Dan and Hannah Come Off the Trail and Visit the Wilma Theater in Missoula, MT

On hiking vacations and especially when the high for the day is 48 degrees in June!, Dan and Hannah think movies.  Back in the family-trips-West days in the mid90s, we saw Hot Shots Part Deux with Charlie Sheen (I have no excuse.) for a total of $6.25 for the five of us in Logan, UT.  A few years back on a cold June afternoon in Cody, WY, Hannah and I saw one of my personal favorites, Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe and Renee Zellwegger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlbHzcH4VJY).  Rarely do we go out to the movies, but we do rent at Red Box for a dollar or at the Hannaford Grocery store in town for $2.  But today we are off to the Wilma Theater (http://thewilma.com/) in downtown Missoula for some cinematic delights.  Built in 1921 along the bank of the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula, Montana, the Wilma building [is] commonly called the "Showplace of Montana." … Today the Wilma building, with its 1,066 seat Louis XIV-style theatre, remains a Missoula icon. It was the first modern steel-framed skyscraper built in Missoula. It houses two theatres (1 small cinema with 125 seats and one large 1,067 seat theatre), offices, and residential space.   It’s the kind of place that would show Sundance Film Festival winners.  Small time, artsy, not mainstream. http://www.sundance.org/festival/

The Missoulian, the local newspaper (http://missoulian.com/), informed us of the 7P showing of I AM (http://www.slashfilm.com/tom-shadyacs-trailer/) by Hollywood big shot producer, Tom Shadyac.  Tom directed such hits as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty, and Patch Adams.  Now I AM may not wow you as a title as it, too, left me wondering, but the title works really well as you will see by the end of this review.  The documentary-type film (though it flows like a real movie) is only 90 minutes long so it’s not going to kill you to give it a shot.  In fact, you’ll wish it were longer.   Without giving too much away, Tom has an accident that makes him rethink the choices he has made in his life.  He sets out to make a film asking brilliant people two questions:

1.    What’s wrong with the world?

2.    What can be done about it?

As someone who is truly brilliant, I ask you these two questions?   Use the comment section of this blog or send them to me by email for a future posting on the over60hiker blog.  (You may not want to read further if you are going to answer these questions since I’ve listed what Hannah and I said below.)

On our ride from Missoula, MT to Pocatello, ID I write down my answers to those questions for myself and ask Hannah for hers.  For me, we have leaders who don’t understand the necessity to work together.   My second thought to question #1 was the lack of tolerance for the religions of others.   Big picture sort of responses.  Not especially brilliant or even slightly brilliant, but they do answer the question.  I must get some credit for that.  Hannah offers up, we’re afraid, we doubt, we don’t trust, we don’t have faith, and we love conditionally.  Whoa, Hannah!  The meter leans towards brilliant here, especially when considering my response.  Clearly, she overmarried by at least six pay grades. 

Then we thought what can be done.  Before I can tell Hannah to just think of her responses she busts out with practice trusting, have faith, not being fearful and love unconditionally.   What can I say?  Her response speaks to my concerns.

Tom learns from his interviews that one rule of nature is that no living things take more than they need except one: Good ole humankind.  A tree just takes the nutrients it needs.  A lion kills one zebra not fifty.  Taking too much is a cancer.

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.- Saint Augustine, Early Christian leader and writer, and one of the Fathers of the Church (354-430 AD)

So the question for me is, Am I using more than I need?  We have two cars for the two of us.  Now that I am retired is one enough?  We’ve a big house now that our three kids have left the nest.  Can we share our house or should we downsize?

There is much more than this to the film.  He advises us to find out what makes your heart sing.  Remember the power of one.  Do something.  

In the end it’s important to answer this question correctly.  What’s right with the world?

Hopefully, you can answer I am.

