Our group left the DOB at 6:20 a.m. headed to the Power exit to pick up Viki and then on to Two Medicine. Thanks to Desirae for driving so all six of us could fit into one vehicle. After stopping in Browning for gas and snacks, we proceed on to Two Medicine arriving around 9:30 a.m. We were surprised to find a choice of parking spaces. In the parking lot, Gail met an adventurous lady named Judy, who we invited to hike with us. She travels the country alone in her camper and was happy to have hiking companions.

As we proceeded to the trailhead, we met an Adventures in Good Company tour group of 15 plus ladies. For the first few miles, we played “pass” with the group as they stopped with their guide or we stopped for a photo. But, they arrived at the falls first so there was no room for all of us to sit or a view to take photos. Gail then led us to a great spot up the trail, above the falls, where we ate lunch and enjoyed gorgeous views.

On the way to the falls, when we stopped for a drink at the South Shore and Rockwell trail intersection, Gail and Judy heard a snort. We didn’t see the source; so, we quickly proceeded on loudly calling, “Hey Bear, Stay Bear, Bear, Bear,” as we approached blind spots in the trail.

On the way back from the falls, we encountered several people stopped at the trail intersection watching a moose which was quietly feeding on vegetation just off the trail, the source of the snort we heard earlier. An obnoxious man was making weird noises to attract the moose.  The moose looked up at the source of the sounds. We quickly proceeded down the trail to avoid any potential problem with an agitated moose. He was a fine specimen with a huge rack. Gail took some photos.  
​
We also stopped at Aster Falls for a photo but were out of pep so we skipped Paradise Point for another day. When we arrived at the car, the parking lot was full and cars were parked up the road. We shopped at the General Store and enjoyed ice cold, huckleberry lemonade and other cold drinks and snacks.

Our first two choices of restaurants, The Two Medicine Grill or The Whistle Stop were closed. None of the restaurants in East Glacier along Highway 2 were open. So, we proceeded to the Glacier Park Lodge bar, which was crowded due to a wedding. We had to split up and sit at separate tables since a table for six was not available. The service was slow but the food was good; Susan especially enjoyed the huckleberry bread pudding.

Another wonderful day in the mountains with GIG ladies. The wildflowers did not disappoint: colorful meadows primarily covered with harebell, sulphur buckwheat, and leafy aster.  Lush, dense Thimbleberry bushes lined both sides of the trail in many places, but no ripe berries. Other flowers along the trail:  foamflower, cow parsnip, yarrow, pearly everlasting, pipsissewa, white-flowered hawkweed, one-sided wintergreen, mariposa lily, queen’s cup aka bead lily, showy death camas, rattlesnake-plantain (leaves only),  bracted honeysuckle, both yellow and orange false dandelion, arrow-leaved groundsel, lanced-leaved stonecrop, yellow columbine, bracted lousewort, yellow penstemon, pink wintergreen, huckleberry, sticky geranium, nodding onion, fireweed, meadow rue (female), red monkeyflower, red-stemmed saxifrage, cinquefoil, alder, pink spiraea, northern bedstraw, round-leaved alumroot, green false hellebore aka Indian corn lily, and more that I do not recall.  

It was perfect hiking weather—a sunny day, temps in the low 70’s, a slight breeze.  By the time we reached the parking lot, a strong wind was blowing, as forecast.

We arrived in Great Falls at 6:30 p.m. 
Who went: Desirae, Viki, Jeanne I, Susan C, and co-leaders, Gail and Jo Ann W.

Huckleberry Lookout will have to wait for another year for the GiG as the 95+ degree days would not have been wise for 3400 feet of gain over 12 miles, so we opted for shorter, but still gorgeous hikes in the West Glacier area. We really enjoyed Suzie's cabin on Lake Five too.

Our first hike was on the way into West Glacier: Garry Lookout, a usually easy 3.6 mile hike with less than 500 feet of gain to a lovely overlook into Glacier Park, dominated by St. Nick mountain.  However, the heat made it seem twice as long, but the flowers and views were worth it.  The Shasta daisies, St. John's wort and the red paintbrush were particularly gorgeous.

