No one slept in on this spring ahead day, as two newbies and a returning gal joined four more experienced GiG members for a fun day of snowshoeing. First, we stopped at the Inconvenience Store after our 8:30 start from Great Falls for a potty break and snacks. We had fun visiting with the new manager as he showed us how he rearranged the store, putting our preferred items in unexpected places.

Then it was off to Memorial Falls. Katie made the decision to ditch the snowshoes, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake. At first, all was fine as we walked the third of a mile to the lower falls without incident, In fact, the normally icy spot was covered with snow, so we had no fear of slipping. so all was well so far and the falls very beautiful. However, when we headed to the upper falls, things got a bit deep, about a foot and a half deep to be precise.  But everyone bucked it up and post-holed to the upper falls. This falls wasn't as pretty as it  usually is due to too much snow covering the ice crystals and icicles.

Debra felt a bit queasy on this hike--maybe it was the uphill, maybe the post-holing, but luckily, she recovered by the time we started on Jefferson Creek.

We hiked three miles up and back to the Pack it In, Pack it Out Sign and had lunch on the bridge. We saw some fun snow-rollers, some thinking they looked like cinnamon rolls, others roses. But we didn't see the usual elk tracks or other signs of wildlife. The creek has some lovely snow formations in it, though, and it burbled up between the iced-over areas.

The sun shone on us the entire way with little wind, so most of us were down to shirt sleeves or shells. On the return, we practically raced the last mile, so we got back almost an hour earlier than expected.

After our hike, we stopped into Bob's and said hi to Janice the new owner and met two other new employees. Janice said the months were pretty good despite the bitter cold that kept many skiers at home. She also said it had really picked up this weekend with the warmer weather.

We arrived back in Great Falls before 2 p.m. The newbies all made the entire way and seemed to do well. We hope to see Desirae, Debra and Amber back on the trail soon. And many had new snowshoes that they had no trouble getting used to.

Who went: Susan W, Amber, Debra, Desirae, Viki, Judy and Katie

Mary N's Recipe

TORTILLA SOUP
1 onion, chopped
2 oz Taco seasoning       (dry)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3 small cans diced green chili, or to taste
3-4 Garlic cloves, pressed
2 +TBS butter
2 TBS Olive oil
1 1/2  quart chicken stock or broth
1 cup chopped bite size tomatoes 
6 shredded corn tortillas (thickner and flavor)
3/4 lb queso dip (potato chip aisle)
1 lb Grilled chicken or 2 cans of Cosco chicken
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pint heavy cream 

GARNISH
cilantro 
matchbook cut corn tortillas, fried (or chips)
Green onion, finely sliced 
Sour cream
Avocado, diced

1.Sauté onion with spices, taco seasoning, and green chili. 
2.Add chicken stock, corn tortillas and diced chicken, boil 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and cheese, simmer 30 minutes. (If not creamy enough, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 pint heavy cream and simmer 30 more minutes. (I typically add 1/2 the amount of heavy cream.) (NOTE:I have made it w just broth wo  heavy cream and queso)

It might not have been warm in Great Falls, but it was roasting at the Sluice Boxes State Park, where Katie and Susan W decided to snowshoe. The car showed 48 degrees by the time we returned to the cars, and we were sweating, wishing we hadn't worn our Cuddle Duds.

We left town at 8:15 and got on trail by 9:15 after a quick drive to the top trail to see if the pull out was plowed, which it was. Then we headed back down to the bridge and began our hike.

To snowshoe the Sluice Boxes, conditions must be perfect: enough snow and frozen creek. It can be a muddy mess or the creek not solid enough to cross, which is required, four times.

The sun was out and we had fun exploring the old buildings, smelter and machinery from the old mining days as we hiked along the old railroad bed of the "Fish" train that ran between GF and Neihart, through the old town of Albright.

The creek had solid crossings, although as the day wore on, and we returned, the ice had noticeably melted. 

We saw many animal tracks and scat, including a big cat, that appeared to be living in the grotto/cave as its tracks and scat were at the entrance. We imagined it might be sleeping in there as we passed by, a scary thought. We saw several places where it had bounded down the hills after deer and two places where an altercation had taken place, the snow packed down and tracks and evidence everywhere.