Hannah and Dan find free bikes in Missoula, Montana

          For the frugally obsessed, is there anything better than free bikes on vacation?  I think not.  With the weather chilly (mid50s) and rain threatening, we opt for an afternoon of bike riding, complete with our ever-present green ponchos in early June western Montana.  Calling local bike shops, we learn that we can get a mountain bike for $25/day or a road bike for $45/day.  Neither suits our need for comfort.  Clunky mountain bike tires are slow and ponderous on the roads while my posture is bad enough without the sloping handlebars of the road bikes contributing to my slouching even further.  Hannah and I hesitate whether to rent at all, when the bike shop guy says there is a program that just might suit you two; it’s one that hardly anybody takes advantage of, the free bikes program at the Recreation Department. 

With trails that straddle the banks of the Clark Fork River, Missoula, has a program underwritten by Dasani Purified Water and Trek Bikes (http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/index.aspx?NID=1096) to provide free one-speed blue bikes for all who venture to Missoula.  Just over the bridge from the downtown on Higgins Avenue, there is the Currents Aquatic Complex surrounded by ball fields and a fishing pond where, when we were there, a ten-year-old boy caught a rainbow trout, and then promptly threw it back.  With a credit card, we are able to get two bikes, helmets, and bike locks; we adjust the seats for full leg extension.  Stored in mini-metal sheds just outside the Complex, they are an untapped resource for Missoulians and non-Missoulians alike.    

Side by side we pedal south for easy conversation on a trail system along the Clark Fork River that skirts the campus of the University of Montana.   Dan returns the conversation to, would we want to move here?  Really?  It is a college town?  That’s a plus since the university vibe is appealing.  It has an active life culture?  That’s D and H to their core.  But Montana is light years from our families and twenty-nine years of roots in York, Maine? True, yet there is a certain freedom with distance.  Winters have got to be brutal?  How tough can they be after the aforementioned 29 years that we’ve lived in subarctic Maine?  But what about for a year as a visiting instructor and a visiting hairdresser?  Hmmmm.  It’s nice to dream.  Ah, the dreams born in the freedom when on vacation. 

The paved trail is 12-15 feet wide near the campus and then turns into gravel for the next few miles heading south.  Returning towards town, and then veering off towards the U of Montana, we find summer session a quiet time on campus as we idly ride the neighborhood streets. On this Wednesday and every summer Wednesday, Missoula has a lunchtime concert in the downtown.  Our nephew David would fit right into this music scene.  Today Zoo City, a little too funky for my tastes, was laying down the beat.  (You’d be mistaken if the hip lingo in that last sentence makes you think I was once a music critic.  I was not.)  Ethnic food stands, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian among them, are there for the tasting.   We are taken with the elixir of a Rocky Mountain vacation.

The following day we drive out to the Smoke Jumpers complex on the outskirts of town.  Eighty of the 400 nation-wide smoke jumpers are based in Missoula.  A mere 30 are picked out of the hundreds that apply.  Free 30-40 minute tours are available where we learn about their making of their own parachutes; and how important that is since the smoke jumpers are fully prepared for landing in trees.  Yeah, that makes sense since trees are where the fires would be.  http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/smokejumpers/missoula/.  Women make up 10% of the smoke jumpers.  One needs to be at least 5 feet tall or no more than 6’5” while weighing between 120 - 200 pounds.  You must be able to do at least 7 pull-ups, 45 sit-ups, and run 1.5 miles in 11 minutes. 

We dig Missoula, and a seed has been planted.  Stay tuned.

Dan and Hannah Shake, Rattle, and Roll on Missoula, Montana’s Rattlesnake Trail

In the Mountain States in 2011, the winter was snowy and the spring was wet.  Our plans to hike in the Grand Teton (6-7000’) and Yellowstone (8-9000’) National Parks are derailed by heavy and late snows.  Normally, in early June we can hike the Jenny Lake Trail at GTNP without any snow.  This year at that same time, the trail had 2-4 feet of snow and the ranger, when I called, said the trails are only hike-able with snowshoes.  A call to the ranger at Yellowstone revealed that trails had 40 inches of snow and were impassable.  As such, we opt for lower elevations in Pocatello, Idaho (4500’) and Missoula, Montana (3200’).

