We left the DOB under ominous skies and the rain didn’t subside as we got closer and closer to the Rogers Pass trailhead on May 30. Leaders Gail and June were going through alternative activities in their minds if we were to have driven all that way and been rained out. Go on to Lincoln? Walk the Sculpture in the Wild Park? Even Mary Nichols, who had driven Highway 200 from Seeley to meet us at the trailhead, said she had been through hard rains the entire way. But as can sometimes happen, the clouds thinned, the rain clouds moved on, and just like that, we were under dry skies from the beginning to the end of the 3 mile round trip to the top of Rogers Pass.
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The highlight of this hike was presenting Mary Nichols with her 500 mile award. Unbeknownst to Mary and to make sure she had truly reached the 500 miles, the group continued on with her across the top of the pass along the Continental Divide Trail to a cairn designated by Katie that would guarantee her 500 mile total. Once we had returned to the bottom, Susan Woyth presented the award, and we shared cookies and a good laugh over the extra trek to the cairn.

Who went: Mary N, June, Christi, Susan W, Amber, Rose, Spardha

In Great Falls, it was foggy and rainy all day,  but we escaped the gloom by heading to Two Medicine for a hike up Scenic Point. Going north apparently was just to ticket to avoid a cold dreary day as we had patches of blue in between the clouds; no rain at all.

We started at 7 a.m and hit trail at 10. The path was nice to start, then became a river due to melting snow and then finally we hit the snow. We handled it fine at first but then resorted to yaktrax as the snow became slippery the more it melted. Luckily, there was one hiker ahead of us creating a set of tracks to follow as it was hard to see the trail.  At one point, Katie followed the tracks and realized she was off trail. We missed a switchback and had to backtrack.

Two gal passed us and then came back down. They said they found deep snow, up to their hips, so they turned around before the top. We did too as Katie also saw a small cornice at the pass and was worried about avalanche. Plus some of the gals were starting to posthole too as the temperatures rose.

When we did turn around, Susan W asked, "How am I going to get out of here" as it is harder to go down than up, especially in steep slippery snow, but it was easier than it looked and we all made it to the "river" portion of the trail with only one mishap: Josy fell into a tree well, but she quickly scrambled up to the trail without assistance.

We all agreed that the effort was well worth the views: puffy clouds, some blue sky and fabulous snow-capped peaks surrounding us with the gorgeous Two Med lake below.

We got off trail at 2:40 and headed to the camp store for a snack on the porch. The store had just opened for the season at noon that day, with several new employees. We found out that the store will have a few more food items this year as well as more inventory.

Then it was off for another two mile hike, this time to the moose ponds on the south shore trail. We didn't see any moose and only a few flowers in the meadows--shooting stars and buttercups mostly--and lots of mud.

We finished just in time to get in line for the opening of Serrano's. We found out that Serrano's did sell. We were impressed with the help--lots of it and on the ball. However, some of the food wasn't cooked all of the way and lacked some of the former quality. Still, we had worked up an appetite. And two of us brought home pie for strength from the Two Med cafe for our husbands.

We arrived back in Great Falls at 8:15, early since our meal only took 45 minutes.

​Who went: Josy, Susan C, Susan W, Amber, June, Katie

​The forecast was threatening with a 70% chance of wet weather but armed with our rain gear, we headed out to Helena. We had a slight problem in finding the Rodney Ridge Trail Head but Sue H. helped guide us as some of the streets were hard to find. Yes, we were using GPS but it was not too helpful.

This was a new hike for most of us and everyone enjoyed the diversity. We started out and found the trails to be very pleasant with many great paths that connected so our maps of the area were put to good use. There were social trails not listed on our maps so sometimes we were not sure if we were on the right trail but we able to make the six mile loop. There were some flowers like Arrow-leaved Balsam Root, Phlox, Shooting Stars with more plants emerging.

     We encountered mountain bikers that had full face helmets and safety gear which was good to see because they were riding quite fast. There were a few hikers and some trail runners also. Our group was amazed at how polite everyone was on the trail which made us feel welcome and we appreciated the large area of trails that were well maintained.
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     We hiked to The Top Of The World and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Helena and the surrounding area. As we were  ending our hike it looked like rain in the distant and by the time we stopped for lunch at the Brewhouse it was raining.  We met Cathy;s daughter for an enjoyable lunch and then we made a quick stop to shop and then proceeded home.

