The Lowlands
Blue Mountain Recreation Area is one of those choose your own adventure trail systems that can bring many experiences to varied visitors all at once.
ADVENTURE ART CLUB | DAY 21 | 9.21
BLUE MOUNTAIN TRAIL SYSTEM
MISSOULA, MT
Where would you like to head today? Are you in the mood for a climb to the top? Did you bring your bike? Are you riding your horses? Do you need to push a baby carrier along a flatter pathway? Would you like to walk in the shelter of trees, or do you prefer the wide open sky and dry grasses? Do you want to hear the sound of meadowlarks, or do you prefer pileated woodpeckers and nuthatches? Are you visiting in the morning before work? In the heat of a midsummer day under a torturous sun? In the cool of the evening as the light fades? How far do you want to go? The choice is yours.
Today, I’m feeling a hike through the lowlands on the Southwestern side. As Scout and I start our climb up the rocky road that carries mountain bikers to the single tracks higher up, the joy that permeates this little dog’s body is practically palpable. He loves Blue Mountain, as do I. I’d like to think dog heaven is something like this, with wide open spaces hosting a wide range of sights, smells, and experiences to choose from. He prances along, ears bouncing as he kicks up bits of dust with each step, all illuminated by the late afternoon sun. His embodied effervescent joy is infectious.
It’s late in the season, so no sound of meadowlarks (the joy of Summer days here) greet me. We travel up the trail past endless junction points, making choices as to where our path will take us. Here vs. there. Up vs. down. More or less travelled. I want to walk along an old road settled between trees, so we head in that direction. Scout bounds through fields of bright green smooth brome lit by errant sunbeams. Circling back to the top, we find ourselves overlooking the low grasslands and valley as the sun slowly sets behind us, illuminating mountain ranges in the distance.
We take a seat to enjoy this great expanse, and I settle into sketching. Scout bounds around in the grasses or sits from time to time to smile at the wind. The sketch comes quick, fed from the well of my love for this place. I visit often.
Finally, we take off down the trail just as the alpenglow of pink and purple hues permeate the mountains all around us.
Alpenglow lasts only a few brief minutes, so if you happen to catch sight of it, you’re incredibly fortunate. The fading sun brings out the brilliance of the land like the smile of a friend at a parting gift lovingly placed within two outstretched hands. It fills our hearts with grateful glee, and Scout bounds along utterly free in the fading, a broad open smile playing across the surface of his face.
We rejoin the trees further on before reaching the trailhead just as the blue of the evening descends.
Love & Gratitude,
- Christina
