Bonnie did a heck of a job organizing a GiG trip to the Las Vegas area, but she forgot to tell us to bring climbing gloves--more on this later.

Our flight into Las Vegas was uneventful; we did see a few GF folks that some of us knew and visited with them.  After we landed, Bonnie was there to pick us up and take us to dinner at Brio, an Italian restaurant. We all liked our meals and then headed to Bonnie's house to get settled and discuss our first day of hiking, this one in the Valley of Fire.

Saturday dawned beautiful with blue skies and a breeze with a predicted high of 70 degrees. The next day, the winds were supposed to be 30 mph with a chance of rain and snow. This valley is very sandy, so we didn't want to get caught in a sand storm; nor did we want to get caught in a flash flood, another disaster awaiting those who dare the valley in rain with all  its washes.

Here, we took a series of short hikes, the longest being two miles; however, the scenery was so different from what we are used to that we kept stopping to take look around and take pictures. The vivid yellows, tans, whites against reds and oranges popped.We saw elephant rock, arch rock,  and a few others, all around a quarter-half mile each. 

We hiked up the stairs at Atlatl Rock to see the petroglyphs and decided to encircle it too for even more petroglyphs (half mile). Boy were some of us sorry we didn't have high top boots as our feet sank in the sand, filling our shoes.

The Fire Wave, perhaps the most impressive, was also the longest at 1.5 mile, but we also took a side trip of a half mile down a wash as well as climbing to the top of a knob for a picture opp--waving our hands, of course, in honor of the trail name. The white and red layers looked like painted stripes, forming pattern upon pattern in this area, including a wave pattern, hence the name. Beth noticed some rock that didn't look like it fit in the area. It was a conglomerate among the sandstone, which breaks apart into gravel.

We also hiked the White Domes trail (1.25miles), and along the drive, we took in the Seven Sisters, large sandstone monoliths some 20-30 feet high.

Finally, we toured the Visitor Center to learn even more about the area and its flora and fauna, from bighorn sheep to burros to desert tortoise to road runners to snakes (rattlers, gopher snakes, sidewinders) and lizards. We hoped to see tortoise and burros, but were disappointed. However, we did see a herd of bighorn sheep.

For Sunday, our second hiking day, we were off to Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.We took two main hikes: Calico Hills, an up and down, up and back, hike among gorgeous red rock formations and Calico Tanks, a hike that leads to natural water storage areas and a view of Las Vegas. But we were in for a surprise on the Tanks hike: Bonnie didn't tell us to bring our hiking gloves on her packing list, but that is what was needed.

The beginning of the hike was pretty tame, flat on a wide path, which led to an Agave Burn area, where Native Peoples cooked, similar to dutch oven cooking. The cracked rocks and ash, many feet deep, are still visible.

Then about one third of the hike required rock scrambling, some sections with a bit of exposure.  When the cliffy areas got steep and the footholds narrow with drop offs, only three continued, due to the scare factor of getting back down. However, the views of the Vegas skyline and the unique rock features were amazing. The hike did require some nerve getting back down, which was tougher than climbing up, but we all made it without a scratch or a fall.

And did we mention the weather during the scrambling? It was very windy, gusts up to 30 mph, with some snowflakes. In fact, some views of the mountains looked hazy due to the snow squalls.  We all three froze and were grateful to get back into the car, nice and warm.

So with our last hike done for the day, Bonnie drove us around the circle to see a few more sights.  We did get out and hike one more half-mile section to Ash Springs on a brand new boardwalk.

On the way out, we went by the place said to most often have burros. We did't see any, but we did see hundreds of Joshua trees, a real treat. We also learned these 1,000-year-old trees aren't really trees, but rather a kind of yucca plant.

Then it was back to Bonnie's for a quick shower before eating out at a Mexican restaurant, Lindo Michoacan. Again, everyone liked her food.

