First 2010 Hike with the Hallelujah Hikers - Up & Over Mt. Sentinel

Israeli Independence Day & Esther's 22nd birthday was a clear 80 degree day. The Hallelujah Hikers spent the morning hiking up & over Mt. Sentinel. We started on the Ken Williams Trail out of the University district & after about a half mile, hiked up a trail on the North side of Mt. Sentinel. Part way up that trail we could look over the mouth of Hellgate Canyon & see Missoula in the distance & the Ken Williams trail bordering the Clark Fork River on the left & I-90 on the right.

A few minutes later, we had hiked high enough to look north & see over Mt. Jumbo to the mountain range beyond. A previous year's hiking post detailed our Spring hike up & around Mt. Jumbo. We laughingly recalled that hike where we were literally crawling on our hands & knees at points.

At the top of Mt. Sentinel, we ate our lunch. Above is Harriet; below
are Laura & Esther. This was Esther's first hike with us. She grew up in Switzerland & learned to love hiking mountains there. We crossed a few remaining patches of snow, like the one seen in the background beyond Laura & Esther.

The hiking poles laying next to Judy helped us get through the snowy patches without falling. Judy is my prayer partner. We get together a couple of times a month to pray for our church, friends, nation, etc. Such times are extremely bonding.

After lunch, we hiked down the south side of Mt. Sentinel into Pattee Canyon, where we had already left one of our cars. The entire hike was about 5 miles with a slight breeze much of the way. A wonderful start to this year's hiking.