By Shelby
This week we went through several cities in central Montana. The weather was very good all week in the 70s and 80s (Fahrenheit). We are settling into a nice routine of working Monday to Wednesday at libraries. Sometimes we work all week in one city or drive after work to get to someplace new. That leaves Thursday through Saturday for adventures which usually include at least one big hike and tourist attraction each week. We plan around the weather and popularity of the attraction, with the assumption that Thursdays will be less busy. On Sunday we take time to relax, update the website, and drive on if needed.
We worked from the Billings Public Library on Monday. It was a pretty nice library. It looked new and the interior was very wide open. After work, we drove to R.E.I. to buy a larger camping stove. Our small one is nice because it’s so tiny, but we wanted to be able to have more than one burner. After getting the stove, we drove to Two Moon Park, a small park along the Yellowstone River. For dinner, we made pasta with peas on the side. It was very good.
We worked from the same library Tuesday. After work, we went back to Two Moon Park to eat dinner. We also walked a trail next to the river. We were being eaten alive by mosquitos, so we cut the trail short and went back to the car.
Wednesday, we worked at the library in the morning. For lunch, we drove to Zimmerman Park, a park located on a cliff overlooking the city. We parked at a viewing parking lot next to the airport and watched planes take off and land while we ate lunch. After lunch, we walked a short trail in the park along the cliffside to see the view of the city. It was really hot out, so we didn’t stay long. We drove to our next destination, Bozeman.
Along the way, we drove past a large natural gas well where one of the smokestacks had a large flame coming out of it. We learned that this is excess gas being burned off to maintain a safe pressure in the equipment. The flame and snowcapped mountains in the distance reminded Spencer of the beacons from Lord of the Rings.
The rest of the drive went smoothly until we were pretty close to Bozeman and we started to run out of gas. Neither of us noticed that the gas gauge had been getting increasingly lower until it beeped at us because it was so low. The next gas station wasn’t for another 15 miles. On top of that, we entered a road work area where the highway became a one-lane road. I was pretty nervous when the range of the car reached 0 miles, but luckily we were able to make it to the gas station. Apparently, you can drive a Prius pretty far after it says the range left is zero.
When we made it into Bozeman, we ended up having to take a long detour to reach the park we were planning on sleeping at due to a closed road. But eventually, we made it to the park. It was very nice. There were many people swimming in the small lake. There were also groups of people playing volleyball on the volleyball courts. We saw a bunch of campers and campervans there as well. It was quite the popular spot. We walked a short trail through a field in the park. It was beautiful. There was a nice view of the mountains.
The next day, we drove an hour into the mountains to go hiking. We had to drive on a dirt road to reach the trailhead. That was pretty intense. The dirt road was very rough and rocky and uphill. We were a little worried the Prius wouldn’t make it, but it did, albeit a little dustier. We parked a couple of miles before the main trail started. This added a few miles of hiking and avoided the worst part of the road. The trail we were going to hike was about 10 miles leading to the peak of Mt. Sacagawea, the tallest peak in the area.
We followed an ATV trail uphill for the first 2.5 miles. We didn’t see anyone else on this part of the trail. It was nice and quiet walking along a creek. This part of the trail led to Fairy Lake, a beautiful alpine lake. The water looked so clean and was a very nice shade of green. We noticed the temperature had already gotten cooler since the start of our hike as we gained altitude.
Near the lake, there was a well for drinking water that we were able to pump to fill our water bottles. That was pretty neat to try. I used my Grayl filtered water bottle to filter the sediment out of the water. The next portion of the trail was a walk uphill through the woods. This led to a series of switchbacks that became more and more exposed as we approached the treeline. We stopped multiple times to take pictures of the view.
Further along the trail, we started to see patches of snow. Eventually, we reached a large area covered in snow. The trail was completely covered. We spoke with a group of people waiting there who said they couldn’t continue up the trail because of the snow, but part of their group did. We decided to try to continue forward. We climbed up a rocky area next to the snow-covered trail. On our GPS trail app, Gaia, we appeared to be going further and further off the trail. Luckily the snow cleared up and we were able to rejoin the trail. From here, we could see the peak of the mountain. It was so steep, we couldn’t imagine how we were going to get there.
