Fairy Slipper Hike

Wednesday, the Hallelujah Hikers returned to Sweathouse Creek Falls. We saw more Fairy Slippers on this one hike than we have in all of our other hikes put together.

Sweathouse Creek was full with the Spring run-off of melting snow from the mountain tops.

We hiked between rocky cliffs on either side of the trail...sometimes walking in "the burn" from almost 2 years ago which now yields an abundance of mushrooms... sometimes ambling through lush meadows of Arnica, Lupine & Indian Paintbrush just starting to bloom.

The vegetation was mixed at the Falls itself... some sepia tones from the burn & some normal forest coloration. We admired the scenery & ate our packed lunches on a rocky ledge at the top of the falls.

This view of the canyon at the foot of snow-covered peaks was shot from Sweathouse Creek Road as we drove to the trailhead. It captured the serene feeling of this hike. As soon as we returned home, the sky clouded up & it began to rain. Thank you, Lord!

Hissy Fits

Misha, Esther's boyfriend for the past year, gave her a 6-week-old tiger kitten for her 20th birthday. They named her "Shadik", (BellaRussian for "Marble"). Esther's 11-12 year old cat, Rachel, has not welcomed the kitty into her territory. She usually sits in some high position above Shadik & alternates between growling & hissing whenever Shadik ventures too close. We have allowed some of this interchange, hoping it would change. After awhile, though, we usually separate the two. Rachel gets to roam the upstairs & Shadik is confined to the basement.

At times, when Esther has pushed the limits to "get her own way", I realize I am capable of hissy fits. I am ashamed to admit it. Yet, it's true. When I realize what is happening, sometimes I separate myself for awhile so we can both cool down & develop some perspective. This past week, I spontaneously decided to drive to the Missoula theater showing "Narnia II" to escape such an episode. I enjoyed the movie & did cool down. Because Hollywood never quite comes up to my imagination, I always leave movies, based on books I have enjoyed, a little disappointed. "Narnia II" is still worth seeing, since Aslan/the Messiah is uplifted. Now, if I can only learn to uplift my Messiah through my responses to my daughter's occasional badgering.

2008 Spring Hikes

The Hallelujah Hikers have taken 5 Spring hikes so far... Our mountains received 150% of the normal snowpack this past winter, so we have had to cross snow drifts across the trail on most of our hikes. The snowmelt at times creates rivulets of our trail but has brought out an abundance of wildflowers.

Bright Arnica was everywhere on our last hike up Canyon Creek.

Glacier lilies have been on at least 3 of the hikes.

This vista is from the summit of Mount Jumbo, looking over East Missoula & beyond. We followed an old fenceline up a ravine the last twenty minutes to the summit. Mount Jumbo is now owned by Missoula & placed in conservancy.

Shooting Stars are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in our area. They were around on most of the hikes. Below was a view looking from the Grant Creek area towards the Rattlesnake area north of Missoula. Our hikes continue to turn into praise & prayer sessions! We have so much for which to thank our Creator!

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Happy Mother's Day!

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom!" Esther greeted me bright & early this morning. Now though, she has gone to dinner with her boyfriend's parents for the first time. Today, Misha will formally introduce her to his Russian parents. The Russian community here in Missoula is somewhat closed to "outsiders", so this introduction & dinner invitation is a "BIG THING!" It means essentially that Misha is serious about their relationship.

My Mother's Day gift is being able to communicate on-line again. Our 3 year-old computer died just after Passover...so we were without on-line capabilities for awhile. Louis thankfully located a new computer through DirecTV channels for less than repairing the power source & mother-board on the one we had. We have just gotten our new computer unpacked & working. We haven't located all our old files yet, although the "Computer Guys" supposedly were able to transfer most of them from our old computer.