Feels like home. It should. I never left.

It is hard to believe I hiked all of those hundreds of miles last summer and never came to my favorite place in the park. That’s why when I crested the highway and got my first view of those wonderful mountains in the Lewis Range I pulled over and took a photo.

Yes, the clouds are very angry. Yes, it looks very cold. Yes, looks like miserable hiking the next few days. But it felt so much like a home I’d missed for so very long I smiled until my eyes started to tear. I forgot what a sentinel Chief Mtn was from this angle. And geologically speaking what a very very old piece of rock that is.

I had to continue down a little farther to St Mary. Another valley I hold dear to my heart. I can see why Grinnell fell in love with this area nearly 150 years ago. I just can’t believe how much snow there is up here in June. Even my first summer here I didn’t arrive until the end of this month. I recall snow, drizzle, and ice on the rocks, but nothing like this. Hard to imagine winter only 90 days away.

I hope I have time off to be getting back into these hills soon. If not, it’s still nice to be back.