Then we went into West Glacier to stop at a gift shop. What a mess--the traffic was so bad we had a hard time making a left turn into the parking lot. Then the gift shop was so crowded with kids running all over, most of us waited in the parking lot.  And again, we had a hard time getting back out onto the highway. We were glad to leave.

It was just before 6 pm when we pulled into Suzie's cabin along Lake Five. It was so peaceful, except her neighbors had many relative over so the parking spots were all taken. We still managed to squeeze our vehicles in.

The evening was so peaceful. Suzie had prepared a dinner of tostadas, yum! That was followed by Gail's cupcakes in honor of Susan W getting her 1,000 miles of hiking accomplished.  She received a plaque that said, "If life gives you mountains, get on your boots and start hiking."

We were all tired so we went to bed early, without playing any games, as we planned to get up early to beat the heat the next morning.

We did get up early, but I don't think we could have gotten up early enough on a 100-degree day.  Gail and Jo Ann headed to Howe Lake, a lovely three-mile hike in open meadows and burned trees with views into the Livingston range as well as Glacier Park.  The others, Katie, Nora, Susan and Suzie plus George the dog went into the Jewel Basin area on the Hungry Horse Dam side to climb Doris ridge and mountain. These destinations were particularly meaningful since our hiking sister Doris was moving to Texas as we were hiking. We are so sorry to lose her but happy she will be near family.

The heat again got to us, but luckily, there were several stream crossings as well as a lake so we could dip our neck coolers and hankies into the cool water. George enjoyed the cool water too.

The whole way, the flowers wowed us. We were especially taken with all of the sego or mariposa lilies and the bright red paintbrush.  The variety of flowers from beargrass to larkspur also gave us some eye candy. Speaking of eye candy, the views of the Flathead valley (Flathead Lake, Kaslispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Whitefish Lake and the Whitefish ski hill) contrasted with the views into Glacier Park and the Great Bear wilderness.

On this hike, we only came across one other party (but three cars full) and one dog.  George had to be called back a few times as he wanted to get a bit too friendly with the other pooch, a labradoodle. George is an Old English Sheepdog.

Gail and Jo Ann, hiked to Howe Lake in the morning, through burned out trees, new forest floor growth and wildflowers--a stark contrast of colors. It was a hot day with temperature in the mid-80s in the morning and a high of 93 degrees.  Vibrant red Indian Paintbrush grew in large patches along the trail. There were also many White Spirea, a bit past prime. The Beargrass had gone to seed. A log in the shade at the lake provided seating where they ate lunch and enjoyed reflections of clouds and the mountains in the water.

The Howe Lake area burned in the Howe Ridge Fire of August 11-November 3, 2018, which was ignited by a lightning strike. Several private homes and historic buildings were destroyed by the fire which burned 14,522 acres and resulted in evacuation of much of the West Glacier area including Lake McDonald Lodge and GNP campgrounds.

After the hike, they enjoyed an ice cream in West Glacier and then relaxed at Suzie Taleff’s cabin on Lake Five while waiting for Katie, Suzie, Nora, and Susan W to return from their hike to Doris Ridge.


Then is was back to Suzie's cabin for an early supper since Katie and Susan had to go back to Great Falls a day early.  Nora had made a mushroom and artichoke lasagne while Jo Ann made a salad and Susan brought cheesy buns.  Suzie had made lemonade cookies that were delicious too. Then the gals presented Suzie with a "thank you" book and card: Dream Chasers of the West, a book about some of the first settlers of the East Glacier area.

Luckily, the next day wasn't supposed to be as hot. The plan for Gail and Jo Ann was to hike to the old Belton Bridge, the original entrance to the west side of Glacier. It is now a foot bridge. Nora and Suzie would do the longer Skiumah.

Wednesday morning, Suzie made delicious oatmeal pancakes and fruit for Gail, Nora and Jo Ann. After breakfast, Gail and Jo Ann packed up and then hiked to the historic Belton Bridge. Two more hikes checked off Jake’s 734 list.  After the hike, they decided to drive the Going to the Sun Highway, since they were so close.

They made no stops since Logan Pass parking lot was full and most pullouts were full.  The traffic wasn't too bad and no crazy drivers except for an unmarked Park official car stopping in the road, with no flashing lights, to talk to cyclists and one driver parked in an unauthorized spot on the side of the road. Before we read his license plate, we thought the Park official was a crazy tourist driver.

