Getting out before the storm: Saint Mary Peak
Atop Saint Mary Peak is a fire lookout that has seen the Roaring Lion Fire and hundreds of lightning strikes in the past few weeks. The hike to the top of this peak starts at a lofty 6800 feet, and well-traveled trail gains another 2500 feet to the summit. From the peak, the Bitterroot Mountains […]
Hiking along Cache Creek
We haven’t spent much time in the mountains to the west of Missoula. I have heard of Cache Creek for some time, so we decided to make the trip this past Sunday. The drive to the trailhead from Lolo is great as you travel west on Highway 12, take the Fish Creek Road from around […]
Circumambulation of Clearwater Lake
Buddy Jeff and I completed the short hike around Clearwater Lake at the foot of the Swan Range. While not challenging in the slightest, but enjoyable to the max. The total hike is around 3 miles and circles the lake. We heard and saw Common Loon, and many species of dragonfly were about the margin […]
Canyon Creek & Lake in the Bitterroot Mountains
Difficult, but this hike offers great views of Canyon Falls before reaching Canyon Lake. We arrived late (just before noon), and the parking lot was already filled. This lot serves both the Canyon Creek Trail and the Blodgett Canyon Overlook trailheads. The trail starts off easy for the first 3 miles, although it is a rather rocky and […]
Glen Lake and No Name Lake – Journey through a ghost forest.
The trail was littered with downfall (thanks to last winter’s winds and the trail crews have not yet made it here), but the views – man, the views – were beyond worth a little more effort and a few scraps. Hiking partner Jeff set a brisk pace (okay, the bastard nearly killed me), but we crossed into the Selway-Bitterroot […]
Camas Lake in the Bitterroots
One of the greatest aspects of hiking is the opportunity to explore new areas, even places near your home. Camas Lake is just one of those places…close to home and never explore. That was true until today when Vida and I made the hike to the lake and we were awarded with spectacular views and […]
Blackfoot River Valley – Simply Amazing
Spent an awesome morning hiking and exploring on a private ranch in the Blackfoot River Valley. The landscape was an enticing mixture of rolling hills, ponderosa pine stands, and meadows. Cow elk were everywhere with calves dropping (we did see two little spotted guys). The most unique sight of the day was a western painted […]
Morrell Falls – Crowded Beauty
Morrell Falls is a quite popular destination for hikers and families looking for an afternoon stroll to one of the most photogenic waterfalls in Montana. Swan Mountains dominate the skyline as you weave through a rather monotonous lodgepole forest for the first mile and half. These eventually gives way to a spruce-fir forest with Morrell Creek […]
Chaffin Butte
Sometimes the most magical places are in the back yard and in plain sight. Chaffin Butte (the “C” hill above Corvallis) is just such a place. This short, steep trail leads through sagebrush to the top of Chaffin Butte with panoramic views of the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. [sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Chaffin Butte.gpx”] The trail quickly drops […]
Calypso Rain
I’ve always love to walk to the rain. Everything becomes slow, and yet vibrant at the same time. Everything becomes a contradiction. There’s silence, yet sound surrounds. There are no people, but I’m not lonely. [sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Early afternoon hike.gpx”]
Mount Jumbo from Lincoln Hills
Vida and I shared on the best early season hikes around Missoula, the short, steep ascent to the top of Mount Jumbo. The temperature soared into the upper 60s as we departed from the Lincoln Hills trailhead, which sits below the Saddle. At the saddle, the wildflowers were just starting to pop with Sagebrush buttercup […]
Blue Mountain National Recreation Area – Trails 3.06 & 3.03
Living near Missoula, Montana, we are fortunate have the Blue Mountain National Recreation Area just outside of the city limits. This 4,900-acre recreation area includes 41 miles of system trails, and on this day I hiked along trails 3.03 & 3.06 for a quick 3 miles. In the video, I rant against the militia currently occupying […]
Birding along the Kenai Trail – Lee Metcalf NWR
[sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Kenai Trail – Lee Metcalf NWR.gpx”] A place that I have visited many, many times, the Lee Metcalf National Refuge has always had a special draw on me. The series of ponds host a variety of waterfowl and other water throughout the year, and has one of the few extensive wetland areas in the […]
Hiking to Bass Creek Falls in the Bitterroots
[sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Bass Creek to the Falls.gpx”] Happy New Year! And what better way to kickoff 2016, then with a winter hike into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and, specifically, Bass Creek Falls. The hike is relatively easy at a length of 3.25 miles to the Falls and an elevation gain of slightly more than 1000 feet. The […]
Jerry Johnson Hot Springs
[sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Jerry Johnson.gpx”] Jerry Johnson Hot Springs are located a tad over a mile from the Lochsa River in Idaho. The hike starts with a crossing of the Lochsa River, followed by a gentle hike along Warm Springs Creek. On this day, I had the entire place to myself from parking lot to the pools […]