Friendship discovered on a hike transcends political beliefs

On a recent Saturday morning, heading southwest over the Kootenai River bridge, the weather looked unpredictable. Against a battleship gray background, patches of breakaway blue were punctuated by cottonball like puffs of sheared-off clouds making their way over the mountain peaks. 

At times, these clouds would open a window to some of the Cabinet’s finest views. This time of year can be spectacular for views of the Rocky Mountains, holding the snow, which accents their beauty.

I was on my way down to the Munro family establishment, appropriately named “Treasure Mountain Restaurant,” to meet a group of outdoor enthusiasts. Surrounded by taxidermists mounts of deer, elk, wolves, caribou and fish, an eclectic array of Cabela’s geared folks enjoyed morning coffee. We discussed our options for the day. This outdoor educational program entitled “The Cabinet Mountains, A Naturalist View,” is sponsored by the Montana Wilderness Association.

Our gang included the MWA field coordinator, the outdoor educational instructor, a family manufacturing business owner, a real estate agent, a retired outdoorswoman, a hospital human resource manager, and a wildlife photographer. We made our way up Swede Mountain to check out the view of the entire Cabinet range, and discussed geology, habitat types, vegetation and elk migrations. 

Then, we dropped down the valley and headed out toward the Libby Old Town site, and talked about the history of the area, David Thompson, and the historic 1910 fire.

We began up the trail to Geiger Lake. It was a cool morning, but soon we were shedding layers as we stopped and talked about the forest types, and the changing ecotones as we meandered into the subalpine zone. As it started to open up. We stopped and glassed the avalanche chutes and miles thought we spotted a bear moving across an open snowy slope. We repeatedly checked the chute in the distance, but no luck. Was it a grizz or  black bear? We’ll probably never know,  and that’s the way it happens sometimes out there. But it’s all part of the adventure.

The higher terrain was laced with intricate, deep, steep and slippery moguls of snow. So, we dug in toe holds, and helped each other across and around the challenging maze, our bonds of friendship growing tighter, as our trek grew tougher. We slowed and studied cougar tracks, pine marten scat, wolf scat, and then we heard the rush of water. 

As we came upon the lake, magically the sun warmed and helped broaden the smiles that flushed our faces. A quiet appreciation ensued. A pair of bald eagles flew over us. We made the tranquil scene last as long as we could. Reluctant to leave this place and this peace.

Back at the rigs, we all shook hands and shared hugs, all agreed we had an exceptional day.

 Amy, the wilderness coordinator and myself attended a barbecue sponsored by the Back Country Horsemen after the hike. Here we encountered more folks with great appreciation of the wild area we live in, good food, and yes, cold beer. Thanks, Jeff, for the invite.

And herein, one of the lessons for me. Maybe, just maybe, we who live in the Northwest and the Rocky Mountains need to remember that all of us live here because we love it. Perhaps, our differences, whatever they may be, are not near as strong as our common appreciations.

The sequestration that some of the colleges experienced, eliminated some of the outdoor education programs in our area. The good folks of several organizations have stepped up to provide you with many of these programs. The classes I teach are hands-on, boots-on-the-ground programs with a scientific base, field session, and are a lot of fun. We have recently tracked animals in the Flathead Valley and Glacier Park; studied birds of prey at McArthur Lake outside Sandpoint; checked out flora and fauna in the Pack River drainage; and visited the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness in the Kootenai country. 

To find out what classes are coming up, please contact the following: arobinson@wildmontana.org or sandy@scotchmanpeaks.org or info@glacierinstitute.org or bbaxter@thewesternnews.com.

Thanks to Alan Gerstenecker and Matt Bunk for giving me the opportunity to serve you folks.

(Brian Baxter attended forestry school in Pennsylvania and wildlife management college in Western North Carolina. Baxter says his real education has been the 36 years he has made a living in the woods of the Northwest U.S. and British Columbia, serving as an outdoor educator for 15 years.)