​The day began cloudy but the sun came out and the wind began to blow, but the views were spectacular. They stopped and braved the wind for a photo at Wild Goose Island. For lunch they had a delicious burger, salad, and fries at the Snowgoose Grill in St Mary. and arrived in Great Falls early afternoon.

Who went: Susan, Gail, Jo Ann, Nora, Katie, Suzie

Six Americans met seven women from Canada, who had stayed over in Choteau at the Stagestop Inn, at 7 a.m. at Augusta for a hike up to see Samsara, the lookout on top of Patrol Mountain. It is Sam's 23rd year "manning" this tower.Laurie from East Glacier even came.

After Katie had a few mishaps on which campground, we finally found the trailhead and got on trail at just after 9 a.m. Thank goodness the day was cool with a breeze; however, the breeze made Katie a bit nervous as she knew the saddle could be a bit tricky to cross if the wind was too bad.

One of the things Katie and Laurie hoped to see and show the Canadians was the sparrow-egg lady slipper flower, so we started looking after a half hour of hiking, since Sam said they were about three quarters of a mile down the trail.  But we didn't see any. We thought maybe we were too late to see them.

We continued down the trail, completing the first 2.5 miles by 10:15. At this point, we have to cross Straight Creek, so we took off our boots and put on our wading shoes or sandals to brave the very cold water.  Then we stashed our water shoes behind some trees and put our boots back on.

Along the trail, we saw many flowers: arnica, showy fleabane daisy, twin flower, townsendia, penstemon, sticky geranium, blanket flower and bear grass, oh, the bear grass.

Just when everyone was getting very tired of uphill, we came to Honeymoon Basin, a beautiful meadow in a carved out area, a perfect place to stop for a snack, even though it was 12:15. However, Katie said we didn't want to take too long as the main point was to get to the lookout. We would finish our lunch on top, but not before Lorna pulled out her famous fudge. She had carried a pound and a half up the steep trail. We are so lucky to have our fudge lady along. The bite of sweetness was just what we needed to finish the last mile of trail.

When we apporached hte saddle, the gals were so amazed at the views that they hardly noticed the wind gusts.  But as we crossed the saddle to the lookout, it could have blown a few of us over, but we all made it easily and no one was afraid to cross. It took us about an hour from the basin to reach the top.

​Samsara was waiting for us and had even started a fire in her stove. The temperature was only 46 degrees, she said, and had been in the 30s at night.  Sam told us about her life as a lookout, let us use her binoculars and try out the Osborne Fire Finder, an instrument made in the 1930s. We all signed the book and asked lots of questions, especially about lightning storms.

Then another hiker, a man, came in too.  He didn't stay long as he had to get to work, he said. Sam told us she receives 60-80 hikers per year, mostly in July. He was the only other hiker we saw.

We stayed an hour and then Katie said we better head down as it would be around 6 p.m. before we got down.  With reluctance, we headed back down the trail and across the saddle to Honeymoon Basin. At this point, Laurie, who had a long way to go to East Glacier, and who also likes to hike alone, took off and said she would really be looking for the lady slippers and would mark the trail if she found them.  We had our doubts that any were still in bloom.

We marveled at the views on the way down as well as how much uphill we had climbed. Some joked that we would never get to Straight Creek, as the downhill just seemed to keep going and going. Along the way, we came across a couple doing a field survey on plants. They had a tape measure and were recording things into a notebook.

Finally, we arrived at Straight Creek and recrossed the stream, reclaiming our wading shoes from the bushes and faced the last 2.5 miles.  On the way, we told our lead gals to keep an eye out for any sign that Laurie may have left pointing the way to the sparrow-egg lady slipper flowers, and sure enough, Laurie created a marker from stones and tree limbs: she had found them. There was a whole grove of them, all in very good shape. We all traipsed though the deep grass to snap a photo or two. This was a nice distraction and pick-me-up at the end of a very long day.

We arrived at the cars at just after 6 and headed back to town while the Canadians headed for the border. 

We didn't see any moose on the way out, but the lupine on the ranches was gorgeous.