The next morning, we helped Bonnie clean up a bit, stripped the beds, jumped on the air mattress and cleaned bathrooms and did some laundry before walking to breakfast at the restaurant located right in Bonnie's gated community. Then we tried to order a Lyft ride, since Katie had a 50 percent off coupon; however, no car confirmed the ride even after a half hour. So Katie cancelled and tried Uber. We got a ride right away.

We said goodbye to Bonnie who was headed to work for the afternoon. We had an interesting Filipino driver who used to be a caregiver for Roy of Sigfried and Roy of white tiger fame.  He said Roy was very demanding, talking about reading all night to him in dim light and wiping his butt with three people to help.Even with an occasional $400 tip, he said it wasn't worth it for what he had to do.  Interesting.

We got home with no other incidents.

Tidbits from our stay:

• We told Bonnie she should earn extra money being a tour guide and call herself BJ Tours. Beth explained why she wouldn't want to be called BJ.
• Maria learned about the Urban dictionary and will be looking up several items when she gets home
• Susan had us walking in circles around Bonnie's house to get our steps in since we ended early due to the cold weather.
• We walked around the neighborhood too to get in some steps.
• We discovered that the Nelson or desert bighorn sheep are much smaller, but the females have larger and longer horns.
• Some of our favorite things: fractures/fissures in the rocks, colored sandstone, conglomerate
• Flora: manzanita, scrub/shrub oak, mesquite, mistletoe, choya, barrel cacti, ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, joshua tree.

Who went: Bonnie, Susan, Beth, Maria, Katie

We left Great Falls at 7:30 in hopes we would be back in time for the 4 p.m. Superbowl as some had parties to get to. The day was gray, promising some snow, but the roads were good despite overnight snowfall predictions.

So Mary N made good time, getting us on trail by 8:45 even though we stopped for a bathroom break at the Neihart Inconvenience store.

Wind was also promised along with the snow, but since we were mostly in the trees, we didn't feel it much. On the way up, Aaron Weissman stopped us in his ski patrol outfit, reminding us to stay single file along the edge and watch for skiers and boarders as we ascended the mountain.  Luckily, few were on the mountain today, probably due to the weather predictions of high winds coupled with the big football game.

We reached the top in one hour, forty minutes, possibly a record for us as it usually takes us a full two hours, and popped into the Top Rock Cafe for a snack and bathroom break. Nora kindly bought us all hot cocoa as we warmed up before tackling the long downhill on the backside of the mountain.

Then it was off we went to see if Katie's husband Tom had created some tracks for us. In the past, we have gotten lost on this trail as it isn't well marked. We have bypassed the turn and also gotten off track after the turn, so we planned to add more marking tape to the trees to better mark the trail.

The trail starts on the O'Brien/Ranch Creek trail. O'Brien branches off and then we knew we needed to branch at the 747 trail marker.  As we went along, following ski tracks on Ranch Creek, we thought we had gone too far and bypassed the turn again, so Katie pulled out her Gaia gps to check. We were within a few steps. We did find the trail and headed down, coming upon Tom within a quarter mile.  He had gone the wrong way and retraced his steps so we wouldn't make the same mistake following his tracks. he had made arrows in the snow marking the correct way.
So we got that straightened out and put up more marking tape that Susan had brought with her. But soon we rand out, so tthe last half of the downhill still doesn't have good markers.

We made it to the bottom of the mountain and then had to encircle it on the snowmobile trails. Luckily, no snowmobiles came by today, although we did hear engines in the distance. We figured the superbowl was keeping everyone partying before the game.

As we traversed the snowmobile trail, Mary kept wondering if we went too far as it is a good distance before we pick up the O'Brien Creek trail again, but we didn't miss any turns this time, spotting the yellow cross country skier sign that warn snowmobilers of skiers crossing their path. 

About this time it really started to snow, covering our tracks as we went. Then the wind started picking up too; we were so glad to be ending and not starting. Mary shook the snow off her car, and we tried to keep it from blowing in as we put our gear back in.

