One-hundred-degree weather hit Great Falls and then never let up for three weeks, prompting several trip cancellations, including a substitution this week: Blackleaf Canyon, which is exposed with lots of uphill, to Muddy Creek Falls, which is much shorter and flat, although it is an obstacle course. And the fires were blazing creating smoke. We figured a canyon hike would be better than a view hike, as our views would be occluded with smoke.

We left Great Falls at 5:30 a.m., thinking we would beat the heat of the say, which was predicted to be in the 80s, even in the mountains. After a comfort stop in Choteau, we arrived at the trailhead at 7:45 and hit trail just before 8, after gearing up.

This trail showed its challenged right away with a bushwhack down the two-track road. The silver berry was thick in spots as we made our way to the wash out from the floods of the last few years. To prevent anyone from getting lost or not making our way back to the cars, Katie placed marking tape on several trees at key intersections, although there is no guarantee of coming back the exact same way.  This hike is one that is rarely hiked the same way twice as you just make your way however best you can by following the dry streambed, crossing back and forth as needed.

And the streambed isn't easy to navigate as it has many boulders and large rocks that could turn an ankle if not careful. So we alternated between walking up the streambed and following cattle and game trails through the thick brush and trees on the banks, whichever seemed the easiest in places. 

It wasn't until the last half mile that we came across water and the place that Muddy Creek goes subterranean. At this point, the canyon narrows, which forced us into the water for the last part of our trek.

Still, there wasn't much water in the creek for this time of year, but once we hit the falls, we saw plenty of water. The pool was too deep to approach the falls, and we had to navigate around several boulder areas. It's always a surprise to see this falls for the first time, and it was a first for Maria, Susan and Doreen.

It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to hike just under 2.5 miles, so it shows you the extent of the trail finding and obstacles, around which we had to negotiate. But it was an adventure. On the way back, Maria, Camille, Doreen took turns leading with Maria doing the lead most of the way, We were able to retrace our steps very well, with Maria and Camille finding some better ways to avoid the boulders in the creek bed.

We arrived back at the cars at 1:30 and drove to Choteau for a comfort stop and ice cream. We arrived home by 4 p.m.
Who went: Susan, Camille, Maria, Randi, Doreen, Bonnie, Katie

Facing temps in the high 90s in Great Falls, the GiG decided to find the coolest place around the state, so we could still get a hike in, one without a lot of elevation gain, and Two Medicine Lake fit the bill.  We decided to hike around the lake and go to four waterfalls, so we could tick off a few on our 21 waterfalls goal for the year.

This hike also has several variations, so those who don't want to go as far can ride the boat.  We had one group walk all the way around the lake and to Twin and Aster Falls, one group go over and back on the boat and to both the falls and one group that took the boat halfway and walked the other half around the lake, hitting the falls along the way.  We were able to take 10 gals, with Doreen graciously giving up her boat ticket so Karen could come along.

After the lake hike, we drove to Scenic Point trailhead for Apistoki Falls and then a bit farther down the road to Trick/Running Eagle Falls.

It all started at 5 a.m. as the only boat tickets left by the time we decided on this plan were the 8 a.m. ones. But with the heat predicted to be 78-80 degrees, we were all happy to get an early start.

Nothing too eventful happened on the drive, except Katie had forgotten to fill her water bottles so we had to make an extra stop in Browning to buy some.

We made it to Two Medicine by 7:40, plenty of time to use the facilities and catch the boat. One car dropped off the hikers in the campground before heading for Two Med lake parking lot and the boat dock.

The hikers set a faster pace than normal as they needed to hoof it in order to meet up at Twin Falls with the faster boat. We figured they may need to wait 5-10 minutes even with the faster pace.  On the hike, we only happened upon 4-5 other hikers, so it was a quiet trek. We saw lots of moose poo but no animals; the boat group, on the other hand, saw a moose swimming across the lake! What a sight.

The boat gals arrived about one minute before the hikers, so everything worked out perfectly!  We were all amazed. They said the boat had been redone--over 30,000 man hours, and it looks beautiful. The boat was about 3/4 full, not the half as promised.

There were quite a few people at the falls at first, a result of many others who rode the boat doing it too, but it soon thinned. We took our packs off and had a snack. Then it was time for the boaters to decide if they were hiking around the lake or taking the boat back. All decided to hike except two, who would then hike to Aster Falls after taking the boat back. This option is 1.2 miles shorter and mostly flat. The hikers faced about 400 feet of elevation gain coming up from the boat dock, but this stretch is beautiful with views across the lake and flowers galore in this sunny, open section. In this section, we could shout and wave at those awaiting the boat.