What a wonderful day with wonderful friends.

Who went: Canadians: Laura, Dina, Doreen, Lorna, Linda, Marilee, Sharon. Americans: Josy, Susan, Roni, Deb, Laurie, Katie

 The Highline Trail was closed due to a recovery effort for a man believed to have committed suicide as well as many grizzlies in the area, possibly due to the body. The Park was flying helicopters to drop search crews and sending drones to haze bears and take pictures of the terrain. But we still had hope that by the time we reached the pass, the body would be recovered and the trail reopened by the time we arrived.

So we planned to drive at 4:30 a.m. to St. Mary to catch the shuttle and meet Suzie at the pass. Her husband Mick would be driving her from their cabin at Lake Five. We said if all works out, 8:15 a.m. would be the time. And all did work out, even after facing construction between Cutbank Creek and St. Mary; even after trailing a slow car; even after the shuttle driver delayed leaving 10 minutes as he checked messages on his phone.. We caught the 7:30 shuttle, by now 7:40, which dropped us off at 8:15--we did see a bear on the way up, which was a good omen on the day. Suzie followed one minute later.  On the shuttle, the driver told us it was unlikely the pass would reopen that morning.  A volunteer on the bus was upset at how much was being spent to find the body. Others were upset the trails were closed due to this incident.

We were still hoping, so we asked other shuttle and bus drivers what they knew. Katie even tried knocking on the Viistor Center door to try to catch attention of the rangers inside, but they shook their heads. So we decided that the Highline wouldn't reopen any time soon; Mick had us all pile in his Highlander, with some of us putting backpacks on our laps and headed to the Loop. So now instead of a very long day, we would have  short, but steep, hike into the Chalet.

Before we reached the loop, a very sick grizzly, about two years old, was wandering, staggering off the road and then on the road. He caused a huge bear jam both directions. We waited and watched for 10 minutes and still no cars were moving.  Some people got out of their cars to take pictures, prompting Beth to say loudly, "You can't fix stupid."

Finally, Mick drove around the jam and down the road, only to be stopped by a Park volunteer who hollered at him for "getting to close to our bears!"  We were really shocked as she ranted in his face. We think she mixed us up with people who had gotten out of their cars or else the person in the lead car.  Mick held his cool and just listened to her until she settled down. Then we drove on our way.  

We reached the loop at 9 and got on trail at 9:15.  Almost immediately, a single hiking gal approached us and asked if she could hike wtih us. We agreed, so Alexis joined us. She was surprised at how fast ladies our age walked, she said much faster than she would have done on her own.  

About 10 minutes down the trail we came upon Barb and Sooz. They were waiting for a few others from their party and in the meantime, talking to a man, his cousin and his son, also headed into the chalet. Sooz wasn't too wild about having to hike the steep Loop trail.  We said goodbye and headed out.

​The flowers were gorgeous, especially paintbrush. St. John's wort, stone crop, penstemon, and bear grass. We took a ton of photos. We also enjoyed the views of Heavens Peak as well as the lookout. Just before the chalet, a curious deer and then another got a bit too close to us. Both were nursing mama does.

We arrived at the chalet at 12:15, just in time for lunch. We had our tour of the kitchen, stashed our food, toured the room and listened to the rules.  The staff said he could tell we were experienced in the back country since we left our packs downstairs until we emptied all food into our food container. Unfortunately, some people had been taking food into the rooms as we did have mice, even with an upstairs room. Sigh.

It was now that we noticed the beauty of the Highline trail being closed--no one else was at the chalet--no one except the staff. We had the entire chalet to ourselves while we ate lunch. And no through hikers either. It was so quiet and peaceful. Staff said that they had many cancellations and expected no shows as many aren't capable of climbing the Loop trail: sad for them but a bonus for us. The entire time, it was quiet. We only had five other parties besides ourselves at the chalet.

After lunch, Beth and Amber made a a water run and we emptied all unnecessary items from our packs (some switched to fanny packs) and headed up to Swiftcurrent Lookout. Bonnie and Katie headed out before Beth and Amber returned so that flatlander Bonnie could get a head start. The others said they would carry bottles up for them. Alexis wasn't up for joining us after the morning hoof up the Loop, so she stayed behind and read a book. It was now 2:30 and still no Sooz or Barb. We worried a bit.