The beauty of the cliffs, the creek and snow can't be overstated. We even saw several eagles soaring overhead. A flock of chickadees kept us company as we had lunch. We turned around when we came to the first ruined trestle as climbing down among the scattered boards we deemed too hard with not being able to see our footing beneath the snow.

Several places were a bit iffy, especially on the return as the snow rapidly started to melt, making it hard to trudge through. Both of us felt our muscles at work in these tough snow conditions, such a change from the morning when we had had fluffy powder.

​Overall, we had a great day and were so happy to be back outside again after a month of below-zero weather. On a side note, we came across a back country skier, who had never been in the area before.

Who went: Susan W and Katie

After yesterday's crazy snowshoe on the 747 trail, this lovely morning walk along the Missouri following in the Lewis and Clark expedition footsteps was a welcome stroll.  Maria called it "day two of bootcamp," but it really was pleasant. With temperatures in the 40s, we shed our layers and enjoyed the warm breeze as we knew the thermometer would be dropping later in the day, bringing in below-zero weather.

The day started at 8 a.m. at Paris Gibson Square. Thirteen of us went despite not knowing how icy or muddy the trail would be.So we came prepared with snowshoes, yaktrax and old boots/shoes we didn't care too much about in case the gumbo piled onto them. Yet, we found the trail to be mostly dry. We had a few icy spots, especially in the shaded coulee areas (of course they were on the downhill/uphill sections) and a bit of mud too.

But we all enjoyed the views of the Missouri River Breaks, the unbroken plains that looked almost identical to what the expedition would have seen: no power poles, no structures, just river and waving grasses.

We marveled at where Belt Creek enters the Missouri as well as the rapids that can cause havoc with those floating the river, but we really enjoyed seeing the springs that supposedly healed Sacagawea after Clark's bloodletting failed to cure her from a major illness (Probably PID (pelvic inflammatory disorder caused by gonorrhea). Read more here. Most of us knelt down to touch the water, which is artificially dammed into a pool now. Beyond the pool, the water has coated all of the rocks with its minerals, giving them a gray cast with nothing else growing. The distinct sulphur smell emanated from the pool and stream, yet the water temperature isn't warm, but rather about room temperature. We all wondered how the sulphur smell bubbled up through  the earth's crust and what causes it. Read more here.

We also discussed how the state tried to give the old homestead area plus $10,000 for a grant writer to the Little Shell Band of the Chippewa Tribe so that they wouldn't be homeless anymore. However, they declined as they felt they didn't have the money to restore it. Read more here  And more

We ended the day at 11 a.m., a wonderful hike before our sub-zero days start.

Who went: Susan C., Susan W, Mary S, Sara, Jeanne, Jean, June, Viki, Carolyn, Sue, Kuntzie, Maria, Katie

"That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life," proclaimed Maria at the end of a very long day on the 747 Trail. So the day started pretty well, with us driving to Kings Hill at 8 a.m. A quick stop at the Neihart Inconvenience Store, and then we were at the parking area by 9:30 a.m. It was warm, 34 degrees, but with a breeze; so far so good.

We knew that the climb of Porphyry Peak would be our toughest thing of the day, so we prepared ourselves. Katie had recruited her husband Tom and his friend Wayne to break trail on the backside of the mountain and show us the way (Tom had gone on Wednesday and had lost the trail, so Katie was worried. Tom said he went an extra mile; we didn't want to follow his tracks and go 7 instead of 6 miles, so he was cutting a new trail the correct way, based on an earlier GPS reading). However, they were on skis, so they started an hour later than we. We agreed to meet at the warming hut "Top Rock Cafe" on Showdown around 11:30.

As we started the climb, we did have to break trail, Camille leading the whole way, so she got a good workout. Maria, Viki and Rose were unfamiliar with the climb of Porphyry so they didn't know what to expect. Maria was a bit worried with all of the up, up, up until she saw the lookout tower perched above us, at which point, she knew she could make it. About this time, Tom caught us on his way up, but Wayne was a bit back. They thought that we were farther ahead than we were, so Tom skied back down and then up again as he waited for Wayne, which allowed us to get a bit farther up the hill.

