Hike to Lolo Peak (via the Sawback)

The trail from Carlton Ridge

Lolo Peak, or at least what appears to be Lolo Peak, towers over Missoula. But the actual summit is hidden behind a lower false summit. So the mystery of Lolo Peak grows. This hike to the summit was made more difficult by my awesome navigation skills, call me Magellan. I led us up the wrong […]

Hike to Trapper Peak Summit

Trapper Peak dominates the skyline of the south portion of the Bitterroot Vally with its three jagged peaks. The tallest of these stands 10,157 feet above sea level, and ranks as the highest peak in the Bitterroot Range. This particular route is largely off-trail as it follows a ridge above Baker Lake to the summit.

Hiking Lee Ridge near Lolo Pass

Hiking the little used Lee Ridge Trail 295 starting at Lolo Pass at Packer’s Meadows is faint and steep, and the views and huckleberries are sweet.

Summiting Saint Mary Peak

Saint Mary Peak is one of the 9,000 feet plus peaks in the Bitterroot Range. The is a well-worn trail to the summit gains nearly 2500 feet in 3.6 miles. Jeff and I attacked this trail for our Tuesday afternoon hike, and after much effort, we reached the summit where we were treated to views […]

Sweeney Ridge until the Deep Snow

Crotch deep in the snow

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Woods Gulch to the Ridge

Woods Gulch, home to the Flammulated Owl, is one of my favorite short hikes in the Rattlesnake area. The hike itself is awesome as it blasts straight up the gulch, along a small creek, until you reach a ridge that is the haunt of hte small, dark-eyed owls. Today, we were not looking for owls, […]

Beautiful Day for Jerry Johnson Hot Springs

A beautiful day demanded a hike, but most of the area hikes are gumbo-like mixture of slush, mud, and ice. So what to do? Take the short hike into Jerry Johnson Hot Springs in Idaho near the Lochsa River. The hike is a little less than a mile and half, and it is incredibly easy. […]

Blodgett Canyon of the Bitterroot Range

Blodgett Canyon is filled with the enticing aromas of shiny-leaf ceanothus and wild rose that hang heavy in the rapidly warming air of a June day. Pale swallowtails and Rufous Hummingbirds flit and hover at the technicolor sex organs of the flowers. Sheer granite walls rise some 2000 feet above our heads as we set […]