Videos – Page 15 – On the Loose Live

Bozeman, MT: Hyalite Creek Trail Hike

November 7, 2016January 13, 2019livevigorously

Headed out from Bozeman to the nearby Hyalite Creek Trail Hike.

Wanted to make it to the lake and back. The trail is one of the best in the area with 11 waterfalls on the way. It was heavily wooded so the views of the waterfalls and the dramatic canyons and the cliffs weren’t always visible without a slight ramble on spur to the right.

Hiking distance: 11 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 1,900 feet

Unfortunately, the trail was heavily iced and snow-covered so I had to turn back at Chasm Falls about a mile and a half short of the lake. In the video below, I misnamed the hike Hyacinth – it is Hyalite. Must have been the brain freeze.

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Here’s a close up of the icicles by the falls.

By the way, do you think my jacket is bright enough? I’m hoping the hunters will too. Heard a couple shotgun shots on the way down. Ended the hike via the accessible and lovely 1.5 mile Grotto Falls trail.

Ah, closing a day of hiking with a great meal at Ted’s Montana Grill and a big sky sunset, does it get better than this?

Local color, the Hungry Horse Reservoir & a scary attic

November 4, 2016October 29, 2017livevigorously

After working up an appetite on the Avalanche Trail in Glacier National Park, we stopped in for some sustenance at a local watering hole…It was very “colorful” as they say…Friendly barmaid and a handful of Montana mountain men.

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On the way back to Columbia Falls, we swung by the scenic Hungry Horse Dam, the 11th highest concrete dam in the US at 544 ft tall, 2115 ft wide, 39 ft thick at the top, and 330 ft at the base. There’s a 15 mile loop you can drive or bike, but it started pouring rain and visibility was poor so we opted out.

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Stopped for a cocktail at the Blue Moon Bar and Casino.

Have I mentioned that it’s all about hunting in these parts? Taxidermy shops and small bars / casinos are as common as nail salons back in LA. When I walked into the Blue Moon, it was like walking into a natural history museum (and I’m not talking about just the patrons either).

Later, the granddaughter of the owner took me on a private tour of the attic that was jam packed with the owner’s “trophies” of big game from Canada, Alaska, Montana, etc…It was like something out of a horror movie, a bit creepy, and way over the top for this animal lover.

Avalanche Creek Trail to the Lake, Glacier National Park

November 3, 2016December 13, 2016livevigorously

The Going to the Sun Road was closed at Avalanche for the season so hiking options were a bit limited. Started at the Trail of the Cedars, where a wooden walkway leads through dense old growth.forest, the ground plush with almost iridescent green moss and a spectacular view of roaring avalanche creek. All this in a half mile or so and wheelchair friendly.

The rest of the Trail of the Cedars was closed, but I continued up along Avalanche Creek to Avalanche Lake. This easy, couple mile trail (4.5 miles roundtrip with 730 feet elevation gain) winds along Avalanche Creek and then up to the lake, and is one of the most popular in the park. One of the advantages of hiking in the off-season, and in the rain, is having it almost all to yourself.