We arrived at the car by 1:30 pm and arrived home before 3, well ahead of the kick-off time of 4:25.

Katie's Easy Pear Parmesan Appetizer Recipe

3-4 paremesan rounds
Sliced pears
Cherry jam
Softened cream cheese.

​Cook premade or make your own parmesan cheese rounds by putting in microwave for 1 minute or one minute 30 seconds until crisp. Use shears to cut into wedges while still warm.

Spread some cream cheese on the wedges.
Add a dollop of cherry jam (cherry jalepeno is really good too)
Add a pear slide to the top.

After leaving Great Falls at 7:30 a.m., we arrived at Silver Crest around 9 and were greeted before the parking lot by Search and Rescue vehicles.  Then as we exited the car to use the outhouses, a helicpoter came in blowing snow into our faces.

We asked what was going on, but the crew wouldn't give us much information other than to say they were on an active search operation. We asked if we could watch for anything since we would be in the back country, but they said 'no, we have everything under control." But it was still on our minds all day.

After parking our shuttle car in the lot, we found we couldn't get out, due to all of the sleds, S and R vans and other vehicles gathering for the rescue. We had to get out of the car and ask them to clear a path for us.

Then it was on to the top of Kings Hill, all seven of us cramming into Katie's Highlander for the 10-minute ride.
The day started out cloudy and snowing just a bit as we headed on the uphill part of our snowshoe adventure.  We took a few breathers but we all did well on this part of the trail.

Katie pointed out the blue diamonds along the way, so that others could learn the trail and, hopefully, lead others in the future and help guide the way as the trail is tricky in parts. Susan led the way on the last stretch going into the snowmobile  park as a group she had been with earlier had missed a turn.  And she had brought marking tape to tie on the trees in hopes no one misses turns again.

As we approached the flat area, we came across deep ruts that snowmobiles had made. It is frustrating when others don't respect the quiet trails and tear up the ski tracks.  There is room for everyone if we are just cognizant of all users.

High winds had been predicted, so we expected to be blasted when we entered the snowmobile area, but really, it was more of a breeze than a wind. And the sun was out. Our moods went up a notch for sure as the sun warmed us and the blue sky shone on us.

This section can also have a bit of a trick getting across the park area, avoiding snowmobiles while looking for blue diamonds that mark the trail. Katie pointed out that if hikes just go straight across the park, they will hit the snowmobile road, turn right and be going the right way. And this is actually better for skiers than following the diamonds that make for a backtrack that cause more skiing on the snowmobile track than necessary and possibly dangerous, especially on weekends when the sledders are out in droves.

We saw a variety of tracks (snowshoe hare, canine, bird, vole, deer), hoping to spy lynx, but no luck. The few we thought might be cat, were dogs from the mushers. They must have had at least one dog off sled, possibly with booties on.

We arrived back at the cars in the Silver Crest parking lot at just after 12 p.m. noon, with the Search and Rescue just packig up and leaving. We spotted two SR workers we knew and quizzed them about what happened. Luckily, the two stuck snowmobilers who had spent the night outside were in good condition, just very cold, so we had a happy ending on that situation. Camille got after one rescuer who mentioned that the people were in their 70s and what were they doing? Given that some of our gals are in their 70s and many of us approaching, she was right to give them a word or two.. Read about it here.

Katie and Camille shuttled the cars. The roads were bare mostly, making the shuttle very quick.  Then it was off to Bob's Bar for lunch, yum.

