Tag Archives: wilderness

MT Roadtrip Pt. 5: Peaks and Valleys, Missoula – St. Mary’s Peak

"M" Trail, Mt. Sentinel, Missoula, MT: Missoula lies under the watchful eye of a giant "M" on the side of Mt. Sentinel near the University of Montana campus. I climb the series of switchbacks to get an awesome view of the city nestled in the crook of three mountain ranges.

Mt. Sentinel, Missoula, MT: From atop the "M" Trail, Missoula fills the valley before me. The Clark Fork carves lazy S-turns through Missoula's lively downtown and the two closest wilderness areas rise just outside the city limits, providing places to enjoy high country activities. These wilderness areas, plus several more within a few miles, are part of what draws people from all over the country to settle here.

MBW, Missoula, MT: Missoula has a thriving community of cyclists made up of everything from year-round commuters to pro racers. Missoula Bicycle Works embodies Missoula's independent nature: a local shop serving this diverse community better than any chain retailer. I worked here for three years and enjoyed stopping by and catching up with old friends.

Hellgate Cyclery, Missoula, MT: I also visit Hellgate Cyclery, one of a new breed of shops around the country focusing on bicycle repairs and selling used bikes rather than dealing in bikes from large-scale manufacturers. Tucked into an alley downtown, this shop feels like a hidden doorway into the heart of the local bike scene, complete with a greeting by the shop dog.

Missoula, MT: I wander along the Clark Fork through a series of parks and greenways. The flowers and trees along the river stand in stark contrast to the semi-arid land just outside the valley, giving the "Garden City" its nickname.

Missoula, MT: These massive fish "swim" between boulders at the edge of the Clark Fork in Caras Park. This sculpture is a great reminder of what makes Missoula a haven for people who want to live someplace because of their passions (in this case, anglers) rather than the availability of high-paying jobs. This, in turn, has brought a lot of diverse talents to the area, making Missoula the home base for several international businesses and organizations.

Fire Tower, St. Mary's Peak, near Stevensville, MT: The final stop on my trek across Montana is at St. Mary's peak near Stevensville. After the hike to the top, I am greeted by both great views of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and and a Forest Service lookout who was kind enough to let me check out the instruments he uses to track fires. He will live in this 12'x12' box for weeks at a time watching the forest through most of the Bitterroot Valley to the east and the rows of jagged mountains in Idaho's panhandle to the west.

Fire Tower, St. Mary's Peak, near Stevensville, MT: From inside his tower, a Forest Service fire lookout keeps an eye on one of several fires that sprang to life over the hours since I started my climb. High winds drive these fires across the mountainsides even as I watch them. These fires, like human presence, will change the landscape. In some ways these changes will be for the better and some ways not. These fires are often out of our control but, in the end--with fires, at least-- nature prevails. A new cycle of life begins.

Montana Road Trip pt. 2: Taking the High Road-Red Lodge to Yellowstone

Beartooth Pass, outside of Red Lodge, MT: Highway 212 switchbacks its way up the side of this canyon as it climbs over five-thousand feet in less than 19 miles. Even with several years of mountain-driving experience, I feel moments of vertigo negotiating the dozens of hairpin turns.

Satterlee Pond, Beartooth National Wilderness, WY: Wind churns the surface of Satterlee Pond while Picas chirp from the boulder fields. As I approach Beartooth Pass, the road winds out of the forest of lodgepole pine and into soft, mossy tundra similar to what what one might find within the Arctic Circle.

Satterlee Pond, Beartooth National Wilderness, WY: The granite exposed at the top of Beartooth Pass is some of the oldest on Earth, dating back 2 billion years. Hearty wildflowers spring up through the rocky ground, adding color to even the starkest stone outcrops.

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, WY: Highway 212 drops into Cooke City, MT, then descends into the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone Park. The valley is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Park and a prime location for spotting bear, elk, bison, coyotes, and wolves. Tourists and wildlife biologists crowd together along roadside pullouts scanning for the valley's more elusive animals.

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone NP, WY: A now-dormant geyser cone stands at the head of the Lamar Valley with Norris Mountain and The Thunderer in the background. Building storm clouds threaten to bring rain to the valley.

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP, WY: The odor of Sulfur hangs heavy in the air and clouds of steam wet my skin as I stare into the depths of this hot spring. The vibrant colors of the hot springs often contrast with the stark, barren soil that surrounds them.

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP, WY: Kayakers glide past runoff from one of the hot springs near Yellowstone Lake, America's biggest mountain lake. The mountains on the far side show the edge of the vast volcanic caldera, a crater so large that the lake only takes up one quarter of the area.

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP, WY: Paddlers check out a dormant geyser a few feet off shore. The thermal features and high sediment temperatures suggest a shallow geothermal network here kept in check by the lake's cold waters. If the water level of the lake were to drop even a few feet, a major hydrothermal explosion could create another crater like the ones that make up Mary Bay and Indian Pond to the north which formed the same way.

Artist Paint Pots, Yellowstone NP, WY: The boardwalk seems on the verge of collapsing into this mostly underground hot spring. As impressive as the geysers and hot springs are, there are even more impressive forces going down below. The super-volcano that fuels these features is pushing up on the surface once again, building pressure and threatening the same type of catastrophic explosion that formed Yellowstone's 45 mile caldera.

Next leg: Back into Montana – Red Lodge through Bozeman

Mourning Trail Closures in Montana

A precedent-setting decision by made by U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy condemns 150 miles of trail in the heart of Montana to closure and threatens over 700 more miles of singletrack throughout the state.  The trail closures stem from a lawsuit filed by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Montana Wilderness Association and The Wilderness Society alleging that, by allowing mountain bikers to use the trails, the Gallatin National Forest Service failed to preserve the wilderness character of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn wilderness study area (WSA).  This ruling sets the stage for possible closures of trails in other WSAs around the state (and the greater US).
This loss is personal for me.  The Hyalite trail system was the solas I fled to during one of the lowest points of my life.  I often headed out after work.  Since I was on a mountain bike, I covered the distance to overlooks in the short hours before sunset that would have taken far too long on foot.  I have many fond memories of watching the slanting rays of the sun light up raw peaks and tree-carpeted valleys in crisp alpenglow.  Being in the center of all that beauty gave me the strength to wake up and go through it all again the next day.
The Gallatin Forest Service office’s mountain bike-friendly policies make the trails surrounding Bozeman easily the best trails I have ever ridden.  They built sustainable trails long before “sustainable trail-building” became a buzzword.  Their trails consistently show less wear and less erosion than other trail systems around the US and should be a model for trail-building.  Instead, it makes them an easy target for lawsuits.
The IMBA and Montana Mountain Bike Alliance have vowed to continue the fight through appeals.  Here are a few things you can do to help:

Remember, this fight will soon extend into your own neighborhood trail system.  Joining your local trail advocacy group is essential.  The opposition is organized, we must be, too.

Here are some links to articles on the trail closures:

IMBA News

Dirt Rag

Billings Gazette

Environmental Impact