Silver Crest, Dec. 4, 2018

Perfect Day of Snowshoeing

Gail, Viki, Susan C, and Jo Ann left Great Falls at 8:30 a.m. for snowshoeing at Silver Crest. Thank you, Gail, for driving. We were pleased that the road was mostly bare and dry, the parking lot was plowed and the trail was mostly broken.  Gail led and Jo Ann was the sweep until the warming hut. After our stop at the warming hut for a snack and a drink, Jo Ann and Susan broke trail, three or four inches, on the slight uphill climb.  
There was no wind.  We all commented about the fast moving clouds. A couple times when we stopped for a photo of the snow glistering on the trees, a cloud moved over and spoiled our shot. But, in a moment the sun was out again. It was peaceful trekking through the trees, roundtrip about two miles.
On the way back to Great Falls, we stopped at Bob’s Bar for lunch, but the restaurant was closed. So, we continued to Monarch and stopped for lunch at Cougar Canyon. We all had great burgers and excellent service. The bartender told us that Bob’s closes on Monday and Tuesday each week.
The bartender overheard us discussing bear spray and asked if we carried it when snowshoeing. He told us that recently mountain lions have killed deer in the yard of a few resident’s in the area. Apparently, the lion population is increasing with no predators.
We arrived back in Great Falls about 2:30 p.m. A perfect day in the mountains. 

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Gail's Pix