Hiking Blodgett Canyon Trail and The University of Montana M Trail

Renita and I are both in our seventies. While we do have some limitations, we always set a goal of, In the words of our friend Steve Gardiner, “To the Top”! That doesn’t mean we are going to attempt any serious rock climbing or ice climbing, it just means that we set a realistic goal for each days hike. We use the All Trails app to judge the elevation gain, length, and degree of difficulty before beginning. We also plan on going slower, watching our heart rate, wearing proper clothing, boots with ankle support, trekking poles, and sunscreen, well the list goes on… Jen and Eric wanted to take us on two special hikes. The first was Blodgett Canyon, in the Bitterroots, just outside of Hamilton, Montana and the second a steep but short trail up the Mountain to the White M by the University of Montana in Missoula.

Arriving at the Blodgett Canyon Trailhead we started up and reached a monument to a man killed while fighting forest fires. It has a special meaning to me as my brother Mike who was a member of a Federal Hot Shot fire crew and battled wildfires out west. Renita’s brother Phil also fought fires in Minnesota, and as far as the Florida Everglades. He specialized in using explosives to blow lines. Hats off to all firemen and fire women who risk their lives doing their duty. Just past the monument we ran into our first snow patch.

It was snow covered ice, but our new trek poles greatly aided us by aiding us to keep our balance(highly recommended). As we continued up the trail we would have stretches of dry trail, melt water and more snow- and ice-covered areas. The snow covered areas were not deep however, and we were not punching through, That’s a dangerous condition where you can easily break a leg or ankle.

We stopped often, too often for the youngsters with us, but they patiently waited for us to catch our breath and continue. Our goal was to reach a point on the trail of about two to three miles.

Along the way we stopped for pictures of the beautiful and rugged mountains. I picked out climbing routes up the exfoliated walls, watched for fish, and identified rocks for Renita or Jenny to carry back to the car,(just joking).

As we reached the two-mile mark Jen and Eric returned down the trial and told us it was too dangerous to continue. The snow on the trail was simply to deep. The hike back to the vehicle was also slow as we had to step carefully to avoid ankle of knee injuries. It had been a great day!

Three days later we did our final hike of the trip in Missoula, Montana. High above the University of Montana students and staff had built a huge letter “M” visible across the valley. They had also built a good trail with nine switchbacks.

Starting up the trail Jen and Eric watched us as we slowly made the climb. We were passed by just about everyone, but we don’t care, we just stepped aside. Our guides made it to the top way before us and they wondered if we would give up. There will be a time where we will stop our hiking but not today!

Returning down the trail our legs became sore and my knees both begin to bother me. Another member of our generation asked me if I was as sore as he was. Obviously, we need to get in better shape, before we hike the trails around Grand Teton National Park. We loved the two hikes and look forward to many more. Every day is a blessing. Thanks Jen and Eric for the hikes and for your patience. Clear skies