This part of the trail was very rocky and open. There were small streams of water from melted snow running down the trail. We also saw wildflowers in many different colors. We kept an eye out for mountain goats since they had been seen in the area. The trail became steeper and steeper until we reached a series of switchbacks going up the steep mountainside. We had to step very carefully as the loose gravel was slippery and we didn’t want to go rolling down the mountainside. Part of the trail was covered in snow again and we had to step into footsteps already in the snow to avoid sliding off the trail. Fortunately, we didn’t have too many issues.
Finally, we reached the top of the ridge and took a short break. From here, we were able to see the other side of the mountain. The view was very nice. We were able to see the snow capped Rocky Mountains in the distance, along with smaller mountains much closer. We could also see the city of Bozeman laid out below us. We still had a long way to go, so we moved on. This area was very exposed and windy, so we put on more layers to stay warm.
The trail became even steeper and narrower than before as we approached the peak of the mountain. It was exhausting and relentless! We stopped briefly to eat lunch as we were pretty hungry by now. Finally, we reached the peak of the mountain. There were amazing 360-degree views of the mountains all around us. We had the whole place to ourselves and took a bunch of pictures. Spencer even made a post to Facebook!
After a spending few minutes at the top, we carefully descended back down the mountain. It was a really amazing hike that was both challenging and rewarding. You can see more pictures from the hike here. For dinner, we drove to a Chipotle back in Bozeman. After dinner, we drove almost two hours to our next destination, Helena, the capital of Montana. It was a pretty city in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains.
Friday, we went to the Lewis and Clark Library to go through pictures, relax, and work on the website. We also got an oil change for the car. That evening, we drove to a rest area outside the city to make dinner – cheeseburgers with sugar snap peas and chips. We found it interesting that none of the parks inside the city seemed to have running water, which is why we went to the rest area. Making dinner went smoothly, though it’s always a process. It turned out very well. After dinner, we drove to the Mt. Helena trailhead back in the city to try to hike to the peak to see the sunset. Unfortunately, we got rained out. We did see a nice rainbow though.
Saturday morning, we returned to the Mt. Helena trailhead. We hiked up the 1906 trail to the peak. It was steeper than we thought and pretty tiring. The view from the peak was nice. After descending from the mountain, we drove on toward Missoula.
Along the way, we stopped at Garnet Ghost Town, an abandoned mining town in the mountains. This involved driving five miles up the mountain on another dirt road. It seemed well maintained for the most part. The town is now operated as a federal and state preservation site. There is a visitors center and descriptions for all of the existing buildings.
I found the ghost town very interesting. We explored the small log houses that were built by the miners, the saloon, general store, jail, schoolhouse, and hotel. The buildings were very well preserved. We walked part of a trail outside the town to see an old collapsed mine shaft.
When we were finished exploring the town, we continued our drive to Missoula. Along the way, we passed a group of brown cows grazing near the side of the road. They were very cute. That night, we slept at the Walmart in Missoula. There were so many other campers, RVs, and campervans there. It looked like a campground! Sunday, we relaxed, worked on the website at Barnes and Noble, and researched Glacier National Park where we are headed next.
Fun Facts from Week 10:
- The views from Sacagawea Peak include the Tobacco Root Mountains and the Spanish Peaks to the west, the Crazy Mountains to the east, and the Bridger Mountains to the south.
- In the late 1800s, over 1000 people lived in the mining town of Garnet. Almost a million dollars worth of gold was extracted from the town’s mines. The town and mines were mostly abandoned by 1905 and the population decreased to about 150. After a fire destroyed many of the town’s buildings, the town was, for the most part, abandoned.
3 responses to “Week 10”
H! This is Lynn, Mike’s wife. We just left glacier 2 days ago and it’s gorgeous! Going to the Sun road is closed until about the 13th although it may open sooner. We recommend Lake McDonald and Two Medicine Lake on tbe east side. St. Mary’s on the East is great too. Worth it to drive to the east side. Enjoy!
Awesome thanks for the info! We were wondering if the east side was worth it so that’s good to know.
Love the rainbow picture! Pasta and peas. That is what Grandma made, then me and now you!