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 “Tighten 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. 

Six Giggers left Great Falls at 7:30 a.m. enroute to Devil’s Glen. After a stop at Mannix General Store in Augusta for a break and snacks, we proceed on. From outside Augusta to the turnoff to the Bean Lake Road, we were treated to stunning fields of Arrowleaf Balsamroot with the towering mountains in the background.

Upon arriving at the trail head, we put on our gear and proceeded down the trail which parallels the private road for the first mile. This portion of the trail is on private property. We observed many wildflowers including two orchids: Calypso Orchid past its prime and one Striped Coralroot Orchid at beginning bloom stage.  

After about a mile, we crossed the bridge over the Dearborn River and stopped for photos and enjoyed the view of Steamboat Mountain and the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Dearborn. At this point, we ascended the steepest section of the trail, which passes through open meadows and forested areas. Then, the trail becomes more level with a few ups and downs before reaching Devil’s Glen at 3.5 miles from the trail head.

Along the way we stopped for photos of the canyon, waterfalls, and wildflowers. The Mountain Lady Slipper Orchid was the wildflower of the day; we observed it along the trail after crossing the Dearborn Bridge to Devil’s Glen. Many other wildflowers were observed during the day, including a Hoary Balsamroot at the meadow. Upon reaching the meadow, we hiked down to the Glen and ate lunch on the rocks as we enjoyed the sounds and view of the rushing Dearborn. After lunch, we explored a little farther down the trail looking for other possible areas for lunch on future hikes. We decided we ate lunch at the best site.

Then, we headed back to our cars. After removing our gear, Jo Ann awarded Carol her 100-mile mug and we took photos. We stopped at the Buckhorn Bar in Augusta for burgers.

First time on this hike for Paula O.

Who went: Bonnie J, Carol, Jo Ann, Noreen, Paula O, and Randi

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

It was rainy. It was windy. It had graupel. It was windy. It had snow. We had fun, or at least some of us did.

The day started at 7 a.m. and put us on trail around 9:30 with one car going through Conrad to pick up Shelley. We stopped briefly to view the Old North Trail sign along the road before pulling into the campground and hikers' parking area.

Before we started on trail, June spied something on the hill above the trail. It was very tan and partly blocked by trees. At first, we thought a mountain lion, but then it emerged from behind the trunks and we could see it was a large golden fox. He ran over the edge and out of sight.

The day seemed windy, but not too bad as we climbed up the ridge to gain access to the lake. On the way up, we saw the sign about the East Slope Back country horsemen maintaining the trail and two markers for members who had passed on.

Once we reached the top of the ridge, we weren't prepared for what hit us!  Wind, probably 60-70 mph gusts that made us turn around to have it at our back. We couldn't talk to each other the wind was so loud, but we all managed to get a look at the dam and snap pictures of some flowers, which were gorgeous: pasque, kings crown sedum/rosy sedum, Jacob's ladder, shooting stars to name a few. Usually, the sight of the teal-colored lake is what is a surprise; this time, the wind!

At this point, three of the gals decided to abandon the hike and return to the cars. The other felt bad since they would be waiting a long time, but we thought they might explore around the dam a bit while seven of us soldiered on.

The trail then headed downhill, which once we did get lower, we were out of the main gusts. In fact, in the treed sections, we couldn't feel the wind at all, but it was still hard to talk with the rustling of the trees. We shouted loudly to ward off any bears, knowing it would be hard for them to hear us. We did see several piles of bear scat and a few tracks, but small ones, probably black bear. We also saw many moose tracks, but we didn't see a moose.

Our destination was first Hell Roaring Falls or Spring. We viewed it from across the lake and then up close as the trail goes up and around it. It's amazing to see this water flow forcefully straight out of the ground and tumble down the mountain into the lake.  Our next destination was the first creek crossing, that of South Fork of Birch Creek.  This is three miles in and out turn around point. We would have had to wade the stream, and with the other gals turning around, we thought we should get back. It had already taken us three hours on trail, facing the wind and snapping pictures of glacier lilies and other flowers and views along the way.

A few times we decided to gain a high point for views; every time we regretted it as we were blown down, only our poles to hold us up.  We had graupel pelt us in the face. We had a few showers and even some snow flakes, but we weren't sorry we continued as the views and flowers were worth it in the end. Even when we regained the ridge and had even stronger gusts than when we started out.

After we got back, we were surprised that the other gals didn't get out of the car at all while we were gone due to high winds. They said they almost fell asleep. But we woke them up and headed to Dupuyer for some hot slaw, sweet potato fries and burgers at Buffalo Joe's Cafe. We arrived home around 6 pm.

On a side note, Katie rolled down the passenger window in Susan's car, and it wouldn't roll back up. Susan called her husband because it had happened before; to fix it, he banged on the door, but our bangs weren't working. He wasn't any help. It took a whole bottle of cream rinse to untangle Katie's hair after she got home. LOL

Who went: Gail, Jo Ann, Shelley, Katie, Susan, Debra, June, Sara, Catherine. Carol

Sara and Jo Ann headed out at 8:30 a.m. to the Falls Creek area outside of Augusta. We stopped in Augusta at Allen's Manix Store for a bathroom break and purchased a snack, arriving at the trailhead at 10:30 a.m.

No other cars were in the parking lot and we did not see anyone on the trail. It was a beautiful day with partly cloudy skies and some wind gusts tugging at our hats. At the trailhead we were welcomed with a lovely patch of pasque flowers and shooting stars. The wildflowers did not disappoint: yellow bell, sugarbowl, cous biscuitroot, nineleaf biscuitroot, pink cushion phlox, buttercup, cutleaf daisy, prairie smoke, rabbitfoot crazyweed, larkspur, oregon grape, arrowleaf balsamroot, stoneseed.

