Yesterday was our wedding anniversary...
so we put on our sturdy walking shoes, and drove to the top of the world. It is about 20 minutes from here. We stopped in at Lost Trail Pass to check out the cross country ski trails. What a wonderful warren of paths and panoramic scenery we discovered.

We walked the Continental Divide #9 Trail, right on top of the world! We met two guys who were spending their entire summer walking the Continental Divide Trails. They had started walking in Mexico and were headed for Canada; a total trip of over 3,000 miles. Sometimes they are five days between towns, sleeping in the open and eating whatever they can carry. Each was on their second pair on tennis shoes and had not shaved (or bathed, presumably) in many weeks! Very pleasant fellows to chat with.

A little farther down the trail we met a plucky firefighter named Monica who was posted as lookout over a fire which had started from lightening striking a tree the night before. She loves her job, and gave us a mini tutorial in pitch fires and exploding trees. She also gave us some advice on good places to eat near Sula, Montana.

After our meander we got back into the car and dropped down over the pass, through beautiful hills and pastoral valleys, into Hamilton, Montana; we found a great little Mexican food place on the outskirts of that cute little town. Since it was a celebration we ordered way too much food. It was delicious, so, of course, we seriously over ate (again!).

The drive back through the, now sunset tinted, scenery and over the pass took about an hour - it was a pleasant hour. It rained for the first time in the 7 weeks we have been here. It was a very refreshing rain which washed all the smoke from forest fires out of the air and left it fresh and sweet and cool. We stopped at the top of the pass just to breathe it all in.

What a fun way to celebrate our 32 years together.