HIKE30 - Montana 2020

BraveCort's inaugural HIKE30 challenge was a huge success! Due to the 2020 pandemic and the closure of Glacier National Park that resides on Blackfeet Indian Reservation land, we pivoted and hiked 30+ miles in two of Montana's pristine national and state parks - Glacier National Park, the Jewel Basin and the Mission Mountains Wilderness, both in Flathead National Forest.

In Glacier, we hiked to the spectacular Otokomi Lake. Nestled in a bright red cirque known as the Rose Basin, Otokomi ("Yellowfish") is a hidden gem on Glacier's east side. The trail follows Rose Creek and passes through the 2015 Reynolds Creek fire scar and a Douglas Fir and Lodgepole Pine forest before reaching the lake. 

In the Mission Mountains, we hiked to Crescent Lake. As we started out, we crossed several small footbridges at Crazy Horse Creek and Crescent Creek. At the 3-mile mark, there was a gorgeous overlook of Glacier Lake and Glacier Creek. We were super fortunate in that the trail was flanked by many species of wildflowers and huckleberries, which made for some yummy scones the next day! 

Our last hike was in the Jewel Basin, located at the north end of the Swan Mountain Range. The Jewel Basin is a day hiker's paradise offering expansive views of the Flathead Valley to the west and Hungry Horse Reservoir to the east. We started early in the morning at Camp Misery and hiked to Clayton Lake. After about an hour of elevation hiking, we leveled out and captured views of Blackfoot Lake and the Hungry Horse Reservoir before reaching our destination.  

Our goal of HIKE30 was to seek adventure and wilderness while hiking in paradise and to also discover the incredible power that comes from connecting with people who care deeply about the same cause, finding a cure for pediatric brain cancer. We each brought unique stories, skills and perspectives to each outing and undertaking and had a fabulous weekend of friendship, sore muscles and new adventures!