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| Hiking | 2.81 Miles |
523 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.81 Miles | 1 Hour 35 Mns | | 2.41 mph |
| 523 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Day 2, Jul 22 Two Medicine Day - Part 2
(Part 1: http://hikearizona.com/x.php?I=4&ZTN=1685&UID=11058)
Wendy was in need of some insoles for her shoes so since the weather was still tenuous, we headed to Browning (12 miles from E Glacier) on Highway 2. I hadn't been on this road for some time. (It brot back mixed memories including the time my Pinto (in 1974) got sucked into some tracks  that were deep in the snow and when I went to open my door, it about blew off. Fortunately I was rescued by another family in a car behind me and we all went back to E Glacier to wait for the snow plow. The snow plow pulled the Pinto out and I followed it the rest of the way to Browning.)
On the way, we spotted some buffalo  in a pasture so that was pretty neat. Believe it or not, the Blackfeet Trading Center had what Wendy needed plus it was kind of a cool store. We then headed back to E Glacier and got to enjoy my favorite part of this drive, the Rocky Mountains rising above you in all their glory as you drive from the plains  . Also, they are replacing the 761 ft-long 150 ft-high 1941 bridge over Two Medicine River with a new bridge right next to it (The bridge design, a "segmental cast-in-place box girder," is the first of its kind to be built in Montana, but "in Europe it's been used extensively,").
Wendy had apparently been doing some Rx  and decided we should head out to the Cut Bank TH. Since the weather had improved with the sunshine and broken clouds, this sounded like a great plan to me; especially since I had driven by that area too many times to count and had always wondered what was down there. On the way, we stopped at an overlook to watch the water spilling over the Two Medicine Dam that Wendy had spotted on our drive to E Glacier. We were driving again and about 5 minutes later I realized we weren't on the Kiowa Loop (MT Hiwy 49)  but were headed to Two Medicine so we turned around and got back on the loop.
We turned off Hiwy 89 (toward St Mary) at the sign indicating the Cut Bank TH was this way. We traveled on the dirt road for about 4 miles. We passed that herd of horses we had seen earlier. At the Ranger Station, we encountered a ranger who seemed very distracted as she rolled down her window  ; something about yes the TH was ahead and try the trail to Atlantic Creek. We parked by the TH and went down to the primitive campground hoping to use the one facility but it was busy so we just took a short walk down to check out the creek.
Next we decided, as it was late in the day, to hike on the Cut Bank Pass Trail for awhile. The wind was still blowing pretty good  but it didn't stop us  . The trail starts off thru a meadow for the first part and in a few minutes you come to a fork that takes you down to the Creek (North Fork of Cut Bank Creek which seemed more like a river) to where the old Chalet http://www.nplas.org/cutbank.html used to stand. (Interestingly enough, my mom has a postcard of the Chalet that was sent from her Gt Grandmother to her Great Aunt in 1917).
Video: Two Medicine Dam, Kiowa Loop, drive to Cut Bank TH, first part of hike on Cut Bank Pass Trail http://youtu.be/So0hnb3zHd0
We opted to stay high on the main trail which takes you in and out of the lush forest with occasional views of the river and the mountains of Two Medicine to your left (south). The mountains all seemed to have waterfalls too  . This trail is a connector 'til about the 4 mile mark where you are given a couple different choices. We only hiked in about 1.5 miles before turning around as it was getting late and we still had more on our agenda.
We enjoyed the trail the whole time as you come in and out of the forest that is carpeted with green flora and meadows with various flowers. There were lots of little dug-out drainage areas as the trail was still pretty wet in places. We did encounter some backpackers on the way back as they were headed to one of the campgrounds ahead (to the west).
We finished off Two Medicine Day with bloody mary cocktails and cheese/crackers. Then spaghetti dinner & garlic bread by Chef Wendy with our newly purchased red wine from Missoula MT; finished off by smores.
Video: last part of our hike on Cut Bank Pass Trail, drive back to St Mary's, campground festivities http://youtu.be/BhGcDH25Ay8 |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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