Going to the Lookout was the best decision. It was windy; it did sprinkle a bit, but if we hadn't done it this day, we would have missed the unbelievable views as the next day was foggy and cloudy. And the views were stupendous as were the flowers, especially the moss campion, sky pilot (which you don't see much in Montana), penstemon and mountain avens/dryads. We loved the 360-degree sights of the mountains and glaciers all around. Josy, Amber, Beth and Suzie caught up to us. They left around 3 but still hadn't seen Sooz and Barb.

At the top, we visited with the young family who was filling in for the main lookout employee: a couple with two young sons around 6-7 years of age. They did allow us into the lookout. They boys showed us around a bit. Bucky, the regular lookout, never invited us in, so it was a treat. By now, off in the distance, real clouds were forming, we put on jackets and it looked lide a snow squall was happening near Heavens Peak, brrr.

When we started our descent, we noticed a chopper coming in and landing at the chalet. Two people came up from a valley,  tossed what looked like duffel bags into the chopper and then climbed in. We asked when we got down and were told that they were searchers for the suicide victim. They had a grid to cover and would be brought in each day around Haystack Butte. Dogs had traced his scent to this location.

We arrived back just before 6 p.m., in time to get ready for our 6:30 kitchen time. Amber and Beth cooked --ha, I mean boiled the water for our dehydrated meals. Boy did they taste good after a 9.5 mile day with 4200 feet of gain! Katie brought caramel corn and Bonnie Dove chocolates for dessert. The Dove candies had appropriate sayings such as "Every moment matters, including this one," and "Don't stop until you're proud."

After dinner, we listened to naturalist Ashley Mason discuss the geology of the park. Then we were warned about the resident marmots that were hanging around the bathrooms and not to get afraid at night.  There weren't any deer wandering this year though.

Both Amber and Beth got into battles with the ladders as they were staying in the upper bunks as was Josy.  Beth really bruised herself--she said she had a mammogram scheduled and the technician may wonder if someone had beaten her. Thank goodlness nothing was broken.

At night, mice moved between rooms, prowling for food that unwise visitors brought into the rooms, despite the warnings from staff to put all food in the bins in the kitchen area. The staff emptied traps into the bushes in the morning. If only people would follow the rules and not take any food into the rooms, no mice would be around.  Since there were mice, people need to watch their packs and any other items that might have salt as the mice could chew through the items looking for tastier morsels.

The next day, we left at 9 a.m. after the mule train came.  We were amazed at mule Ticket, who carried two 100-pound propane tanks up.  He had about 60-70 pounds on the way down. the other mules, carried 48 pound of laundry/garbage on each side, so less than half of Ticket's load.The wranglers were amazing, lifing and tying the heavy loads to the mules. What amazing animals that over the years have done so much for humankind, so willingly.

We were very glad not to have to hike up to the top of Swiftcurrent mountain with full backpacks and water. Instead, we had an easy day; however, Katie threw in some sidetrips: Swiftcurrent Glacier overlook, a scramble by Red Rock Falls, Fishercap Lake and Wilbur Falls to give us 9.5 miles again. 

On the way down, the beargrass was amazing, reaching to our heads. And we watched two moose move across the unnamed lake between Red Rocks and Bullhead. We could see their tracks through the shallow water.

We arrived at Swiftcurrent at 3 p.m. to find our car right by the restaurant, so easy to see. Thanks Gail and crew for shuttling it for us! After getting a cold drink, and for some ice cream, we headed to the Many Glacier Lodge/Hotel. Several had not been in it or seen the new double helix staircase and new gift store, so we headed there.  Unfortunately, the parking lot was full. After two circles and no luck, Amber and Beth decided to follow people to their cars and block the space for us. it worked right away. Those two were a team.!

​So we shopped and then ate in the lounge. Our waitress was from Lituania and the bar tender so attentive. Before we left, Amber had her picture taken with the workers wearing their lederhosen. It was very tempting to drive home since we finished so early; however, we paid for our rooms already with no refunds, so we thought we might as well stay and enjoy the evening and a good shower.

