The Rocky Mountaineers

Date: December 5-9
Participants: Susanna Phillips, Brent Maier, Abby Stensland, Bjorn Nabozney, Joshua Phillips, Minot Maser, Megan Monahan, Elizabeth Moore, Fintan Maguire, Jesse Blaha, Anastasia Wilde, Steve Hancock, Forest Dean
A large group of us once again made the trip to Bozeman for the 22nd Annual Bozeman Ice Festival.We had a mix of first timers and several veterans.All of us had an incredible time!About half of us took at least one clinic while the rest climbed on their own (or, in the case of Jesse and Anastasia, took hundreds of photographs of all of us!).
Three of us arrived on Wednesday so we could take clinics on Thursday.Everyone else came down on either Thursday or Friday.Those of us who took clinics all were in agreement that the instruction was outstanding and worth the expense.The Festival seems to attract the “who’s who” of the climbing world and its always fun to rub elbows and learn with some of those folks you admire and read about.Some of the clinics we partic…

Date: Dec. 9th, 2018
Trip Leader: Julie Kahl
Participants: Lois Crepeau, Kristi DuBois, Leta Brown, Steve Schombel, Alden Wright, David Kahl

I call these Winter Outings because we end up with an eclectic group wanting to enjoy different pursuits. Sometimes it is someone’s first or second time out for the season. Alden wants a 10-15 mile /16.1-21.14k day, Lois, Kristi and Leta were happy with snowshoeing or clomping about on their Hok skis (a hybrid ski-snowshoe). Alden skied the shorter, Glade Cr. loop (3.4 miles/ 5.47k), while David, Steve and I skied down Elk Meadows Road to the Lee Cr. trail junction.(1 mi/ 1.61k.) Alden joined us shortly before we reached the trail junction and skied a short ways up the Lewis & Clark /Nee-Me-Poo Trail where it comes down to Elk Meadows Rd. Some one had tracked it. We skied up the Lee Cr. Trail to the China Cr. bridge/culvert (about 2 miles/ 3.22k) and had a lunch break there. Alden skied on aways up the trail as the rest of us turned back. When w…

Date: Nov. 25th, 2018
Trip Leader: Julie Kahl
Participants: Maria Cassidy, David & Julie Kahl

On this incredibly beautiful day Lolo Pass was busy. But, I never tire of watching people have fun up there. Especially seeing the response of people who are new to the Pass. People weren’t the only ones busy. In the Visitors’ Center we heard that there was cow and calf moose hanging out by the Glade Cr. loop trail, and Daphne Herling told us of her experience of encountering them, and turning back from her track. Because the trails aren’t being groomed, it was ok to have dogs on the trails and there were several in front of us as we skied down the Glade Cr. loop. It made me worry for the moose. Across the Pack Cr. ski bridge we found a "Y" in the trail and decided to take the fork that went into an area we rarely go. Before long we ran across numerous trails in the snow and realized they were moose tracks. The ski trail went off in a direction we didn’t want to go, so we broke t…