Butt Burning Jaunt

I went hiking with Lisa, Helen and her dog, Gracie, yesterday. Patrol Mountain Lookout was our destination. Ten miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2600 ft. Those 2600 ft were gained in about 2.5 miles and there's just two words - butt burner. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being most strenuous, I would put this at a 4. We climbed it in about three and a half hours but could be done in three. Two and a half going down. We went slow and steady.

Lisa and I met Helen and Gracie in Augusta, MT at Mel's Diner where you can get a cup of coffee for .50 and a fresh homemade cinnamon roll for $1.50. Delicious!
We reached the trail head around 10AM. Perfect timing.

I had attempted Patrol Mtn. last October but couldn't reach the summit due to weather. The mountain was socked in with clouds and knew a hike up the mountain was not worth it without a view.

Yesterday was a beautiful weather day and perfect for hiking. Clear, blue Montana sky and mid 70's.
Starting out on the hike takes you about 2.5 miles on flat, tree-covered trail which follows Straight Creek. The trail forks off to the right and leads to Straight Creek. Water shoes are necessary if you don't want wet boots for the remainder of the hike. The water is refreshingly cool on the feet.
We kept our watershoes at the creek which is easy to do in Montana. No one has ever bothered anything I have "stored" along the trail. Please note, I have never left my pack or food unattended due to bears.

Once you cross the creek, it is truly all uphill from there. The trail is beautiful, mostly tree-lined and easy to follow. A great resting or snack place is in Honeymoon Basin and from there you go above the tree line. In Honeymoon Basin there is a small natural spring on your right as you head to Patrol Lookout. There are three spruce trees and if you look beyond them there is an obvious trail uphill which takes you directly to the spring.
Once you return to the Patrol Lookout trail, there's a very large tree trunk to rest on.

Once you depart Honeymoon Basin the Lookout is about 30 minutes uphill and out of the tree line. Views are breathtaking. There's a Forest Service Lookout at the top and if you go during the summer months someone will most likely be there. Sam was there with her dog, Riley. She has been "living" at the lookout for the past 12 summers. Not something I could do but would like to spend a weekend up there.

It was an awesome day to be out in the woods. Good therapy. Truly a wilderness orgasm.