Ladies who went: Cathy, Susan, Karen, Gail, Susan C. and Sue H.

On a gray day, three GiG gals headed to Helena, hoping for no rain. The predictions were for rain and wind in Great Falls all week, so we went south since the weather looked more favorable that direction.

And we were right. We didn't get rained on and no wind! Although, we were quite cold when we started, necessitating gloves and jackets.Susan never did strip down to her last layer, I think a first for her. Mary kept all five of her layers on the whole time, with Katie taking off one layer just to put it back on once we reached our ridge top snack break.

We did encounter a few hikers (two with dogs) and quite a few bikers, who were a bit scary due to how fast and silently they came upon us. But everyone was respectful and polite. The hikers yielded to uphill traffic while we stepped off the trail for the bikers, so they wouldn't have to lose their momentum.

We took the Don't Fence Me In trail to the Water Line to the TR to the Pinchot to the Rodney Ridge and Meadow trails, which completed a nice loop.  At the far end of the Rodney Ridge trail, we continued up a spur trail to view the Top of the World view spot and then backtracked to our loop.  The views were lovely even though the low clouds blocked the far mountains.  We could still see snow-capped peaks as well as the surrounding hills, houses and creeks.

The trail is a variety of forest, meadow and ridgelines with views. We also saw 14 flowers: fitillary, 9-leaf biscuitroot, cous biscuitroot, American vetch, fairybells/red twin berry, pasque flower, arrowleaf balsamroot, buttercup, phlox, douglasia, virgin's bower/clematis, skunkcap sumac, shooting star to name a few.

A few times we were confused about the trails as there were unmarked social trails. However, with the aid of the South Hills Trail map and our cell phones, we easily found our way.

The trip took us just under 3 hours to complete, and then we headed to lunch at the Brew Pub, but first we stopped at the Base Camp to purchase more maps and take a look at gear.

We got back to GF just after 4 p.m. to face the howling winds.

     A group of nine ladies headed out after work to the Highwoods to try the North Fork Trail for an evening hike. There were clouds looming over the Little Belts but the Highwood mountains looked inviting. It was nice to have Bonnie along on the drive because she was raised in the area and gave us some history and showed us the family ranch with all of the newborn calves that her brother now runs. She also pointed out some sketchy bridges and guided us on the dirt road. 

     We arrived at the parking area and then crossed a small foot bridge to the trail head. All though the hike is a short one, it is a little steep and starts in the trees and heads to a ridge where the view are super. You can see Baldy which still has some snow on the top of the mountain.  After the ridge we came to a stand of trees and five of the group lead by Katie, headed to the top. The rest of the group continued along the trail to meet up with them. When we stopped we were in voice contact with them but they did not show up so our group turned around and then waited for them on the ridge. We started down the trail and very shortly the group was in view.

Although the flowers are late this year, we still saw 20 different varieties, including pasque, cous biscuitroot, fritillaries/yellow bell, sugar bell, chickweed, woodland star, shooting star, golden pea with the arrowleaf balsamroot just starting.

     We were dismayed to fine that motorcycles had used the trail and also there were other vehicles had climbed a hill by the parking lot when motorized vehicles were to remain on the road.

After a beautiful evening for a hike we returned to Great Falls at 8:30 just as a few drops of rain came down. Thanks Amber and Jeanne for driving.

The ladies who went were: Amber, Rose, Judy, Jeanne, Beth, Katie, Gail, Bonnie W and Christi.

Two groups of the GiG headed out for a day in Many Glacier to see Apikuni and Redrock falls. Both groups found more snow than expected.

Longer Hike Group

​6 a.m.  group
Brenda Brooks
Susan Woyth
Viki Gallagher
Judy Held
Amber Pedersen
Mary Somerfeld
Karen Spencer
Kuntzie Kuntz  

Highlights of our trip:
Kuntzie woke up late so that gave Susan time to grab a coffee while we waited. At the  turnoff Amber made the rookie mistake of not speaking up about the bathroom and wound up having to 'read a sign" on the side of the road prior to arriving in Browning.  

As we entered the park Susan was deeply concerned about how low the water was and expressed her dismay several times. Finding an open bathroom proved more challenging than we first thought. Pete, a lone hiker was very helpful with suggestions...there was great little loner pit toilet in a parking lot behind the Many Glacier hotel that we finally found. We made our way back to the Apikuni trailhead and began our journey. We ran into Pete again taking pictures of the pasque flowers (crocus), and he joined us to the falls. 

