Make It Montana: Drinking Horse

All spring and summer long, I drove out to Drinking Horse at least a few times a week for a short hike. As the days grew longer and hotter, my hike receded into the earlier hours of the morning, sometimes beginning before 7 am.

I used the familiar hike to align my feet with my head, savoring the solitude, the smells and the mental space that getting out into the majestic silence offers.

In truth, I would like to venture out to more distant and challenging trails, but hiking alone is not recommended on many of the trails around here, and alone is what I need.

A few weekends ago, my friend, Geoff, suggested we head over to Drinking Horse with our collective four daughters. Stella, Zoey, and I saddled up, game for the adventure.

In order to reach the trailhead, you have to walk up and down a short hill and across a field.

"I'm hungry," I heard before we'd made it 100 yards up the prelude of a hill.

"Can we stop and rest?" was shouted not more than a minute or two later.

And so it was. Instead of trying to reach the summit, our goal was a bench about half a mile from the parking lot.

What's with the whole need for a goal anyway? The sun felt amazing; the crisp, finally smoke-free air felt so good in my lungs, and the mountains were visible for the first time in weeks. And there were four little girls tromping up the trail, noticing everything. Everything.

Plus, I had warm gingerbread and hot chocolate in my pack, just waiting to be enjoyed.

I decided to take a picture every time we stopped. I have so much to learn about noticing and savoring, and I've got just the right teachers.