Surrounding the high country lake was a Lilliputian festival of wild flowers. The high elevation and short growing season ensured that the plants put less energy into stem and leaf making than they did to produce flowers. Small, brilliant, magnificent flowers. So there we were, crawling around on our hands and knees to investigate a tiny wilderness within a larger Wilderness.
The “we” in this case were five women- all in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s- traveling to five wilderness lakes in four days. The climbing wasn’t easy as we roamed cross-country where it seemed no person had been before; indeed, we didn’t see anyone else for three days. Among us, we had one bad back, three bad knees, and one woman with no depth perception. And it was worth every twinge.
The trip also gave lie to the idea that only the most physically fit can enjoy the wilderness.
You can enjoy the wilderness and give something back to the places we treasure. From July 23rd-27th we will be working with the Forest Service and a Montana Conservation Corps crew to work on the Spar Creek Trail. We are looking for 4-5 volunteers each day to help out with the project. If you can only be there for a day, or can stay the whole week, or anything in between, please contact trails@scotchmanpeaks.org . We need to know as soon as possible because the MCC coordinator is counting heads for dinners. So if you are going to stay overnight or plan on going at all, give us a shout. This is a great chance to be a positive influence for a group of young folks.
There will be another chance to work with a MCC crew August 6th-10th. Sign up early and often!
We had a grand time at the Star Peak Trail re-build on Sunday. There was a lot of trail built
for any day, let alone such a hot day. Check out our Facebook page for photos. Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers! If you were there, we’d love to see you again on July 20th for the continuation of the trail. If you weren’t there, then come on out for more fun than you can stand. For those who love to work with rocks, this is your chance! And you still have other chances at Star Peak on August 3rd and 17th.
Hikes in the near future include the Scotchman Triple Header July 14th -15th. If you are faint of heart or weak of limb, remember that this will be several steps beyond difficult. A more moderate hike is the Spar Creek Canyon to Little Spar Lake led by Sarah Lundstrum on July 21st. Contact Sarah at Sarah.lundstrum@gmail.com, Her cell phone is 406-871-3706.
See you on the trail!