The trail was nice with minimal snow to traverse.  The temperature was perfect and the wind was practically non existent (no, really!) The elevation gain was just enough to get the heart pumping! Judy decided pants were optional and did not need her under tights-- and Amber quickly learned the Lesson of the day: Snow does not mean cold!  The Apikuni Falls were absolutely beautiful and it was great little jaunt to get our day started. Pete continued on above the falls and we met with the sister GIG group on our way back down. 

We were all so enthusiastic about our great little loner pit toilet we decided it was worth another stop on our way to the Bullhead lake trailhead.  Some folks had mentioned a Mama bear and cubs on the road but we did not see anything other than an impressive pile of scat. 

The trailhead to Bullhead lake looked quite promising until about 500 ft. past the bridge.  Much of the trail was shaded by trees and the snow had not completely melted.  Probably 75% of our journey to Red Rock Falls was through the snow.  We had nice deep moose tracks to helps us avoid some of the deeper post holing spots but never did find our moose guide. We had lunch at Red Rock Falls and after a brief, unsuccessful scouting trip to find the trail to Bullhead Lake we determined it was not to be. Kuntzie had already determined she was not going any further!  The snow was far too deep and we did not want to risk losing Judy up to her hips again! 

The snow coming back was very slushy and slippery and the post holing was quite frustrating as well.  Our only wildlife were some gophers and ducks with white stripes.  We did earn ourselves a nice little merit badge for finding lost bear spray and sunglasses on the way out. Once we changed out of our slushy shoes we just could not miss the opportunity the stop by our great little loner pit toilet again.  As we left the park and started into the reservation we all shared in the concern for just how low that darn water really was!  

Gas in Browning and on  to dinner at Buffalo Joe's.  Our sister group was already there and eating and after a small panic by the hostess we all enjoyed an wonderful meal.  All in all it was a great day in the park and good times were had by all!

Shorter Group HIke
Our group left Great Falls at 7:00 a.m.:  Gail, Maria, Anita, Jeanne, and Jo Ann. Gail drove. We stopped in Browning for gas and snacks; then, proceed on to Many Glacier. There was snow on part of the trail to Apikuni Falls. Not difficult, but on the way down we wore our Yak Traks; the snow was melting and slippery in spots. As we were going up the trail, we met the other group coming down. The Falls were beautiful and the snow-capped mountains glistened in the warm sun.

Then, we proceed on to the bathroom and lunch at the Many Glacier picnic area on Swiftcurrent Lake. After lunch, we proceeded on to Red Rock Falls Trail. However, after a short time on the trail, observing other hikers post holing and falling in the snow, Gail suggested we turn around and all quickly agreed. Then, we went to the Many Glacier Hotel to check out the trails.

Again, too much snow. We took photos and relaxed in the sun, enjoying the spectacular view of the snow covered mountains. The hotel was in various stages of renovation, including painting the outside. Maria and Anita took a peak inside. On our way home, we stopped at Buffalo Joes in Dupuyer.

​We had 6:15 p.m. reservations, but since we hiked less than planned, we arrived around 4:30 p.m. Since dinner service begins at 5 p.m., we ordered off the lunch menu. The food was fair, not as good as in past stops. We then proceeded on to Great Falls. A sunny, warm, scenic day in Glacier was enjoyed by all.

Twelve gals headed out for an evening walk along the north shore of the Missouri at 4:15 p.m., going from the Morony Dam trailhead to the Ryan Dam trailhead. First we parked a car at Ryan and then continued to Morony.

We enjoyed a slight breeze but not the winds we had expected while the storm clouds kept their distance, hanging over the Highwood Mountians, so the weather really cooperated.
The river was gorgeous as were the hoodoos and the few flowers we saw: cous biscuitroot, phlox, golden peas, sumac,  cushion milkvetch and American vetch.

The eye of the needle and the hoodoos stood out along the bank. One thing that really surprised us was the silt that formed numerous sandbars even though the water was high.The run-off from the farms must be getting worse.  We wondered how the flow of the river was being affected with the narrowing of the main channels.

We didn't see any snakes although several gals collected a tick or two, especially those hiking toward the front. Sara even had one embedded, we think a first for a GiG hike.

We got back around 9 p.m.

​Who went: Maria, Susan W, Judy, Amber, Jo Ann, Gail, Bonnie, Sara, Susan C, Rose, Kuntzie, Katie