And again, we were amazed that those hike the whole south shore met with those hiking from the boat dock reached Aster Falls within minutes of each other. Everything was working out with no glitches!  There were quite a few people at Aster Falls, so we didn't stay long and opted to hike back to the foot of the lake to have our lunch. This stretch of trail was pretty crowded. We came across numerous hiking groups, as we helped give directions and advice  when asked.

We arrived at the lake at 12:30 and took a half hour to visit the campstore and eat our lunches (they didn't make any of their awesome roasted red pepper gouda cheese soup since it was so hot, which was a disappointment. Some of us would have had soup anyway; it's that good.)

After our break and lunch, we drove to the Scenic Point parking area, which was full. We had to improvise space by the garbage cans. Then all except Gail hiked to Apistoki Falls, Katie taking us the shortcut way.  This hike gets rather steep and has limited views of the falls, but we wanted to check one off the list, which we did. We happened upon a couple who said some sheep were by the falls. We didn't see any; however, the trail on the way down was covered in sheep poo, and lo and behold, the sheep were in the parking area when we got back down. There were several ewes, yearling and two babies from this year. They were right by the cars, a bit too close for comfort; they were bleating and bahing and licking a dark spot on the  ground, which usually means someone urinated there. They like the salt. What a treat to watch them for a while.

Then we did our last hike of the day to Trick/Running Eagle Falls, a short jaunt of 3/4 of a mile to a "double" water falls, one spilling over the other (in early and late season, it is only one falls--it is only double during run-off season). The falls had a bit running over the top but the part out of the cave was rushing.

By now, it was almost 3:30. We decided to opt for eating in Dupuyer instead of East Glacier. We got there just before 5, had a nice meal and got home before 7:30. A great day!

Who went: Gail, Jo Ann, Karen, Randi, Maria, Susan, Sue, Doreen, Bonnie, Katie
Hikers: Doreen, Katie, Susan
Half Boat: Karen, Randi, Sue, Maria, Bonnie
Boat: Gail, Jo Ann

At 6:30 a.m., with six crammed into Katie's Highlander, we headed to Augusta, not for the rodeo, but for a climb of Fairview Mountain in the Rocky Mountain Front.

The day promised to be a bit of a hot one to do 3,000 feet of uphill, but we hoped our early start would get us to the top before it got roasting, and we were pleasantly surprised that the day never heated too much with a breeze and cloud cover. 

Today was a test for three of us: Katie with her hip and shoulder issues from the car accident still bothering, Amber with Achilles' tendon issues from running and her bad ankle and Susan with ankle and knee issues from her ankle operation four years ago. But we all made it to the top and in pretty good form, albeit hurting at times.

Before our hike started, we spied a doe on the side of a hill nursing her two fawns; she quickly left with the babies boing-boinging up and over the hill. So cute! Then we went through the fence, carefully crossed the stream on some old logs, and hit the trail.

We enjoyed the canyon with the string of waterfalls, checking off Willow Creek Falls and Upper Willow Creek Falls. At times, it was fairly hot with no breeze. We prayed it wouldn't warm up even more. Then we headed for the off-trail portion of the hike, the reason we had Katie's husband Tom along, yet we were able to follow old cow and game trails until the saddle. The trails were more distinct from years past.

From there, the slant got progressively steeper until we reached a second saddle, where it leveled out for a bit before the final ascent over very rocky, steep terrain. On this last stretch, the wind picked up and some ominous clouds hung over us, giving us a bit of a chill.

Once we gained the top, we were surprised at how calm it had become, so we could enjoy the views for a while before descending a bit for a lunch spot as the wind picked up once again. But not before we snapped a few summit pictures and put three rocks on the cairn for the three ladies who have gone before us: Chrissie, Colette/Coco and Phyllis.

We were so lucky to find a day before the heat warning engulfs us later in the week. 

Instead of retracing our steps, we did a lollipop, by creating a loop out of the off-trail scramble, going through some old snags and rock ledges. On this part, we came across different zones of wildflowers, one with forget-me-nots, one with shooting stars, one with arrow-leaf balsamroot.

We got back to the cars at 4:30 to find another vehicle there with a couple from Helena, who had no idea where they really were or how far the falls were. We explained to them about the gorgeous canyon and the falls. They also said they were log-time members of MWA and wondered about the name change to Montana Wild, Camille, being on the board, explained to him the logic.