Each morning of our stay in Missoula it rained.  But today by 9A the raindrops have stopped falling on our heads (Never a bad thing when you can reference a Burt Bacharach song (Academy Award winner 1970) from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.).   Dressed in bright green ponchos that Hannah feels make us look like Mr. and Mrs. Dorque, we are not going to let a little rain keep us from the trail. 

Just a few miles out of town, the Rattlesnake trailhead has parking for 30 cars.  Sloppy and muddy after the recent rain, the gentle trail is just what our sore quads need after hiking the steep Big “M” Mountain and Mount Sentinel near the U of Montana.  Twelve feet wide and easy for side-by-side talking, the trail is made for horses and bicycles.  Immediately, we find this forest-covered, mostly-level trail skirting the Rattlesnake River easy to catch a hiking rhythm.  The turbulent, rushing waters are bad signs for North and South Dakota and further down the Mississippi River this summer. 

Literally, we are just ambling, as there is little rise or fall in trail elevation.  Meaty topics come fast and furious.  It’s a serious three course meal of conversation.

We dive into the dangers of being judgmental.  People need support not judgment.  I’ve learned that I want to support people, not help them.  When I support you, we become partners.  (How can I support you? is the question to ask.)  I thank Denny McLoughlin (http://www.hightrust.net/) for my new insights on this matter. 

 

That quickly evolves into a discussion of the second agreement from The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz (http://www.frumi.com/images/uploads/thefouragreements.pdf) - Do not take anything personally.  A key understanding for me is that you don’t take things personally even if you think comments are meant to be personal.  One, you really don’t know and two, even if they are, don’t let them control you.  Listen, discern what is valuable, and then let the comment pass by like a cloud, let it float away.  My recent reading of Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation – A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg has supported me in my understanding in this matter.

We leap forward into parenting, still believing that the best thing a father or mother can do to have healthy kids is to treat their spouse well.  Treat her or him with care, respect, and love all the time, especially in front of the kids.  That’s the lesson kids will remember.

I’m guessing you might be feeling a little bloated after that meal.  Though pretty tasty, yes?

And then, we find ourselves staring at a moose.  A baby moose to be sure, but that only means mama is near by.  When hiking Denali in Alaska in 1995 (If I can’t shamelessly name drop with you, my friends and family, where can I?), Hannah and I spotted a big, big moose in our trail where the vegetation is only ten to twelve feet high because of the short Alaskan growing season.  We paused and stepped back and let the behemoth nibble the leaves of the bushes as long as she wanted.  Earlier we had seen the sign at the trailhead, Moose Calving, Bear Alert. 

Today we pause again until Teenage Moose ambles off towards the river.  And then we see a mountain biker who tells us about two small bears he’s just seen.  Great.   Again, putting two and two together since small bears mean mama bear is somewhere close by, we learn that being from the plains of Montana, he was a little spooked.  And then he says enjoy your hike.   You’re kidding!  You tell me, the boy from the Jersey suburbs, about bears and want me to enjoy my hike!   I do, but I am clearly more vigilant for the final three miles of the hike.  We soon see two big deer feeding just off the trail 50 feet ahead.  Then we are smelled, then spotted and these big boys scamper away.  My vigilance for deer-eating bears increases. 

With but a few drops of rain on this early June 50 degree day we feel like we “stole” this hike, when we certainly have could have been rained out.  It’s always a kick when the motel is just in town, not hours away from the trailhead.   A warm shower and naptime await.

Rattlesnake River hike – Excellent, easy on the feet, wilderness feel, and critters about.  As always when hiking, know thyself, thy limits, and the conditions.  Be prepared.

