August and Everything After

We knew from the start of our trip that yesterday was going to be a full day.  From home, I had booked the "base camp" package at the Big Sky Resort, which allows you to enjoy several of their most popular attractions (from zip lining to the "Lone Peak expedition") at a much better package rate.  The catch is that you have to do them all during the same day.  Well, since the resort is just up the hill from where we're staying, we figured it was feasible.  In the end, it was, and wound up being a perfectly wonderful day, but at 11 am, 2 hours into our 2 hour "guided" hike with another 45 minutes or so to go, nobody was questioning my judgment in booking this thing more than I was.

a couple who got married at the top of the peak

As we arrived to the resort activity area, we immediately noticed the two Gator flags waving above the entrance.  This had just gotten bizarre at this point, but we hoped it was a sign of good things to come.  We checked in and quickly signed all the waivers, so we could be on our way.   Though our condo was just a minute from the resort, the ongoing construction there and distant parking lot had us arrive just as our hike was due to start.

August introduced himself as our guide, and, nice young man that he was, quickly demonstrated that he was not to be much of a guide at all.  Still, we soldiered on.  With "only" two hours to hike, it was suggested that we take the tram up the mountain and hike down the 2,000 feet, thus getting to see more of the trail.  We didn't need convincing.  Dana's joke on the tram ride up that we should just take the tram back down again became less and less a joke as the hours trudged on, we painstakingly made our way down one rocky mountain trail after another, with few intriguing anecdotes or interesting facts offered by our guide to make any of it seem worthwhile.  Still, when we made our final descent back to base camp, we certainly did feel accomplished, though it was an accomplishment three of the four of us would have been happy to give up.  Maddie was the sole happy hiker, having recovered marvelously from her previous days' ailments. :)

Next up was the Lone Peak expedition.  This was the proverbial reason for the season, and it was due to leave in just a few minutes after we returned.   Luckily, the staff was very kind, asked Bea, our new soon to be favorite guide, to hold off on leaving for just a few minutes, giving us the chance to refill our water bottles, take a bathroom break, and a couple of deep breaths before heading back up the mountain we had just climbed down, followed by another 2,000 foot ascent, only this time powered by all manner of other transportation vehicles (from a ski lift to a truck to a space age looking steel egg thingie).

As much as our morning grumbling threatened to ruin the day, Bea and her promise of a spiritual journey to the top of the mountain was determined to salvage it.  And boy was she right.  The other guests on our expedition were a family from Wichita, Kansas (one of the five states we have left to explore!)  They were lovely, though one inquisitive boy named Asher started to get on Daniel's nerves after his 4th or 5th question up the mountain.  I just marveled at Bea's patience and knowledge, both such a welcome change after our morning with a guide who had neither (seriously, at one point, Daniel noticed droppings and wondered if an animal might be near; Maddie than spotted a moose!! down the mountain just a hundred or so feet from us; August plowed on, saying to Maddie that the moose is the one territorial animal that might attack, but doing nothing to get Daniel or I away from this so-called-threat... ugh, August!)

In order to reach the 11,167 foot peak, you have to hike up the last couple hundred feet by foot over several feet of snow.  That was the scariest part for me, as my new Keane hiking sandals, which had served me so well through white water rafting and hiking, weren't quite the right choice to hike up even a short way on a snowy mountain.  Still, they worked, and my icy feet quickly dried in time to become awe struck at the fox that cautiously skirted our group and the family of mountain goats that demonstrated their intrepid skills traversing rocky mountains.  It was truly spectacular.  As you can tell from the wind in my hair, it was also quite windy/chilly.  The shifts in temperature from 7,000 to 11,000 feet are significant, so dressing for this day's adventure often left us feeling either too warm or too cold.

After our expedition, we finally had time for a late lunch, though at 3:00 few restaurants promised to be open.  Bea escorted us... literally... to the spot she hoped would be open.  It was, and we settled in for a lovely lunch with Joe, our friendly waiter, at one point pulling up a chair to sit down to talk with us.   Between the two of them, August was now a distant, somewhat unpleasant memory.  We sat by the fire, replenished by good food, drink, and rest, as we debated whether to continue on to the final activity planned for the day - zip lining.  Joe reminded us that the farmer's market was from 5 - 8 down in the town, and we had all initially wanted to do this.  Of course, by this time, all I really wanted was to plunk down into the hot tub back at our place, so we had some decisions to make.

Once again luck was on our side, as we arrived to check in for the zip lining adventure "early," only to learn that one of the groups was about to leave.   If we joined that group of just three other members (brothers from California), we might have time to do everything we all wanted (zip lining for Maddie and Dana, farmer's market for Maddie, especially, and hot tub for Daniel and me).  Off we went, though when the adventure began with a ten minute hike up the same rocky terrain we had descended earlier that morning, I questioned our decision.

 As 26 bucks a pop, we didn't need to officially commemorate our zip lining adventure, but I'm happy to share these proofs on the blog so you can have a sense of our adventure.

Does anyone enjoy anything as much as Dana enjoys ziplining? 

Upside down (on purpose! :)

Ultimately, the zip lining was fun.  The first line had me remembering all the reasons I had assured myself I never needed to participate in this particular adventure again - the total lack of control is initially quite unsettling.  Still, only Daniel, who was the first in the family to cross that line, heard my declaration that I would never go on another zip line again.  Instead, I realized that if not the only certainly the fastest way to get myself to that longed from hot tub was to zip through each of the subsequent lines.  I relaxed and started to enjoy it, especially enjoying how gleeful Dana is on each line, and how Maddie was the only one in the group to take on the guide's challenge to zipline upside down!

Exhausted but proud, we headed down the mountain to the delightful (and delightfully small) farmer's market, where I noticed an older man with a Gator's cap sitting next to Dana on a bench.  Daniel and I exchanged a knowing look.  Daniel was convinced he had spotted that same man earlier in the day and felt certain he had a connection to those flags that greeted us so many hours earlier.  As we got closer, we saw his glasses had pewter alligators on each stem, and he proudly showed us the two championship rings he wore, gifts from the UF football team.  Mr. Harris gave Daniel his card, and told him not to hesitate to contact him.  A double gator who graduated from UF in the 50's and later the law school in the 60's, this man is a true Bull Gator, going to every game (home and away) and putting out his flags during every stay at Big Sky (a month in the summer, plus assorted other weeks throughout the year).   The Gator Nation has never seemed quite as large as it has this summer.

Finally, we returned home by close to 8, so happy to have a late sunset, enjoyed the pool and hot tub for an hour, before settling in for our California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza dinner and a couple of episodes of television before crashing into bed.  Today, we're off to the West Yellowstone area, where we rented a pontoon to take out on Lake Hebgen.   While I doubt there will be a gator in sight, I'm also hopeful there will be little to no hiking involved.  Until tomorrow...