Today we went on a hike with our friends Jon and Jean. They live a little north of us and have a similar view of Flathead Lake from their home. And they also have some hiking trails they’ve made from their house to a network of logging trails that crisscross the Flathead National Forest east of us. They’re avid hikers, and they’ve lived here for a while, so they know a lot about these unmarked trails. (And when I say “a while”, Jon was telling us as we hiked about the logging activity in the area back in the 1970’s. He’s been here that long!)
We wound through the forest, at times following overgrown logging roads, at other times bushwhacking through brush and over fallen trees. Eventually we reached a rocky ridge that stretches along the Swan Range east of our house, and were rewarded with a magnificent view of the lake.
We weren’t sure whether we could see our house from up here, but after a while we spotted it in the distant forest. It was probably a little less than a mile away.
The air felt cool (it’s still April, after all) but the hike was invigorating and we all loved the bright sunlight and the beautiful blue water beneath us. We snapped a picture before heading back down.
