Well, That Was Fun

Winter's over, spring's exploding (in Oregon, at least, although Montana isn't far behind), and I'm soon on to the next adventure. But before that, a quick photographic tour of the winter:

It was a low snow year, to put it kindly. When the parents came to visit in January we went on an excursion to Glacier Park and found coverage even more lacking than on the mountain.
Mom and Dad check out Lake McDonald Falls, where we ate lunch, watched ouzels (a.k.a. American Water Dippers) frolic in the frigid waters, and tried to duct tape Dad's disintegrating cross country boots. It would have worked, we just didn't have enough.

Did I mention it was a low snow year?

In the beginning of February I had the opportunity to join my aunt Julie on a cat skiing trip up in the great land of Canada. Once I got there it was awesome. The two hour trip ended up taking me nearly five: first, I drove as far north as Eureka before realizing my boots were still sitting on my doorstep, and then got stopped by the friendly state trooper on my way back north just short of Eureka because it was 5:37 on the last day of the month and he had to meet his quota. Despite all this the snow was fresh and soft, if not deep, and the company was exceptional.

March brought more adventures, to Lookout Pass, Schweitzer, and Big Sky. Then before you knew it the season was at an end and I turned 26. My friends, sweet as ever, couldn't contain their excitement and threw me a surprise party. Not just any party, but prom, complete with big dresses, cheesy photos, and tuxedo t-shirts. Below: Nathan and I strike a pose pre-party.

Just some of the lovely ladies and their girls - Maggie, Abby, princess for the day, and Sarah.

It was hard to leave Whitefish but arriving in Portland was like the moment in "Wizard of Oz" when it switches from black and white to color. This place in spring never ceases to amaze me. I'll be here for another week hanging out with my parents and catching up with friends, then it's off to the next adventure: ocean, mountains, big bears, bigger trees, lots of rain, boats and float planes. That translates to working for the Forest Service out of Ketchikan doing cabin maintenance. I'll be an honest-to-goodness government employee until the end of September. While I'm spending a fair amount of time in the woods, the blog will be up and functional, so check back if you're bored or just feel like being a stalker. I'll try to keep you entertained.

New Kid on the Block

Well, it's official. Once again I've become a full-time resident of Whitefish, Montana, moving my various tupper wares and boxes and crates into yet another questionably functional domicile. It's funny how many things you don't really notice about a house until you spend some time in it. Such as, "wow, there aren't any lights in this living room", and "huh, there's nowhere to hang my towel in this bathroom". These shortcomings are easily remedied with trips to the local thrift stores and some elbow grease, but none of that really matters when the house in question is a tomato-throw away from the down town area. The post office is one block west, the library an eight minute walk away, and I can see the Snow bus stop from my kitchen window. You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't judge this place by its peeling paint or the toilet on the doorstep (which has since been removed). I'll be sharing the space with two roommates: my newly-graduated sister Sarah, joining the ranks of the gainfully-unemployed twenty-somethings, and my college friend Alyssa, farmer and horse-whisperer extraordinaire.

This is a pretty quiet time of the year in northwestern Montana (unless you're skulking around the woods trying to murder fuzzy forest creatures, of course). There's no snow, no tourists, and therefore not much work for those of us in the seasonal sector. We're biding our time and counting our nickels. In another month things will be gearing up for the holidays, but in the meantime I'm reading lots of books (just devoured English Creek by Ivan Doig and highly recommend it), finally putting pompoms on all those half-finished hats, and looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Portland with my family. So happy autumn, and let's all do a snow dance until we're blue in the face!

Opening Day

You've got to love fall in Montana. The mountain tops are dusted with snow, the tamaracks light up the hillsides, and orange becomes everyone's favorite color as the woods fill with big, burly, gun-toting men and women. That's right, boys and girls, this day, one 25th of October 2009, marks the beginning of rifle season here in the Treasure State. Let the carnage begin!

To celebrate the occasion I went hiking in one of the few areas where you don't have to announce your humanity with day-glo colors: Glacier National Park (although, just to remind people, one of the local papers recently ran a half-page article reminding people there is no hunting in the park). Apgar Lookout is a solid hike for several reasons: it's only a short drive from the valley, the 3 mile climb affords just the right amount of sweat, and the fire in 2003 ensures you have gorgeous vistas the entire way up. The first picture is Lake MacDonald; the last is the Middle Fork of the Flathead River hugging the Glacier View Golf Course. The lookout itself is closed, but it's an amazing spot to hang out and take in the views from Hungry Horse to the North Fork.

As gunshots echoed across the valley I had a moment of silence for all the Bambi souls becoming one with the universe...and crossed my fingers that one of those blasts was Nathan nailing an elk. Nothing hits the spot on a cold dark winter night like elk fajitas.