The Pit

June 13, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Environment, Up in the Mountains

There is something decidingly odd about Butte. While it is nestled in a very pretty corner of Montana along the Continental Divide, most of the folks I've met and talked with never mention the largest and most obvious feature -- the enormous open pit mine known as the Berkeley Pit. It is not the largest mine in the US, the widest, or even the deepest. It is, however, the most poisonous. My point isn't to relay all the science, if you are really interested, I've found this site has a very honest and detailed review: Pitwatch.

I think I will adopt what appears to be the more common practice in the area. I will go about my recreation in the areas surrounding The Pit. You don't really have to go far in any direction to become distracted. If you drive more than an hour however, what you'll quickly notice is that mining is not just a Butte thing. It is all over the West, in Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah (location of the deepest mine), and Minnesota (location of the largest).

I don't think people are ignoring the obvious. And recently, the former mine owners, and local & Federal governments have agreed to clean up some aspects of the Pit and surrounding waterways. Everyone is watching and hoping for the best.

All you need to do near Butte is look the other way. In this image, I am only turned about 1/4 of the way. And all you see is green mountains with snow-covered peaks.

The Maud S Canyon Trailhead is easy to get to and offers a nice 4+ mile loop up the Rockies on the Western slope of the Continental Divide. At the top of the loop is a spur that goes another few miles to link up with the CDT. And link up, as in uphi… — The Maud S Canyon Trailhead is easy to get to and offers a nice 4+ mile loop up the Rockies on the Western slope of the Continental Divide. At the top of the loop is a spur that goes another few miles to link up with the CDT. And link up, as in uphill in a very steep, set of switchbacks. Regardless of whether you only do the loop or proceed higher, can can look across the valley and see most of Butte, and also down into The Pit.

The Hills are Alive

May 29, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Up in the Mountains

As Montana folks ease towards June, we stop worrying about snowstorms and start worrying about bears. At least I do. Wandering along a skinny trail, moving through heavy brush towards a meandering stream, it is hard not to think, “Hey, if I were a bear, where would I be?” I wonder the same thing every time I come across a flat area, with a peaceful pond - “Hey, there should be a moose in that pond!” For some reason, never a moose.

The nice thing about hiking along a stream are the sounds. A little bit of a breeze through the trees and the rush of water heading downstream. No people. No noise. It is my weekend goal. To disappear into the woods.

Out and About

April 25, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Roadtrip

Taking a drive out into the country is my new normal. We are finally easing into some nicer Spring weather, so it feels good to get the windows open and cruise along some empty Montana byways. Today I poked around the Big Hole River in Beaverhead County. The water levels looked very high and I even saw some rafters. The water is a crisp 40-something degrees this time of year. Best be wearing the proper gear.

Within the next week or so, parts of Montana are supposed to “open up” - but I’m not so sure what that will mean for awhile. I’ll be content to stay away.

Social Distancing, Part 9

April 22, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Social Distancing, Roadtrip

If you journey to the most extreme place in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll find yourself on the property of the Makah Tribe to the West of their small town of Neah Bay. The Cape Flattery Trail is a relatively short hike through the woods before the cliffs open up to the Pacific Ocean. Narrow inlets are filled with rocks and islands. There are more eagles than people out here. The sounds of the wind through the trees, crashing waves, and barking of seals dominate the setting.

I was last here almost four years ago with my son. We took a weekend trip from his Seattle home out to the Olympic Peninsula. Hurricane Ridge was still snow covered, so we headed out and around as far as you can go in the lower 48. This is a solid 5-6 hour drive from Seattle. It is not really a place where you should be trying to make time on the roads. In early Spring it is quite deserted.

It is such a remote place. It is ironic that now my son is even further NW of here - almost 2400 miles away, out along the Aleutian Islands, bouncing around in a fishing vessel. For a few more weeks. Hopefully he’ll be back in the PNW shortly after that. Back among the people, just as we come out of our forced hibernation.

Up in the Air

April 19, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Day in the life

Giddy. In November 2019, I couldn’t sleep on a long overnight (or maybe it was overday) flight from Dubai to Seattle. 14 hours up in the air, winging over Iran, Russia, the North Pole…all the usual places you fly over. I had the good fortune to fly via Emirates, on both the 777 and the A380. While most everyone else was trying to sleep, I was standing up snapping pics of the expanse of the wide body jet. Emirates gives everyone a little bag full of goodies - socks, earplugs, eye mask. I imagine the next time we go up in the air, the eye masks will be replaced with another type of mask. Hard to know when that will be - but hopefully as soon as it is deemed safe, some level of travel for travels sake will begin again.

Social Distancing, Part 8

April 18, 2020 by David Snodgrass in Social Distancing

While the term “social distancing” is currently all the rage (somewhat unfortunately), as a solo motorcyclist, I have been a practicing distancer for quite awhile. For more than just 6 feet, too.

A large part of my trip planning has revolved around finding and experiencing what I always hope will be the best of the Western United States (and BC, too). For me, that means byways with very little traffic, big vistas, hard to get to special places, and in general, the road less traveled. Notice I did not say crowded parking lots at National Parks. Luckily, there are enough great places to visit that staying away from crowds is fairly easy to do. It does take some planning, and in many cases, when you go matters almost as much as where you go.

Case in point, the photo above is an example of paying close attention to the calendar, to calculate the best time to visit the best place. The Beartooth Highway, also known as U.S. Route 212, straddles Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

My trip, in June of 2017, was made from Yellowstone (Cody, WY) towards Red Lodge. The specific plan for the timing was to arrive and ride the Beartooth while the large snow walls were still in place along the route. This is one of the highest roadways in the US, at almost 11,000 feet. Throughout May, I watched the Montana DOT YouTube channel as they documented the work required to open the road by Memorial Day. The drifts and avalanched snow piles up all Winter, and then the highway guys attack it with heavy equipment.

I went through the area at the end of the first week of June. The weather was clear, crisp, and not too windy. There were very few people traversing the area. At the summit, the terrain is pretty bare, so wind, rain or fog would be awful and likely dangerous on a motorcycle. I lucked out. It was as beautiful as I had hoped. I closed out my day in Red Lodge with a celebratory brew (from Red Lodge Ale). Cheers to social distancing!