We stayed over at the St. Mary Lodge, Bonnie and Katie in the lodge and the other four in one of the new Tiny Houses, with a bedroom with a queen and a day bed with a trundle underneath.  They also had a small kitchen and an outside bathroom. It was very nice, but $300 plus tax per night.  The lodge room wasn't so nice: a concrete floor, dirty carpet in the hall and spider under the pillow. Yuck! The Lodge staff didn't seem to care much when we reported it and showed them pictures.

The next day, we tried to have breakfast at Johnson's, walking up the hill to stretch our legs, but it wasn't open, even at 8 a.m., so we ate at the Park Cafe, which had been pretty bad since it switched hands, but it was better than a few years ago. The service was quick and the food good.

After some shopping in the gift store and writing postcards to grandkids,  we drove home, arriving around 1 p.m.

Who went: Amber, Beth, Suzie, Josy, Bonnie J, Katie

Starting earlier than usual, at 5:30 our group of hikers headed to the Power exit to pick up Viki and then on to Glacier. We were on a mission to move a vehicle from St.Mary to Swiftcurrent because part of the GIG group were hiking down Swiftcurrent pass after their stay at Granite Park Chalet.

​Road construction held us up for a few minutes but the traffic moved quickly and by the time we got to the St. Mary visitor center at about 8:30 the parking lot for Logan Pass and the Visitor Center were full. Luckily we did not have to park, just pick up and move a car to Swiftcurrent. Again we encountered lots of people and it was hard to find a place to park. Cathy K managed to parallel park a large truck in between two cars that had all observers in awe.

     It was a bluebird day and the GIG group was at Red Rock in under an hour and everyone then headed down the trail to Bullhead Lake. Fisher Cap Lake had not produced any moose but after Red Rock a young moose was on the trail and then headed into the trees. We were able to take a few pictures and then there was a rustling in the trees and the mother moose could then be seen. We felt lucky to be able to observe the wildlife and then went our way. When we arrived at Bullhead Lake, Susan W wanted to go further so we went to the end of the lake where Swiftcurrent Pass started. 

After lunch at the lake we proceeded back to Swiffcurrent and then to the Many Glacier Hotel but dinner there was not in our cards as there was no place to park.  A trip to The Two Sisters Restaurant for dinner yielded content hikers as we had pulled pork and Portobello sandwiches and some huckleberry pie to round things out before we arrived home. 

Who went: Susan W., Jo Ann W, Bonnie W., Susan C, Jean F, Gail, Viki, Cathy K and Sue M.

We had a great day with four of us going to Rockwell, Aster Falls and Paradise Point while four went to all of the above plus Cobalt Lake. We left Great Falls at 5:30 and got on trail at just after 9 a.m.

The flowers were amazing, especially bear grass right near Rockwell Falls. One group saw a grizzly at Paradise Point.

The Rockwell Falls gals finished around 3 p.m. while the Cobalt Lake gals finished at 4:45 p.m. Susan proclaimed that we had hiked at a "Katie pace," since we hustled so we didn't finish too far behind the other group.

We ate at Serrano's, which is under new management. They were out of a few things. We also learned something: if no one at the table orders a meal and instead all order a la carte, then the table doesn't get chips and salsa.

We arrived home around 8:30 pm.
​Who went: Susan, Judy, Amber, Katie (Cobalt); Sue, Karen, Gail (Rockwell)

Two cars left Great Falls at 5:30 a.m to head to Many Glacier for a 10-mile hike to Iceberg Lake.

It was easy to find a parking place amazingly, but then again, we really arrived early. We got on trail at 9:15 and were done at 3 p.m.

On the way in, we saw a bear on the way in walking along the side of the road, sauntering along like he owned the pavement. We had to drive around him. 

We did take our hike pretty leisurely. We say many large groups of hikers, with as many as 10-15 people. It was crowded with everyone passing us but not overly crowded.

It was a beautiful hike; the gradual uphill that wasn't noticeable really until we turned around and went down.

We saw a mouse on the trail. Two Columbia ground squirrels ran over Susan' C's boots, startling her, causing her to scream, which startled all of us.

At the lake, it was pretty crowded. We saw some people coming from Shangri-la down the steep scree to Iceberg Lake.

