On Top of the World!

As I’ve shared in the past, mountains speak to me. While visiting Red Lodge, Montana, I heard the Beartooth Mountains calling my name. I felt like Maria from The Sound of Music, my favorite movie.

On a bluebird sunny afternoon on our first day in Red Lodge, we traversed the Beartooth highway, often claimed to be the most beautiful drive in the country; what a well-deserved title. As we snaked our way along this famed blacktop from Red Lodge towards Yellowstone, every twisting turn revealed another vista of soaring peaks reaching to the heavens. I couldn’t stop smiling. While Skip focused on navigating the switchbacks, I had the luxury of gazing across this majestic landscape in awe. We stopped at numerous turn outs, took too many pictures, had a picnic at Vista Point, then climbed to the summit at Beartooth Pass, reaching 10,947 feet elevation. Though we could have continued to Yellowstone with a longer drive, we opted to return to Red Lodge to shorten the trek. What a magnificent day!

On our second morning in Red Lodge, we hiked along the Rocky Creek Trail, a trail categorized as “easy” on my trails app. Some sections were easy, but others were quite precarious. I wondered who decides “easy” versus “moderate” or “hard” on their system. Admittedly, my judgment is different than an agile thirty-something’s perspective. Nonetheless, the roar of the fast-running creek was a stirring accompaniment to the beauty that surrounded us. Thankfully, walking along Broadway Street in and out of Red Lodge shops for the afternoon met our definition of “easy.”

Next big stop, Glacier National Park, the highlight of our western adventure! We can’t wait! We’ll arrive tomorrow. We hope the park will be quieter post Labor Day and that the smokey air will clear. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!