The Capitol Christmas Tree

Saturday the Forest Service cut the Christmas tree which will go in front of the Capitol in Washington. The tree came from our forest so all were excited. I decided to go and help out where needed. Over 500 people showed up and we had Christmas carolers, bondfires, hot chocolate and cookies. It was really neat but took a really long time. They held up the tree with a crane so it wouldn't fall when they actually cut it. (Apparantly a couple of years ago they cut the tree and made it land on the truck. Well it ended up breaking a lot of the branches and they had to use their back up tree.) Then they layed it parallel and put it on a huge truck. I didn't stay for the whole thing because it was taking FOREVER and the Fl/Ga game was starting. (I may be living in Montana but my priorities are still back home!)The truck for the Christmas tree. The entire truck is over 100 ft long. I'm just really glad I didn't have to drive it down that mountain road!
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....
The tree being carefully laid down before it gets on the truck.
I'm ready for Christmas! (It's cold enough!!)

Not related to the Christmas tree at all...just a beautiful view heading out to do some work. The golden trees to the left are the larches.

Callista hard at work in Montana

Callista came to work with me Monday which I of course loved (my theory is: more people = more noise = less bears!). It ended up being a beautiful day and I saw my first moose in the Bitterroot and up close! We drove around a corner and there she was. She ran off pretty quick and didn't let us get too close but it was still neat. Mrs. Moose.We had some awesome views of Trapper Peak. Last week when I was driving around this was COVERED in snow, even though it still has quite a bit. Callista in her stylish orange vest.

Callista and Nicole's Visit

My two best friends from home, Callista and Nicole, came up to visit last weekend. We had a blast staying around the Bitterroot area as I tried to show them the highlights of the area. I took them on my favorite hike, Bear Creek, where we had a late lunch sitting by the river. We also hiked out to the Blodgett Canyon overlook which had just an amazing view. I tried giving them the best pie in Montana but the restaurant closed early. Even still it was a great time.

Hiking at Bear Creek. Not river, creek. (Floridians, what can I say?)
The view of Blodgett. The view to our backs was the valley which was also gorgeous.

Trying to stay warm and not blow away at the top of Blodgett. Coming down from our last hike we saw some amazing aspens changing color.

October Hiking

Well not much new to post but my sister was begging for some more pictures. Here are some from the latest hiking of Bear Creek and Camas Lake. I went to Camas Lake in June but never found it because I got lost in the snow so was glad to finally get there. You can see the larches in the background changing colors. My boss informs me they're the only evergreens to change color and lose their needles. (Don't ask me why they are then called ever"greens")

Glacier in September

The last weekend my parents were in Montana I had to take them to Glacier. The weather was a little rainy but it worked out fine. Saturday we hiked to Avalanche Lake. It was raining when we wanted to stop at Logan Pass but Sunday it cleared up so we just went back then. We stayed at Many Glacier and did some short hikes to some of those lakes. The last thing we did was have ice cream by Lake MacDonald (even though it was cold outside- that's dedication!).

At a stop on Avalanche Creek. The water is so clear and green.
Before the hike to Avalanche Lake.
Avalanche Gorge. Again- the water is just amazing.
My Mom and I at the Many Glacier Lodge deck. We saw some grizzly bears...wayyyyyy far off on the mountains.
Mom and Daddy at Lake MacDonald.

The Grand Tetons

After Yellowstone we headed to the Grand Tetons where we stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge. We spent a lot of time relaxing in the lobby, reading books, drinking coffee and looking at the wildlife. The lodge overlooks the Tetons and has a large grazing area where elk and moose like to hang out. Last time we didn't see any moose, but we actually saw TWO this time! Besides hanging out at the lodge, we did some hiking and went into Jackson Hole where Daddy enjoyed a day of shopping. The weather got really cold and it even sleeted on us coming home.

Mr. Moose #2, seen from the Lodge.

Hidden Falls at Jenny Lake. (Lauren we missed you!)
Daddy at Jenny Lake the second day. The hike was on the edge of the water with The Tetons behind it.
From Summit Mountain. You had a great view of the mountain range and Lake Jackson.
Mom and Daddy in front of the mountain range. The cloud on your left is cover Grand Teton and decided to do so ALL day. (notice how my Mom is wearing pants and a sweater, while my Daddy is wearing shorts and a long sleeved shirt! I dressed more like Mom)

Yellowstone

My parents came out to Montana for a couple of weeks and we started their trip by going to Yellowstone. We only spent a day there but got to see lots and hit our favorite places from the first trip.

Grand Guyeser. There were a bunch of guys sitting there telling us that it was surely going to erupt in the next hour or so...we saw them half an hour later somewhere else. It was still neat watching it boil and spew.

Morning Glory- hot spring.

Old Faithful was true to its name. We only waited about two minutes!

Daddy and me at Inspiration Point with the falls of Yellowstone River behind us.