And home before 3 p.m. Fun day.
Read more about the Search and Rescue operation here.
​Who went: Camille, Susan, Heather, Bonnie W, Nora, Doreen, Katie

​Nora's GOLDEN LENTIL SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES, COCONUT, SPINACH & LIME Recipe
SERVES: 6-8 NOTES:Only add salt at the end lest the lentils become tough-
1 medium sweet potato, peeled (mine was around 375 grams)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled
1 ½ cups split red lentils
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 14.5 ounce (428 ml) can crushed tomatoes
14.5 ounce (428 ml) can light coconut milk
4 cups water
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 ½ teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2-3 dried curry leaves (optional) ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach (or more if you like)
1 lime, juiced
sea salt, to taste
chopped cilantro and yogurt garnish

Set a box grater over/inside your slow cooker insert. Grate the sweet potato directly into the insert.
​
Grate the yellow onion directly into the insert as well. Rinse the red lentils thoroughly, until they stop foaming up in the strainer. Shake the excess moisture off and transfer them to your slow cooker insert.

To the insert, add the garlic, ginger, crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, water, turmeric, cayenne, mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, and black pepper. Give it all a good stir. In all honesty it’s going to look sort of gross at this point.

Place the insert into your slow cooker unit, lock the lid on top, and set the cooker to “high.”
Let the soup cook for 4 hours.

Once the 4 hours are up, carefully remove the lid and stir the soup up a bit. Add the spinach, lime juice, and enough salt to season to your liking.

Stir the soup one more time and lock the lid back on. Keep the soup going on the “high” setting until the spinach is wilted. Serve the soup hot with chopped cilantro and a dollop of yogurt.

The gals had another journalist along, this time from the Helena Independent, on their MWA trip to Flesher Pass.

It all started at 8 am with a gorgeous drive facing the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountain Front. Three gals from Great Falls faced an icy drive over Rogers Pass up to Flesher to meet with three others from Helena, one of whom didn't show up.

Camille, June and Katie met with Mary Ann and Tom, the journalist. We all quickly put on our snowshoes as the wind was howling, blowing snow into our faces. It was also slightly snowing. The day looked very cloudy, and we wondered if we would get any views at all. We also marveled at the clearcut path that had been logged, obliterating the trail in places.In fact, in one place it is very hard to pick up due to slash piles and no trees for markers.  There is one small arrow marking the way that takes a bit to find if you aren't sure of the way.

But June and Katie had done a prior hike, so they were able to identify the sign quickly. And we did get some views about this time as the sun had come out.

We were surprised to find that sections of the trail were still broken, despite the snowfall we had been getting. In other parts, the blowing snow had completely covered the trail.  Tom and June did most of the breaking as we made our way to the top of a mound before turning around. A few of us fell, but nothing serious while Mary Ann lost a powder basket from her poles.

On the way back, we didn't retrace our steps, instead following the road. On the way, just before the cars, we came across piles and piles of the logs that had been cut. They had a sign on them indicating they were for sale.

We arrived back at the cars at 12:30, way ahead of our 1:30 estimate, so we headed into Lincoln to use the bathrooms and buy snacks at the convenience store before heading to the Blackfoot Pathways Sculpture Garden.

Since we still had extra time, June suggested we stop to see the giant bear at the Forest Service office and also ask about the cut logs.The lady there said they were cut by Northwest Energy as part of a powerline. We asked if she was sure they weren't a fire break from the Stemple Pass fire last summer, but she said no; that the Stemple fire didn't threaten Flesher Pass area.

Then it was on to the sculpture garden to meet our guide Becky Garland and her Welsh terrior Sarge for a lovely, informative tour, explaining about the origins of the park, the artists and interpretation of each piece along the way. For the tour, we met with some skiers along with Katie's husband, who had been invited since we had had so many drops. We had a group of eight as Tom hadn't come with us, instead returning to Helena after the snowshoe.

We were able to use boots instead of snowshoes, but there was about six inches of fresh snow, so we did get a workout as we enjoyed the sculpures.

We arrived back in town around 5 p.m. Later, Tom emailed us to say he had contacted the Forest Service, and the field officer said the clearcuts were the result of fire suppression efforts. Mary wrote to MWA to see what is going on with the logging. Hopefully, we will get to the bottom of this.
Update: We talked to Ranger Duane in GF and he assures us it is a fire break as he helped make it.
Read the article here.
Who went: Katie, June, Camille