Tom and Wayne caught us about a quarter mile from the hut, where we ate a snack (some 
had lunch, but we had to forget about hot cocoa as no worker had showed up) before heading down the 747 Trail, Tom and Wayne leading the way. side note:  At the hut, the ski patrol workers were very worried that we were headed to the Mizpah Bowls. They warned of extreme avalanche danger. We assured them that we weren't heading to the bowls but to the 747 trail, with which they weren't familiar. Anyway, after Tom got on what he thought was the correct trail, he and Wayne left us and skied fast down the hillside.  We followed slowly in their ski tracks, Katie using some painter's tape to mark the trail.

About a half mile down the 1.5 mile section, we started falling into tree wells and sinking in around deadfall.  Several fell, Susan four times. Once, Susan fell through to her waist and couldn't move her feet. Katie used her poles to loosen the snow around her and then dug her out. What happened was her foot was caught under a downed tree and under a small tree that was burried in the snow. Viki helped clear to the front of Susan and held back the little tree, while Katie freed the back of Susan's snowshoe. It was an all-out effort for Susan to regain her feet and get herself out of the hole.

Viki and Rose also ended up in tree wells; luckily, they were very limber and were able to right themselves on their own. But the snow was very unstable. We started hearing very loud woofing sounds, and slabs of snow would crack and sink a few inches, throwing us off balance.  Maria suggested we spread out so not so much weight was on a section of snow at a time, and Katie and Viki were packing the snow down and on purpose going down so that Susan who followed wouldn't fall again.  It was very tenuous going, everyone trying not to fall again and the eerie woofing of avalanches coming down around us.

It took us 2.5 hours to go a one-mile stretch with all of the postholing and time it took for those who fell to get back up. We were never so thankful to hit the cat track, but we still had 2.5 miles to go, some uphill. We also noted that we didn't come out at the trail marker, so we were slightly off trail. After a long 2.5 more miles, we did make it out by 4:15. Maria's hips were hurting, Susan's legs were really feeling it, and we all relished getting off our feet as we sat down in the car. By this time, we all thought climbing Porphyry had been a piece of cake compared to the last half of the hike. Welcome to backcountry snowshoeing!

As it was getting late, we opted not to stop for a drink and bathroom break at Bob's and instead headed home with a quick stop at Armington junction to use the restrooms.

It was just before 6 p.m. when we arrived back to 4B's. But Susan reminded us all that we should go on the Sacagawea hike in the morning.  Four of us took her up on it.

Who went: Susan W, Viki, Maria, Rose, Camille, Katie

On a bluebird day with lots of wind, we welcomed Rose to the GiG.  We all marveled at her matching outfit while talking about how we have hiked with mismatched mittens, mismatched gloves and even two different hiking boots. Mary S recounted how she took two different shoes on a trip to Atlanta; Katie related how her husband tried to climb Patrol Mountain in two left boots. But the real interesting tidbit happened at the end of the day--read on!

Christi led us on the Dump Out trail, one the GiG had never traveled, so we had a new experience on our climb of Mount Helena. We usually take the Prospect Shafts or Prairie trail and then take the 1906 down. We have also gone on the Hanging Draw and Powerline. The newbies to this area marveled at the fact that it is a city park, purchased by the Prickly Pear Land trust. Some of the land is BLM too. For Helenans, it is like our River's Edge Trail, well used and loved by the local strollers, bikers, hikers, dog walkers.

We decided that Yaktrax or ice cleats would be better than snowshoes, given the trail was well worn and snow not very deep; it was a great choice.  We battled a bit of wind, but we were mostly protected in the trees and coulees on our way up. The day was warm, in the high 30s, so the wind wasn't too cool, especially on the going up part. As we climbed, the views kept getting better and better until we reached the top with 360-degree scenery! What sights we could see, looking down on Carroll College campus, Fort Harrison, the Cathedral and Last Chance Gulch, not to mention Mount Ascension, the Elkhorn Mountains and the Sleeping Giant.

After taking many pictures, we decided not to eat lunch on top due to the wind and instead head back to the picnic table, located about halfway back to the parking area.  However, the table was out of the sun and not out of the wind, so we did have to bundle up, putting on extra layers. Our lunch was a very quick due to the cold, so we blew down the mountain, making it back to our cars just after 1 p.m.

Then, for one car,  it was a quick stop at the Park Ave. Bakery; we decided we earned a cookie for the ride home.  At this point, we also ducked into the bathroom at a brewery, where Jean discovered in the mirror that she had put on two very different earrings, proving that our day truly was one of mismatched items, all expect Rose, that is.

