We wondered if we should cancel: the roads had black ice according to the Montana road report, the wind was picking up, and we now had a 60 percent chance of snow, up from 40 percent the day before. But we went, thinking if Rogers pass were too bad, we could hike to Rogers Peak instead of continuing on to Flesher. So we left the DOB at just after 8 a.m. not knowing what to expect.

But June was super driver. We didn't encounter the black ice out of Simms; but Rogers Pass and all the way to Flesher was snowpacked and icy. She handled it well.

When we arrived at the pass, the wind was howling, blowing snow in our faces. We really started to get cold as we geared up and put on our snowshoes. Once we got moving, we warmed up, but the snow was still blowing the whole way to the outhouse, and flakes started to come down. At this point as we waited in line to use the pit toilet, we wondered just how far we wanted to go in this weather. And it wasn't only the weather; we had to break trail in one to two feet of snow, not that the deep snow was unexpected.

It was powdery, but still an effort, especially on the uphill sections. But we soldiered on, trading off breaking along the way. We noticed that a new trail had been cut; many, many trees had been cut down, and large slash piles remained.  The blaze was very wide, resembling a power line trail. We wondered what the lumber crew was up to as the cut part did not follow the CDT (Continental Divide Trail). At first, this cut threw us off; but both Katie and June, the leaders on this trip, knew the trail was dropping too much and going the wrong direction, so we backtracked, trying to find the CDT and get back on track. Miraculously about now, the snow lifted and most of the wind stopped, revealing gorgeous views toward Holter Lake.

At this point, Katie got our her phone and checked both Gaia and Google maps to see where we were in relation to the CDT. This helped us find a tree with an arrow on it pointing the way.  Everything looked so different with the trees removed.

So we finally got back on trail and proceeded another half mile before deciding to stop for lunch. June found us a nice log to sit on, sheltered from most of the wind, except for a few big gusts that blew the snow a bit. Then Katie and June went up to explore the ridge to see if we had any views into the Seeley Valley and the Swan Mountain Range. We had some views, but not that far. So the others followed us to see the vistas spreading on both sides of us.

We dropped down from the ridge to retrace our steps to the outhouse. Then instead of continuing to retrace, we took the logging road around, past a pile of wood for sale. As we approached the parking lot, the wind started to pick up again, blowing snow in our faces. June turned the car around to block the wind a bit while we took our snowshoes off and piled into the car quickly to get away from the gusts.  Then the snow started again as we drove down the pass.

The rest of the way back was better than our way out, with most of the ice melting into slush. June had clear sailing once we drove down Rogers Pass. On the way, we wanted to show Lindsie the Adams Stone Barn, but we couldn't remember which town it was in. We wondered if the barn had been "saved" as we knew it was up for destruction at one time. Closely watching as we passed Simms, then Fort Shaw, then Sun River, we wondered if we had missed it, but we spied it just past the Ramble Inn. (read more here).  We also told Lindsie about the assortment of bras gracing the ceiling and walls of this establishment. See for yourself here.

​We arrived back at the DOB at 2:45. 
​Who went: Katie, Susan, June, Nora, Lindsie

We had our chance at fame on our first of the year as Lindsie Hiatt from KRTV interviewed us and then came along on our trip, filming along the way. She just moved here six months ago from Fresno, Calif., and was happy to get outside on a trail in Montana. Katie had a fun time talking to her about Fresno, since her grandparents lived there and she visited often in her childhood.

Before we headed out for snowshoeing, Lindsie set up her tripod and large camera to interview Sue and Katie. It took quite a bit of time, but then we were on our way.

The day was perfect. With howling winds predicted for Great Falls, we escaped all but a breeze. The sky was blue, and and the trail well packed with a nice base and a few inches of fresh powder. At the bridge, we discussed if we wanted to continue to the three-mile marker, we we did. As we proceeded, we marveled at Lindsie, squatting down low and going off trail to capture shots with her cell phone. She said she was a one-woman show: she does all her own editing, splicing and completing the final product. She uses a combination of the nice cameras and her iPhone for footage. See the interview here. And the video here.

Along the way, we ran into a few skiers and one snowshoer, Kalah, who may join our group for future hikes. Then it was off to Bob's Bar for a late lunch before heading home.  We had hoped to talk to Janice to see how she survived a year of being the new owner and moving from Texas to Montana. We had such a cold awful winter that we wondered if she were questioning her move. However, we didn't see her. We asked the waiter but he didn't seem interested in finding her for us.

The day was a perfect one to start off the new year.

Who went: Desirae, Sue and Katie
We left GF at 9 am and returned by 3:30.

After the September snowfall on the east side of the Rockies ruined our fall colors, we decided to get in a little autumn by going west. So we chose Apgar Lookout to enjoy the reds, yellows and oranges of the underbrush on the way up and the snow-covered mountain views at the top.

We left Great Falls at 6 a.m. and planned to meet Madelon at the trailhead at 9:30.

The day was very sunny but wintry as we drove through Browning and East Glacier with piles of snow lining the streets, but once we crossed Marias Pass, the snow dissipated and gave way to autumn splendor along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

The west side, however, was unusually windy and cloudier than predicted; the path muddy from the rain of the day before. As we made our way to the top, we marveled at the views into the Great Bear wilderness, of Grant Peak Great Northern, and Columbia mountains. On the way up, Mary S had more breathing trouble than normal for her; her inhaler had no positive effect either, so we were a bit worried about her. But she persevered, and we made it to the top in good time.

We were passed by several parties and met several coming down, including our own Camille with her husband, also out to see a bit of fall before the snow settles in for good. Most were from the Flathead area, but one couple was from Ohio and some women from Helena.

When we crested the last rise, spotted the lookout tower and peered into the Lake McDonald valley, we were awed by the grandeur of Glacier National Park's beauty. The snow on the mountains accentuated the clouds and held our attention despite the gusts of 30-40 mph. requiring all our layers to keep warm, including gloves and hats.

We ate our lunch on top with a view of the iconic horn-shaped mountain, St. Nick, whose head was kept covered in clouds until our drive home later in the day.

We started to get cold so we headed down at a fairly good clip, just to keep warm.  We arrived at the cars by 2:15, so we said goodbye to Madelon but decided to continue our fun since we had driven all the way to the west side. 

So on we drove the single track road from Apgar trailhead, encountering numerous cars along the way, necessitating much backing and good driving on Mary S's part.  Then we took the backroads through West Glacier to the South Boundary trail to hike the half mile to the historic Belton Bridge, the original entry into the west side of Glacier park.  

The hike hugs the river bank, giving us even more color for the day of the turquoise water set against the autumnal hues. Some of us checked off another of Jake's hikes.

Then we hit the road for home with a quick stop to check out the ford of the Flathead to see what we thought about trying for Harrison Lake later in the fall when the larch are yellow.  We climbed down to the tracks, crossed over, bushwhacked to the river to assess how deep the water might be when we spotted a couple on the other side and convinced them to cross so we could see how deep it was.  It was deeper than it looked: above the knee on him and to the crotch on her.  We weren't sure if we wanted to attempt it or not.

Then it was on to East Glacier to eat at the Whistlestop, which turned out to be their last day. The snow had ruined the end of their season, so owner Linda said they, along with the motels, had to close early. Only one other couple was in the restaurant. We even had dessert: pecan pie and cheesecake.

We arrived home at just after 8 p.m. 

Who went: Mary S, Susan W, Katie, Madelon, Brenda