My initial arrival in Montana got off to a little bit of a rocky start. A missed boat inspection point and subsequent pull over by the cops, plus a pop up wind and rain storm just outside Billings that pushed my car and boat all over the road had me a little nervous about what I was to experience in Montana.
But I am happy to report that it has been smooth sailing ever since. Norm Miller and Chris were fantastic hosts in Livingston. We talked for hours about my trip, my plans, challenges, Norm’s experience and a lot of other subjects. After Sara’s delayed arrival, we made our way to Butte and then on to Wise River. We met our old time hasher friends Bereth and Barry and had an impromptu mini pub crawl through Dewey and a few other local dives. It was fantastic catching up with old friends, laughing, telling stories, and sharing some drinks together in a beautiful place. We had a relaxing evening around the fire pit and a great dinner before turning in for the night.
Bereth and Barry had to catch a 6:00 a.m. flight back to the East coast leaving Sara and I on our own for Sunday. We went into the nearby town of Anaconda for a late breakfast enjoyed inside a Herbie car then headed out to some local hiking trails.
After one mountain road proved to have too much snow and mud for my trusty Subaru to navigate, we headed to another spot called Echo Lake. Driving up a mountain road brought us to more snow and a tree that had fallen across the road. Not to be deterred, we parked and then had a lovely 5 mile hike up to the mostly frozen lake and around the lake. On the way back, we stopped and grabbed some groceries for dinner for my last meal before the trip starts tomorrow morning. Sara has found a way to watch Game of Thrones soon, and this is my view as I enjoy a beer and dictate this post into my phone.
I am incredibly excited to start the trip tomorrow. Montana has been amazing and I can’t wait to experience it for about another month. All systems go for a Monday launch!
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Paddle St. Louis 