We arrived back home by 3 p.m. after our wonderful windy, but very sunny, day.

Any time you hike to a pass, you expect wind. at least in Montana, so we were pleasantly surprised when the day started out calm and sunny from the get-go.  We left Great Falls at 8 a.m. and arrived at Flesher Pass around 9:30; and by the time we geared up, we hit the trail at 10 a.m. At the pass, it was a fine 23 degrees, yet down in the valley the thermometer had hovered around zero, making many of us wonder if we had brought enough warm layers. We needn't have worried.

After a quick group picture at the Flesher Pass/Continental Divide Trail sign, we headed straight uphill to our first overlook, catching a glimpse of the Mission Mountains and Scapegoat Wilderness areas. After our picture shooting,  we noticed right away is that we couldn't see the trail. Why not? Elk tracks. Not just a single-file line; elk tracks all over as if a herd of 1,000 ungulates had trampled the whole area. We saw so many tracks and had to skirt around so many elk piles, we just could not believe our eyes. Almost every tree had indentation around it where elk had slept. We saw this the the entire way; for almost two miles the elk had completely trampled the area, obliterating any sign of a trail from prior snowshoers or skiers.

But elk tracks weren't the only prints we saw. We also spied cat tracks among the hoof prints. So we kept an eye out in the trees and overhanging branches just in case a mountain lion decided we looked like a nice meal. Luckily, we didn't happen upon any kitties today.

Without a clear trail, we took turns guestimating where we needed to be, looking for cut logs and clearings to guide our way. In this way, we also  traded off trailbreaking as the snow was quite deep in places; yet in others, we found bare ground, especially under the trees. And snowshoeing over the uneven elk tracks was a bit tiresome. By the time we turned around, the snow was turning from powder and icy in spots to corn from the heat.  It seemed more like spring snow than early winter. We need more snow, for sure.

All day, we enjoyed gorgeous views to the southeast (with a bit of a haze indicating an inversion in the valleys still), but we never did find the overlook to the northwest on the nice rock outcropping. We did, however, make it to the wolf lichen forest, the dead trees covered in the lime-green parasites wowing our eyes.

On this hike, we welcomed Judy to our group--her first snowshoe. And she liked us so much, she decided to join!
​ On our way home, we stopped at the Amish/Mennonite Deli in Vaughn for ice cream and other goodies to take home. We arrived home by 3 p.m.

Who went: Sue M., Gail, Susan W, Susan C, Mary S., Maria, Paula, Judy, Christi, Kuntzie, Carolyn, Brenda, Jean, Viki, June and Katie

"It was a snow beaching," Susan W, aka, Happy Camper, said after she fell over into very powdery deep snow, necessitating a rescue. But that was toward the end of the hike when we were speeding down the mountain as the snowflakes started flying.

The day started at 8 a.m., and we got on trail by 9:30, slowly making our way up the mountain, breaking trail the whole way until we hit the cat track at Showdown that wound us around the back of the mountain to the base of the lookout tower. Some of us realized how much the Christmas baking was slowing us down, but we realized we could do this climb. Most of those on today's trip were also planning to go on the eclipse snowshoe adventure, so this was a good test of our endurance; plus doing it first in the daylight was a good idea.

As we neared the top, we could really feel the wind picking up and see the clouds closing in overhead, leaving just a slim strip of sunshine on the surrounding mountains, which was pretty.  By the time we were on top, the wind was picking up the powdery snow and blowing it in our face. Since the weather was turning, we decided to walk the short distance to the ski hill to eat our lunch in the warming hut. And warm it was. Susan W discovered that the heaters were right under the benches that ran along the outside walls, so those needing to warm up sat there. And some purchased coffee or hot chocolate as an extra warm treat to go with their lunches.

Then it was back outside to the wind and blowing snow, which encouraged us to hoof it down the mountain without stopping. We made it to the cars just after 1:30, a record, I'm sure!

After a brief bathroom break and drinks at Bob's Bar, we headed home. We did see Tony and teased him a bit about being back at the Bar since he had sold it before Christmas. He said he had to finalize the books on his last quarter and then he would truly be done. And he gave us his phone number and promised to take us to the stone arch on a summer hike.

We arrived back in Great Falls at 3:15; a very fun day with a bit of a challenge.