Uncategorized
3 peaks, 3 days
Published
12 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Felicia Ennis Explorebigsky.com Contributor
To celebrate summer in Montana, I gathered together friends for the second year of what I like to call ‘3 peaks, 3 days.’ During the adventure, we hiked to the top of three mountains in three consecutive days. This year the peaks—Livingston Peak, Elephant Head and Sacagawea Peak—were just a short drive from my home in Livingston.
For me, the highlights were being with friends and having great conversations, seeing fields of wildflowers, cooling off in a mountain stream, eating wildflowers and tasting their sweetness, skiing in my tennis shoes down a snow patch on Elephant Head, and sipping a cool beverage back at the truck.
Here are the stats, in case you want to give it a try:
Livingston Peak – 9,314 feet
The trail ascends through shady, forested terrain, and in and out of the Suce Creek drainage. Livingston Peak is home to wildflowers, falcons, moose and a bear or two. The hike takes about five hours round trip.
Mileage: Five miles one way
Getting there: Heading east out of Livingston, take Park Street to Swingely Road. Right before the pavement ends go right at forest service sign for Livingston Peak. The road after that is bumpy, winding and rocky, but was in better shape than I expected and took me about 30 minutes.
Did you know: According to peakery.com, Livingston Peak is the 406th highest mountain in Montana and the 5,347th highest in the U.S.
Elephant Head – 9,423 feet
The best part about hiking to the base of Elephant Head is the drive down Mission Creek to the trailhead. The scenery is stunning; however, the final quarter mile is narrow and bumpy—not recommended for low or really wide vehicles. The other best part of hiking up Elephant Head is the swimming hole. Small, deep, refreshing.
My friend Mike thought the peak was not only our destination, but also “the source of our world that day.” He must have had fun!
Mileage: Five miles one way
Getting there: Heading east out of Livingston, take Park Street to Swingely Road, go right on Bruffey Lane, and a right on the narrow road to the 63 Ranch, through two gates. Road ends at trailhead.
Did you know? According to peakery.com Elephant Head is the 359th highest mountain in Montana and the 5,067th highest in the U.S.
Sacajawea Peak – 9,665 feet
The hike from Fairy Lake to the summit of Sacagawea follows a short, steep and superb trail through stunning alpine terrain. I saw blue bells, thimbleberries, sunflowers, bear grass, violets, gentian, all in bloom. Be prepared for wind on the summit, and beware the washboards on the dirt access dirt road.
Mileage: 2.2 miles one way
Getting there: From downtown Bozeman’s Main Street, take North Rouse Ave., which turns into Bridger Canyon Drive (MT 86). Roughly 21 miles north on 86, go left onto Fairy Lake Road, which dead-ends at bathrooms and the Sacajawea trailhead.
Did you know? Sacajawea peak is 2,000 vertical feet above the lake.
Felicia Ennis was born and raised in Montana. She is owner and founder of Bella Treks, an adventure travel company specializing in development of once in a lifetime trips all over the world, including Patagonia, Antarctica and Montana. Call (406) 223-2595 or email travel@bellatreks.com to set up a complimentary 30-minute “Dream Destination” consult. bellatreks.com
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
You may like
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd