On Top of the World--Jewel Basin Area in Montana

Carolan and her friend were hiking in the Jewel Basin area of the Flathead National Forest, west of Bigfork, Montana. This area is filled with beautiful mountains and lakes. They were near the peak of Mount Aeneas (7477 feet) when it started to get dark and they had to head back down. From the mountain top they could see many small lakes as well as the huge Flathead Lake.

Daughter to Live in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex

My middle daughter, CC, goes into the great Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex tonight in the next phase of her work with the Montana Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps. Tonight she'll be near the Spotted Bear Forest Service cabin, in the Great Bear Wilderness (part of Flathead National Forest). If there is a wilder place in the contiguous United State, I'd like to know what it is! This area has the largest population of grizzly bears in the lower 48, even more black bears, and many other kinds of large mammals--elk, moose, mountain goats and sheep, wolves, and the like. I think there are even mountain lions in the area.

Very soon, Carolan will move on to the Schafer Meadows Ranger Station, which is a day's walk (a long, hard day's walk!) from a road. But even that's not her final destination. From there, she goes even further into the wild--a 20-mile hike to the Strawberry Creek area, where a segment of the Continental Divide Trail is located. CC will be building and maintaining that trail, along with her fellow crew leader Adam and her crew (3 guys and a girl).

I greatly admire CC and her colleagues--so brave, adventurous. So full of strength, energy, and hope. Hurray for the Montana Conservation Corps! Hurray for AmeriCorps!