Hannah and Dan Climb Big “M” Mountain in Montana under Threatening Skies

  

          Heading north from Pocatello, Idaho, Hannah and Dan look to explore the Big Sky campus town of Missoula in early June.  Of course to do that, we must drive 360 miles, but you’ll not find us whining since it’s all Interstate highway with a 75 mph speed limit.  As a one-time, make that two­­-time (Eastern Conn. State U and U of New England) college prof, I fantasize about spending a year teaching in a Western town.  I imagine the comradery with the faculty and the adventure in the athletic-friendly West.  Though retired, I just never say never.  Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff had that same effect on me last summer.  The U of Montana here in 60,000+ Missoula intrigues me.  Why just in the backyard of the U of Montana campus, there is Big “M” Mountain a mecca for hikers of all abilities. 

          With easy-to-negotiate switchbacks, Big “M” Mountain is a satisfying challenge for families and sprint hikers alike.  Camouflaged wire fences are nicely hidden in the grassy terrain and make trail cutting and trail eroding and trail ruining nearly impossible.  It’s a gentle 20-25 minute hike along a dirt trail with satisfying views of the campus, all of Missoula, and the mountains of the Bitterroot National Forest.  To our north storm clouds threaten.  A mere up and back at Big “M” mountain is just not enough for macho hikers like us.  We notice a trail to the right beyond the concrete painted M and take to it. 

          Alas faithful readers, learn from our hiking faux pas.  Since we had no idea that there was a trail beyond the Big “M”, we didn’t bring our usual fanny packs with water and trail mix.  We bad.  Even so, on this mid60s day we decide to venture on to Mount Sentinel, a prairie restoration area with wild grasses and flowers.  It’s a steady climb as you might imagine it would be since it is a mountain.   Our breathing is heavy and purposeful for the skies are going from gray to black across the valley.  We press on as I am starting to feel what any reporter must feel when he wants his story.   Storm to our north, but a story in my heart.  If we don’t get to the top, will I be able to satisfy my loyal and adoring readers (just kidding)?  Hannah and I confer, waver, and wonder if this is a fool’s gambit to continue.  But press on we do, double timing our pace.  We spot a windsock above us and think the top is nigh so we quicken our steps.  Rationalizing that we can sprint down the mountain if the rains come, as the trail is fairly straight with few rocks, we eye the storm clouds and move forward.  At last, we hit the jeep trail to the top, scan the horizon for storms and don’t even have a ceremonial swig of water; alas we have no water. 

Bidding a hasty retreat, we start jogging downhill despite our hiking boots.  Five to six years ago after thirty years of running five miles per day five days per week neurotically without fail (it was not pretty), Hannah and I gave up running because our knees were creaking every time we got out of bed.  Fortunately, as soon as we stopped running, the creaking noises in our knees stopped.  Duh.  But running was what was needed today.  Feeling the strain on the interior of my thighs, I kept pace with Hannah’s relentless descent.  Having taken 35 minutes of focused climbing to get to the top, we alighted (got to throw in a pretentious verb every now and then) off the mountain in a mere 23 minutes.  Still no rain and we were back to Big “M” mountain. 

Descending from there and wearing my Maine shirt, I can’t get any comments from fellow hikers.   Maybe I need neon lights.  People I am here to interact with you.  Just throw me a bone.   We are now in the townie part of the hike with causal hikers in sneakers and IPods.  We pass mom and dad who are shepherding their two kids, maybe 4 and 6 years in age, up the mountain.  We hear the boys say, you mean we can’t throw rocks!  High school girls pass us, one wearing a tee shirt that says make art not war.  Got to love college towns.  Maybe the 60s is ready to make a resurgence.

Now for full disclosure.  For the next three days, climbing steps and especially coming down them or even down a street curb is painful.   I look like Walter Brennan as I awkwardly land on one foot and then the other.  We were just not ready for such steady climbing and rapid descent.  I’m not sure there is preparation for such vertical hiking and thankfully in three days we are fine and hiking mountains again.

Big “M” and Mount Sentinel Hike – Satisfying with panoramic views of the Missoula valley.  As always when hiking, know thyself, thy limits, and the conditions.  Be prepared.

