2015 Road Trip: Part 36 (ID-MT)

Idaho to Montana
Pine Creek Waterfall
Day 52
6.4.15

Nothing like a morning from high in the mountains on a ski slope.  I was getting baked in my tent from the sun, so this basically meant it was time to get up.

Good morning Idaho/Montana

It was time to descend the road that got us up the ski slope, which was steep, but not quite as bad as Cerro Quemado in Arizona which put true terror into my brake pads.

Descending from Lookout Pass

Continuing with my plan of reuniting with other Baxter trail crew peoples, our goal for today was to make it to Livingston, MT where our friend Dylan is currently stationed for an Americorps program.  However, getting in contact proved to be challenging as neither Emma nor myself had his number, and internet access was oddly difficult in this area of the world.  We stopped in Missoula and after four attempts to find wifi, we got connected to the best network name I've ever heard of: "BEER IS GREAT".

I also saw more variations of the Montana license plates than I ever thought existed.  I would say we saw upwards of 15 different plates for the state.  Bear themed, Yellowstone themed, big sky themed, land conservation themed, and countless others I can't recall anymore.

Montana is the land of many long mountain passes.  The road climbs slowly for a long time, and then once at the top, you can gaze down over the next valley.  It was a very pretty place to drive through, especially with a sky dotted with puffy clouds.

Livingston Montana proved to be the best place in the area.  Why?  John Deere.  There isn't much I like more than a stroll through a tractor dealership.

Aside from the tractors, the town was in a spectacular location, with hiking opportunities very close by, not to mention Yellowstone NP only 50 miles away to the south.  Like any good trail crew buddies, we met up and promptly went to go on an impromptu hike to Pine Creek, a few miles to the south.

Here is proof that I went hiking with them:

On our way up to the waterfall!

Hiking in Montana, what little we did, was similar to eastern hikes as far as a trail style, with lots of roots and rocks trying to kill you at every step, but you get the reward of tall towering peaks in every direction, ensuring that you trip because you are busy gazing up at them.

We caught this waterfall around the peak runoff season, and it was roaring for sure, especially considering it's not that large of a channel for water.

From the first crossing (on a primitive bridge)

We had a second crossing of the stream which was a bit sketchier since it was along fallen trees instead of properly engineered bridge technology.  The trail proceeded with many switchbacks, climbing alongside the waterfall.

We made it to the top and were able to see it rip over the edge.  I also managed to get Emma in a picture for once.  Hah!  As per usual, she's running out of the shot.

The way this creek carved its way through the rocks made for a nice shot that (hopefully) shows the depth perception well.

I would have loved to do a longer hike in Montana, however we had time constraints since we started pretty late in the afternoon.  Look at any topo map of the area and you'll see that there are endless options for hiking in western Montana.  I found myself flipping through a hiking guidebook for the area that Dylan had, wishing I had another week in the area, of not more.  However, both Emma and I were interested in seeing Yellowstone NP the next day, so we planned on that, and slept in a HOUSE for the first time in awhile.  It was a luxury to have a fully functional kitchen, walls and a roof to borrow for the night.  (As fun as car camping can be.)

It was here that I began to realize how huge Montana really is.  We had driven 383 miles, and not even gotten halfway across the state.  It's proof that you could spend years here and still not have explored all of the area around you.

Day 52: 383 miles

Miles logged to date: 10,501 + 383 = 10,884.  It never ends!