Then it was back home via Augusta right as the rodeo was ending. We got into a traffic jam getting through the four-block town, taking about 15 mintues as we people watched: cowboys spinning their hats, beers in hand; people lined up for burgers at the Buckhorn Bar and a giant Budweiser bottle blow-up swinging in the breeze.

We arrived home around 6 p.m.
Who went: Camille, Susan, Suzie T, Amber, Katie (Guide Tom)

Four of us left Great Falls at 7 a.m. for Willow Creek Falls. Gail, Jo Ann and Evie U met Shelley in Augusta. After a break and snacks at the Mannix General Store, Gail drove us to the trail head. The last two miles of the road were a “Fasten Bra Straps and Remove Dentures” ride. Gail did an excellent job of negotiating the rocks and potholes.

Upon arrival at the trail head, we put on our gear and went through the gate rather than under the barbed wire. Last year, the property owner gave us permission to enter through the gate. At the trail head, the Sugar Bowls were dried up and most other wildflowers were past prime. Normally, that area is filled with beautiful flowers, but the weather has been hot and dry. However, today the temperature in the mid to high 70s was perfect.

When we arrived at the creek, we were pleased that the logs placed across the creek last year were still in place. Since we did not need our water shoes, we hid them in the bushes and picked them up on the way out.

Along the way, the trail varies between tree covered, open meadows, and narrow rocky ledges. We observed the five waterfalls and Jo Ann and Gail added both the Upper and the Lower falls to their 2021 Waterfall list. Many wildflowers were identified including the Shining Penstemon, Wild Rose, Blanket Flower, Iris, Yellow Anemone, Parrot’s Beak, Green Gentian aka Monument Plant, Fuzzy Tongue Penstemon, Round-Leaved Alumroot, Wooly Groundsel, Miner’s Candle, Sandwort, Arrowleaf Balsamroot, False Solomon’s Seal, Starry Solomon’s Seal, Bluebells, Townsendia, Larkspur, Silky Phacelia, Silverleaf Phacelia, Fern-Leaved Desert Parsley, Cut-Leaved Daisy, Drummond’s Milkvetch, and others.

After the fourth waterfall, we stopped for lunch. Then, we proceed on to find the fifth waterfall. While eating lunch, we spotted a person wearing a purple jacket in the distance. When we arrived at the fifth waterfall, two ladies from Helena who were backpacking and camping in the area visited with us (the purple jacket). They took a group photo of us and their dog joined us in the photo.

On the way back to the trail head, Shelley visited with a couple hikers from Conrad. Other than the backpackers and the couple, we did not see anyone else on the trail. It was such a beautiful day. We were surprised, but not disappointed, that no one else was enjoying this wonderful trail.

We stopped for burgers at the Buckhorn Bar; then, said goodbye to Shelley as she headed back to Conrad.

All commented about the good hiking weather and the fellowship which made this hike a perfect day in Montana’s great outdoors. 

Carol, Jo Ann, Noreen, and Randi left Great Falls at 7:30 a.m. and were on the trail by 9:00 a.m., after a stop at the new Rogers Peak Trailhead parking lot and bathroom, down the road from Rogers Pass.
Jo Ann commented GIG know all the bathrooms enroute to their hiking trails. 

Katie and Tom hiked the trail the previous day and encountered a large snowdrift. Following Katie’s directions, we bushwhacked up the hill to the left of the big rock and bypassed the drift. Thanks, Katie.

On our way up the pass, the wildflowers did not disappoint. Creeping Oregon Grape was the prolific flower at the lower portion of the trail. Chocolate Lily is a favorite on this trail, but we only saw a couple open blossoms. At the top of the pass, Alpine Forget-Me-Nots, Douglasia, Cous Biscuitroot and a few Yellowstone Draba were the highlight. The wind was howling so we quickly headed up the trail to find shelter in the trees where we had a snack before descending.   At our snack area, the Pasqueflower were in prime bloom as well as Spring Beauty.

After our hike down the pass, we hiked up the Sunset Mountain Road about a half mile to see if the Chocolate Lily were in bloom. Last summer Jo Ann found a specimen with 14 blooms, which is rare. Along the trail the Glacier Lily were plentiful and in prime bloom, as well as the Creeping Oregon Grape. We found the Chocolate Lily plants in bud, one with many buds. Carol, the gardener, predicted that they would be blooming in a couple weeks. This was Carol’s first hike to Rogers and Sunset. It was also the first time on Sunset for Randi and Noreen

Who went
Carol, Jo Ann, Noreen, and Randi