This was the first trip for Sara, Jo Ann had been once before. We did not find the first falls but did enjoy views in another area overlooking the creek with a patch of pink cushion phlox on the rocks. We made our way to the top of the second falls, took photos and headed down the trail to find a spot out of the wind for lunch.

As we walked back down the trail, Sara spotted a garter snake in the middle of the trail. Jo Ann screamed! The snake moved faster to get off the trail!  Jo Ann exclaimed, "A snake is a snake! All are scary!" On our way home we visited Len Kopec and Deva McKnight in Augusta. While there, they were notified to keep the dog inside as a grizzly had been spotted up the creek from Len's house.

We arrived home around 4 p.m. Another great day in Montana's  great outdoors. 

Climbing a butte  on the east side is always a wonderful thing to do as the views from the top show where the mountains meet the plains with 360 degree views that include the Rocky Mountain Front.  So at 8 a.m., six GiG members headed out to trek up one of the newest buttes to open to the public: Lionhead.

It had really rained hard in Great Falls the night before, so we were a bit worried about gumbo roads. The whole way out, we were looking for puddles, which did seem to get fewer and fewer as we approached Fort Shaw, our turn.

However, June said Cascade had had a downpour that rained out the evening baseball games, so we worried anew.  But not to worry, as the roads were mostly dry, although they had the distinct ruts from others who had driven the road when it wasn't so dry.

Anyway, we arrived at the gate, parked along the road and got on trail around 9:20. We all wore gaiters, thinking the brush would be wet, since this is a bushwhack, but we didn't have any trouble as we waded through rose bushes and many wildflowers: fritillary, shooting stars, golden peas, numerous biscuitroot, including big seed, larkspur, showy locoweed (aka rabbitfoot crazyweed) and a few arrowleaf balsamroot. We also didn't see any snakes, another reason for gaiters. We also brought wading shoes as there is one small creek crossing, which we worried might have swelled due to the rain over the last two days. But it didn't. We walked right across it. Some of the gals left their watershoes/sandals/crocs by a rock all strung together in case wind came up. We were a bit worried about finding them on the way back; luckily, KuntZ's were bright pink.

The first part is up, up, up until we reached a nice resting spot under some evergreens. Then the more challenging footing begins as under the brush hides quite a few rocks in this section. We all had to watch our feet and got a bit too high, so we backtracked down until we found the slot in the back of the butte. Once there, we were able to follow an elk trail almost to the top.  And we saw a ton of elk sign, but only two herds of deer, one on neighboring Birdtail Butte and one group of seven whitetail just below the summit of Lionhead.

On the last approach, we walked up a rocky ridge, with June hopping around one outcropping wondering if she could get her husband to do this climb. She thought he could make it to one outcropping, but Katie said it was worth it to push on for the views of the Rocky Mountain Front, which didn't disappoint, with the snowcapped peaks popping out against the bright blue windless sky.  We had lunch on top and didn't want to descend it was so pretty and warm.

Then it was back down, but instead of retracing our steps, we decided to follow the fence line to see if it connected to the road. It's a bit out of the way to go this direction, but it was easier walking and avoided much of the tricky footing of the rocks hidden in the grasses. And it did run into the road, so we walked it back to our cars with one caveat: June forded the creek and walked along it for a while to pick up everyone's sandals and watershoes. She found them all easily, minus one of Doreen's, so she went back to find her left shoe. Going this way, we also saw signage indicating parking areas for hunters, so we wondered if we could open the gate and drive this way. We would save the worry of a creek crossing and get closer to the approach. (follow up: June called the owners and confirmed that we can drive and park at the back of the butte).  Luckily, we didn't run into cattle the whole day; in prior years, we had to do a lot of shooing and shouting to get the cattle to stop following us).

We were home around 3 p.m.
Who went: Susan, June, Doreen, Sheila, KuntZ, Katie

Even though the weather looked a bit iffy, five gals headed to the Hannah Gulch/Wagner Basin area for some cliff walking. Of course, before we walk the cliff we have to do some up, up, up to get to it.

We started early at 7 a.m. in hopes of avoiding the predicted afternoon sprinkles, which we ended up doing. We picked up Viki in Augusta and arrived before 9 a.m., seeing two herds of bighorn sheep ewes and yearlings on the way: no babies yet.  On a side note: it was the first time Katie had taken passengers in her car. With all gals vaccinated, we felt safe riding together. The drives are so much more fun when we can carpool and talk along the way.

As we geared up, we could feel the wind just starting and wondered if we would make it to the top, but we did!  Along the way, we negotiated over two small run-off streams, saw slopes of magenta douglasia and a handful of biscuitroot, and braced for the gale-force winds awaiting us at the top. The way required quite a bit of side-hilling, so Susan went even higher to avoid some of it. Due to the gusts, we didn't stay long to enjoy the sweeping views where the sun river snakes its way from the mountains to the plains, but we stopped behind some trees to grab a snack and put on more layers.

The trip down was a bit more eventful: we scared a group of rams and got tangled up in brush on the stream crossings as we ended up quite a bit lower than on the way up.  We were able to find some game trails that led across the stream. Some of us waded while Cathy and Debra were able to jump across using logs and rocks. We figured the bushwhacking would bring us ticks and it did.

By the time we reached the picnic table at Wagner Basin, we discovered two of the blood suckers. By the time we arrived home, the count had risen to 10. Ick!

After the hike, we decided to play a bit of tourist and show Debra the pictographs as well as the Gibson Dam overlook. We also drove past the memorial for the Mercy Flight that went down in Hannah Gulch. It's always interesting to visit historic places.

We arrived home around 3 after dropping Viki back at her car in Augusta.

Who went: Susan, Viki, KuntZ, Debra, Katie