coming from. I would want to escape those places too.
As a native, I am nostalgic for the valley I grew up in.
But I recognize that progress and change can neither be avoided nor stopped.

We barely had June, and now it is after the Fourth of July. Where has the time gone? I've enjoyed the summer showers; th...
07/05/2026

We barely had June, and now it is after the Fourth of July. Where has the time gone?
I've enjoyed the summer showers; they've kept the garden watered for me, now our summer heat begins.
So much beauty in summer in Montana. Second only to autumn, the best season of all. (In my opinion)

“I drifted into a summer-nap under the hot shade of July, serenaded by a cicada lullaby, to drowsy-warm dreams of distant thunder.”
― Terri Guillemets

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”― Maud Hart ...
06/29/2026

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace

The world doesn't always smell of roses in June in Montana.
8 inches of snow fell yesterday on Lost Trail Pass.
I get a daily Facebook "On this day" update with photos from years past.
Sometimes it's been 101 degrees; often it has snowed. I have multiple photos of snow covering my tomato plants in July.
Montana is unpredictable. And aren't the best things really that way? Who wants every day, or everyone, to be the same? Not me!

In Montana ,we don't get in a hurry to put our winter clothing away.Cell phone- June 28th - 8 days into summer season.Ce...
06/29/2026

In Montana ,we don't get in a hurry to put our winter clothing away.
Cell phone- June 28th - 8 days into summer season.
Cell photos
Lost Trail and Bighole valley

The Magruder CorridorMagruder Rangers House is one of seven buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s that are still ...
06/19/2026

The Magruder Corridor
Magruder Rangers House is one of seven buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s that are still used by Forest Service trail crews and wilderness rangers. You can look into the 2.3 million-acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness or the 1.2 million-acre Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. This road was constructed by CCC's in the 1930s and remains much the same now as it did then.
The official name of the corridor came from the tragic massacre of Lloyd Magruder. He was a successful merchant in the 1860s from Virginia City, Montana, who sold supplies to miners in exchange for gold.
During a trip, he encountered four strangers who robbed, killed, and threw him off a cliff before heading for San Francisco.

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