Hannah and Dan Roam in Idaho and Hike the Gibson Jack Trail

Hannah and Dan Roam in Idaho and Hike the Gibson Jack Trail

When we travel to the Mountain States, we love to explore Western towns, often they are the biggest thing for miles around.  Some of our favorites are Flagstaff and Prescott, Arizona, Lander, Wyoming, Bozeman, Montana, and Panguitch and Moab, Utah.   It’s Big Sky Country at its finest.  Unable to visit the Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks because even the lower lake trails had 2-4 feet of snow in early June, we venture due north from Salt Lake City to Pocatello, Idaho.

Do you ever want to be more than just a tourist when you travel?  You know, just immerse yourself in the community?   If so, I got an inspired idea for you.  It’s really cool.  On the first Sunday of our hiking vacation, we seek out the local Congregational Church (UCC) in Pocatello (http://www.uccpocatello.org/), which I had googled the week before.  Deep in Mormon Country (Latter Day Saints), we find a welcoming congregation with 28 members in attendance this early June morning.  In this college town (Idaho State University), we find an outpost of conversation, engagement, and connection with these folks.  When they turn and welcome each other at the service, they turn and welcome everyone individually!  It is very cool.  As a member of such a church, I can imagine you would feel known and vital to the church’s success.  With the nearest UCC church 110 miles away in Ogden, UT, you are a pioneer if you are a member of the Congregational Church here.  And more amazing, in the middle of Republican Red country, this church is an open and affirming UCC church (http://www.ucc.org/lgbt/ona.html), which means they embrace all gender orientations.  

After church, we head south to the edge of town for a favorite local trail.  We dig popular trails.  Loving the chance to interact with others, Hannah and I are no solitary John Muirs or Henry David Thoreaus or Hermit D. Wildernesses.  We are energized by the stories of others.  From the southwest of Pocatello, we go south on Bannock Highway to Gibson Jack Road, turn right for 3.2 miles to the trailhead where there is parking for twenty cars.  Sunny and 80 degrees on this late spring day, I lather on the sunscreen, slap on my fanny pack, and immediately start steadily climbing on a rocky trail with sage, juniper, and some pines, seemingly unaffected by the nearly 5000 feet of elevation. 

After 45 minutes through mountain meadows of grass, we hit a fork in the trail and choose to cross right over a wooden bridge of planks.  Unfortunately today we lack a map so we are giving it our best guess.  Not always a winning strategy.  Without a map, we can go up and back on most any trail with a high degree of confidence, but today’s trail is a loop trail, the Gibson Jack Loop.  Here in the Targhee National Forest the signage is poor.  That’s no excuse for not having a map, but what we need is the absolutely terrific signage typically found in National Parks.  Aspens bracket the trail with leaves that are immature and not fully leafed.  Mountain snow rivulets whisk by us.  After an hour we see no other hikers, but do see a distant mountain and wonder if that’s part of the loop.  We are again reminded that not having a map is a major bummer.  We look for a sign. I mean an omen-type sign.  If we see another hiker on the trail whose advice we have a high degree of confidence in, we’ll continue on.  If not, we’ll head back the way we came.

The mountain ascent is steep and rocky and makes us wonder, should we go any further? Now five miles into the wilderness, we feel we are out of options and don’t want this late afternoon to be spelled L-O-S-T.  We see no one and turn back.  Denied, we had no idea that if we had continued to that mountain top, we would have had just 2.3 miles to go.  By turning back we did five more miles.  We say we like exercise and we got it today.  

Satisfied three and half hours later, we drive back to our Super 8 motel in Pocatello a mere ten miles away.  A shower awaits, and then a chance to toast the Blackfoot Mountains as the sun sets after nine PM in this part of the northern Rockies.

Gibson Jack Hike – Challenging with a steep ascent to the mountain top but doable and enjoyable.   As always when hiking, know thyself, thy limits, and the conditions.  Be prepared.