The only icebergs were at the far end of the lake, so there was no standing on them this year.

The flowers were pretty but the bear grass was all over.  

Amber was the water bearer, reminding everyone to drink to prevent dehydration.

Cloud cover threatened to drop some water but it never rained.

Ate at 'Nells restaurant at Swiftcurrent. The restaurant has changed with ordering at the counter, all pay separate. It's burgers, pizza, wraps and salad. It was okay, but Josy said the French fries were the best.

We arrived home around 7p.m. 

Who went: Josy, Susan C, Amber, Bonnie J, Brenda, Viki, Susan W

It was a day of delays and emotions, and not one we would want to relive but also not one we would like to erase either.

It started at 9:10 from Chester, where we met Ann, the Canadians and Joanne, with a 35-minute delay due to a work train blocking the crossing. We got out of our cars to watch the crane lift ties from the railcars onto the tracks. A few did some stretches.

Then we made our way to the Meisener Ranch to check in and get further directions. Deb Worley, the owner, was so kind and friendly as we signed the book and told her we were a group of 19. She hoped we didnt have too many vehicles. She was pleased we were in only four.

Then we went through a series of gates to arrive at the cairn, marking the place to go through the fence to start the hike.

We broke into two groups, with a mix of Americans and Canadians in each. Tom, Katie's husband who was our guide, and Gordon, Tom's friend, led the first group while Katie and Josy took the second. Tom and Katie had walkie talkies for communication between the two groups.

Linda, one of the Canadians, was the main reason Katie and Tom wanted to do this hike--plus some of the gals wanted to conquer all three main buttes of the Sweet Grass Hills: Gold Butte, West Butte and East Butte. We had already done all but East. And East had two peaks: one named Mount Royal, an open peak with many cellphone and TV towers on it, and one Mount Brown, the tallest. We were headed to Mount Brown. But for Linda, this butte had special meaning.  For many years, she had wanted to climb the mountains she would see just over the border.  We wanted to make this happen for her.

The first part is on an old jeep road, which started out fine until a mile in. Ina Jean started to lag, so Katie's group couldn't keep the pace.Katie kept radioing to Tom to stop and wait.  We didn't know it at the time, but this would be a precursor to serious trouble later.

By the time we had covered the two miles to the entrance to the cave called Devil's Chimney, Ina Jean wan't feeling well.  But we all made it into Devil's Chimney and enjoyed the 15-20 feet of belly crawl into the tight space to come out into a large open cavern with a skylight.

After the cave, it was apparent that Ina Jean could not continue: she was really sweating, she had leg and foot cramps and was wearing the thin toe shoes, that Katie told her wouldn't work on the volcanic talus that we faced on the steep slopes of East Butte.Susan C stepped in with her nutritional knowledge to help re-hydrate her and give her some Gatorade after she took on some water. We all thought she must be dehydrated from the long drive.

As a group, we decided she should stay and rest by the creek and the shady cottonwood trees, while the rest of us went on. Laura, the Canadians' leader, said she would stay with Ina Jean, despite Katie and Ann volunteering since it would be easy for them to return but not for Laura. It was now going on 1:30, so it was very late for a mountain climb, where wisdom says to be off the top by 2, due to electric storms.

It took the rest of us over two hours to reach the summit, with Gordon pointing out a key directional error we almost made. While on top, we celebrated Linda and LaVern, who both completed summiting all three buttes and at the age of 75.  For Linda, it completed her bucket list, which was bittersweet since her cancer has returned.

And at the top, Tom put Linda in front, so she could reach the top first.She also was first to sign the registry, which was inside an old army ammo box. Also inside, was a silver chalice. We had fun taking pictures of Linda pretending to drink from it.

Another hour and a half took us back down; it was almost 6p.m. when we reached Laura and Ina, who both seemed rested and in good spirits.

However, the minute we started the uphill to climb out of the creek bottom, Ina Jean felt sick again, with sweats, shallow breaths.  She was very afraid of the downhill section and was dreading it.  Not to go into too much detail, but it took three hours to go two miles back to the cars. Ina was really suffering. A special thanks to Josy, Loural, Susan C and Gordon who took charge and stayed with her. She didn't like so many people around her so the rest of us would go ahead and wait.

