Sunset over Bozeman

I spent this week in Bozeman, Montana for work.  After this past weekend with temperatures over 80 in Raleigh, it would take a bit of acclimation to get used to the Montana winter.  There were a few hiccups in Denver, but finally I made it to Bozeman.  After checking in at work, I headed over to the College M Trailhead for a sunset hike.  There's a hard way and easy way to get up to the M.  Either way, it's 850 feet of elevation gain.  The hard way goes up in 0.5 miles, while the "easy" way goes up in 1.5 miles.  With all the snow and ice on the ground, I opted for the easy way this time.  Hiking up wasn't too bad.

The trail was covered in snow, but traction was good enough in most places.  There were a couple of slick spots, but I picked up a hiking stick at the trailhead, so it wasn't too bad.  Up at the M, the views over Bozeman were great, especially nearing sunset.

I took a rest up here and got some pictures.  A couple who came up after me had a very friendly dog who I played with for a bit.  The couple was very friendly and I enjoyed talking to them for a couple minutes - the guy had just gotten back from Anchorage and the lady was from Asheville, NC.  After talking with them for a bit and getting some pictures, I headed back down.

Near the bottom, as the sun was setting behind the mountains, the sky lit up with some fantastic colors.

I got a few more pictures, then headed back.

Another Hike up the M

Wednesday, I had a dinner to attend after work, so not a lot of time for hiking. I headed back to the M and this time took the easy way up, or at least started that way. In about a half-mile from the trailhead, I turned right on College M Shortcut (#512). Again today, I enjoyed seeing the countless wildflowers blanketing the mountainside as I hiked up the mountain.

Unfortunately, the wildflowers bloom due to the lack of shade and it was another hot day today. Along the shortcut trail, there was a rock outcrop that provided some shade for a short ways.

Soon I made it to the M and stopped for a break to enjoy the view.

After a quick break, I started heading back down, staying on College M Trail (#511). Near the bottom, I turned right on Bridger Foothills Trail (#534) and went a half-mile or so to see some more wildflowers.

Heading back, I stopped one more time to see some beautiful lupine, then finished the hike back at the trailhead.

Then I headed into town and met my coworkers at Feast for dinner.

Hiking the College M

After work Tuesday, I headed to the “M” – perhaps Bozeman’s most popular hiking spot. I thought College M was a strange name for a National Forest hiking trail. Driving towards the trailhead on I-90, I saw the giant M on the side of the mountain and realized where the name came from. When I was here in February, the mountains were covered in snow and it wasn't visible. I parked at the trailhead, which was almost full and got ready. As I started hiking, there was a split and the sign indicated the easy way and the hard way. Of course I had to take the hard way. Gaining 850 vertical feet in a half-mile, this trail was exceedingly steep. The high temperatures and bright sunshine in Bozeman didn’t help. There was almost no shade on the trail. Although it seemed longer that it actually was, I made it to the top in about 20 minutes and stopped for a rest on the bench.

The views of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley from here were just phenomenal. Looking up, I saw a guy on top of the M. He whipped out a parachute and jumped off, paragliding down to the valley.

Now that's something you don't see every day. Well, maybe in Bozeman. Telling coworkers this the next day, they didn't seem to think it was too uncommon. After this, I started heading back down, taking the easy way this time. Beautiful wildflowers were blooming all along the trail.

The penstemon were particularly beautiful. But the most abundant were the arrowleaf balsamroots.

There must have been thousands of these pretty yellow wildflowers blooming on the mountainside.

As I was heading down, a storm rolled in.

In a matter of minutes, I could no longer see Bozeman - it was getting slammed with rain.

Fortunately, I was heading down so I picked up the pace, making it back to the car just as the rain was starting here at the Bridger Range. By the time I drove back into Bozeman, the rain stopped and I had dinner at Copper Whiskey, then returned to the hotel for the evening.