Explore yourself and your environment
Guest commentary:
Just outside of Libby in my neighborhood, folks from all walks of life share a bench of land that overlooks the river. The residents include a restaurant manager, a geologist, a construction foreman, a retired county planner, a post office manager, a retired newspaper woman and her retired car sales manager husband, a law enforcement dispatcher, a house painter, a cable TV technician, a forester and several other retired couples.
It’s a nice enough development and most all of us seem to get along, even though we all are different and try to mind our own business. If a problem arises, we’re pretty much there for each other and you can almost always count on a friendly wave and smile as you pass them driving by.
The small towns, hamlets, villages and one-horse communities across Montana are known for their small town charm, and that is part of what people love about Montana. Many individuals are drawn to Big Sky Country for this and our natural beauty, outdoor recreation, hiking, birding, fishing, hunting and outside pursuits in general.
Much like spokes on a wagon wheel, small communities spur out from hubs across our impressive landscapes. In a similar manner, we the people of our great state disperse across our environs in search of our individual outside re-creational pursuits. It is nothing to drive an hour or more to our favorite secret spots and it is worth a hearty laugh when we run into our neighbors out there.
In the outdoors we are usually smiling, friendly and upbeat. That is our outer selves in some respects. Our inner selves come from different backgrounds, and are composed of our individual spiritual, political, personal interpretation of values and understanding of right and wrong. We are completely entitled to those beliefs, and that is part of what makes America great.
On Friday, June 5, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., the Montana Wilderness Association is having a meet and greet event at our new Cabinet Mountain Brewery. We are privileged to have music by Ten Skip Stone with Troy native Jacob Robert Stephens on guitar, mandolin and vocals. Eric Bostrom, Jared Betts and Clare Menahan round out the quartet. Their unique sound varies between soulful, pretty ballads to driving, old-timey foot stompers, and all points in between. There will also be scrumptious snacks, raffles and MWA swag.
Schedules of the association’s free guided hikes and outdoor educational programs will be available and this year a few unique programs have been added. An archaeological tour of Lincoln County with Becky Timmons will take place in June, as will a Plein Aire art field day with local well known artist Terrel Jones. In July, a Berray Mountain sojourn and gourmet lunch hike is planned and in August, a Rockin’ Geology hike with local geologist Lynn Hagarty will venture into Rock Lake of all places. Also in August, a mountain meditation day with local yoga instructor and studio manager Danielle Spillman will be offered. A seniors and kids Kootenai Forest Tour is also scheduled for late August.
Along with explorations of Ross Creek Cedars, the Yaak, the Cabinets, the Scotchman Peaks and the Whitefish Range, folks have an opportunity to discover the wonders of wetlands and the magnificence of mountain peaks. There is something offered for everyone, at all different hiking levels.
So bring yourself down to the Cabinet Mountain Brewery June 5 and enjoy a fun gathering of outdoor enthusiasts. You may just find y’all have more in common than you realized.
— Brian Baxter is an experienced woods professional and outdoor educator