Later, we found out that Ina Jean had had four prior heart attacks. We were all shocked at this and now thought it wasn't dehydration but heart problems causing her issues.  And we were right.

We were all tired and thirsty by the time we arrived at the cars; it was now going on 9 p.m. Americans left first with the Canadians following. The Canadians didn't get too far down the road, and unbeknownst to the Americans, Ina Jean ended up with a full blown heart attack. She didn't want to go to Shelby, the closest hospital due to the Canadian insurance not working in American, so the Canadians called ahead to Milk River; an ambulance met them at the border--which is another story. Since it was so late, the normal crossing for the Canadians was closed. They had to go to Couts instead.  

Milk River determined that Ina Jean needed more care than they could give so they sent her to Lethbridge, where she was in ICU all night and into the next day. Even Lethbridge determined she needed to go to Calgary. She had water in her lungs, possibly pneumonia, water on her heart and other heart abnormalities.  We were all shocked and kept up the prayers.

She is still in the hospital as this is written; we hope she recovers quickly. But this incident was a good wake-up call about what very strenuous and very steep mean as far as health issues and what can be attempted if a hiker does have health problems.

We arrived home around 11:30 p.m., dodging deer the whole way. We even saw a whole herd of bucks in the velvet. Plus, the bugs were so thick, they coated our windshield, making it very hard to drive.And we were starving. No restaurants or even convenience stores were open in the small towns before we hit Great Falls. But the Canadians had an even longer ordeal and longer drive than we didn't even know about until the next day.

So the day had an almost tragedy, which hasn't ended yet; but it also had the high of Linda and LaVern climbing all three of the main buttes of the Sweet Grass Hills: Gold, West and East.

Who went: Americans: Josy, Susan C, Amber, June, Katie, Beth, Ann, Jo Ann, Tom, Gordon; Canadians: Laura, LaVern, Lorna, Loural, Linda, Ina Jean, Dina, Sharon, Merrilee

We had the perfect day for a mountain climb: not too hot and not too much chance of thunderstorms, so 10 of us drive the Teton Canyon road to the start of our hike.

Coincidentally, we came across a group of GMS (Glacier Mountaineering Society) members climbing Washboard Reef, which Katie's husband decided to join. And Laurie from East Glacier was among the group. We got on trail at 8:40.

Katie wasn't feeling well so she wasn't very foggy headed questioning so many things, even the trail, which she should know well given how many times she has done this particular hike.  So she had Josie, Amber, June and Christi scrambling to double check she was on the right trail. They all earned their merit badges for the day going an extra quarter mile, some uphill.

On the way up, we marveled at the wildflowers, so many different kinds and a doe who seemed unaware or afraid of us. We wondered if she was about to give birth. We has seen many deer at the ranger cabin and stables by the parking area on the way in. We hoped to see her on the way down with a newborn, but it wasn't to be. We did see deer by our cars, but we didn't spot the fawn.

The hike went well except for Katie and Mary S who had trouble breathing. Everyone made it to the top, Katie struggling, with Mary staying at the second saddle. The views were spectacular, but a bit of a storm was brewing so we didn't spend too much time on top in case of lightning.

The peak is over 8,800 feet with a climb of 3,400 feet in elevation. Katie got that wrong. She thought it was a 10,000 foot peak. It is the third highesst in the Bob, and they say it has the best views in all of Montana. We agree.

On the way back down, Katie and Mary looked for the extra water bottles they had stashed to save some weight. Katie was way off on where they were stashed. Mary knew right where they were and didn't give up hope as we spotted them. However, someone had taken one of Mary's bottles and left behind the labels! We had seen a young gal on trail with her dog. We could only surmise she must have needed the water for herself or her pet. Luckily, Mary didn't need it.

We finished our hike around 3;30.

After our hike, we got our cold drinks out of the coolers and relaxed a bit, changed our shoes and headed to Choteau for dinner at the Log Cabin.

We left GF at 6:30 a.m and arrived home around 7 p.m..
​Who went: Mary S, Susan C, Amber, Christi, Susan W, Josy, Paula, June, Beth, Katie