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African Safari Gear Packing List - What To Take Along
The last thing you want on an African safari is to realise that you have left any important safari gear behind. Because of the nature of safari there are some things that are essential to take with and others that you can do without because they...
Arizona Vacation Safety - Stay AWARE to Stay SAFE
Arizona Vacation Safety - Stay AWARE to Stay SAFE
by Andre D. Best
Why? To save yourself grief. And pain. ENSURE your Arizona vacation safety. Learn about safety issues NOT found in the travel brochures or vacation websites.
You see, when on...
Catch the Bluebonnets in Texas This Spring
If you haven’t seen the wildflowers in Texas in the spring, you haven’t lived! The highway medians and hillsides are full of color – bright red, yellow and blue, pink and cream – but you better look out because cars are always pulling off the side...
Dirt Biking in Cambodia - Take a Spin on the Wild Side!
Dirt Biking in Cambodia - Take a Spin on the Wild Side! If
you're thinking of hiring a dirt bike and heading out into the
Cambodian sticks, here are a few tips for the most serious - and
not so serious - off-road adventurers. Before you go * If...
Hotels Of Paraguay
Paraguay , known for its mix of history and folklore has several
large, top ranked hotels to stay in. Paraguay is located in
Central South America, with a population of five million people.
The popular language is Spanish, but Guarani is widely...
Joshua Tree National Park - California
Joshua Tree National Park is at a biological and geological crossroads. The park straddles the natural boundary where the high, cool Mojave Desert and the low, hot Colorado Desert meet. The park preserves an outstanding collection of rich desert...
Kauai on 2 Wheels or more?
There is no better place to relax and unwind. Although I had mixed feelings about visiting this place myself, I would surely dare to say that it was an amazing visit that I would never forget. Kauai promises fun filled activities for the entire...
My First Bear Encounter
The summer I got my college degree in anthropology, I headed to a small ranch in Montana for a summer job. My employer, Jack, was a stout rancher in his 40s. He raised cattle and sheep, and two young sons, Roy 8 and Nick 6, with his wife Jean, a...
New Zealand's South Island
Natural, untouched beauty! That's what New Zealand's South Island is all about. The South Island is home to the Southern Alps and some great skiing and snow boarding opportunities.
Christchurch is the busiest city in the South Island and also...
Vacations - Southern France
If you're planning to travel to the south of France in the near
future, think about including a trip to one of the vineyards of
the 60 winegrowers in the "Côtes de Provence" region. A small,
yet beautiful area, it takes in the departments of the...
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Camping In Montana With Aliens
Ten minutes out of town, we found the dirt road that goes up to Storm Lake. We had been there before, shortly after moving to Anaconda, Montana. The road was hard on the car, but we couldn't resist going. This time we would hike up to the tundra and stay the night. My wife Ana had never been camping above the treeline.
There were a couple cars, but nobody in sight. The lake was sparkling in the sunlight, and the mountains of the Anaconda-Pintler range rose up all around it. It was quiet and cool here at 8,000 feet. We put on our packs and started up the trail. Twenty minutes later we were past the lake, and the trail steepened.
Hiking With Guns In Montana
After an hour of zig-zagging up the mountain we met another hiker. We talked briefly, and noticed the handgun on his belt. This is common in Montana. We've seen guns on the hiking trails and in the bars, and the bank tellers don't even blink when customers walk in wearing guns - they probably have their own.
We never did ask this hiker why he had one, and didn't find out until later that there are grizzlies in the area at times, something some "experts," have denied. At least we had our freon horn to blast if we met a bear, but then maybe that would just get the bear angry.
The trees got smaller as we climbed, and ended just before Storm Lake Pass. Ana waited patiently at the pass while I ran the five minutes - which became twenty - up to the peak of Mount Tiny, about 10,000 feet high. Small, compared to some of the surrounding mountains, but it seemed almost rude to give a beautiful mountain a name like that.
Later, past goat meadow, Ana waited again while I scrambled up the rocks to the top of Kurt Peak (also about 10,000 feet). I couldn't find the route where I came up, so I went back up, then down the west side and finally back north to the grassy slope
where Ana was waiting.
Maybe it was foolish to leave Ana alone. Just three months later, two boys were attacked by a mountain lion on the hill just behind the town of Anaconda. The fourteen-year-old fired his gun to scare it off. Both boys were probably larger than my gunless wife. Fortunately, we didn't meet any cougars or bears on this hike, but Ana had other things to worry about.
Camping With Aliens In Montana
"I hear voices," she told me in the tent that night. I assured her there was nobody within ten miles of us, and then she was worried about aliens landing in the meadow. Well, it would make a good landing site. The wind threatened to shred the tent all night, sounding like the whispers or screams of ghosts - or aliens. By morning the wind relented, but it was well below freezing - time to get Ana home.
Despite the cold she hates so much, Ana couldn't help stopping to take in the view as we crossed the high meadows on our way home. Mountains, grey with rock, green with grass and flowers, and painted with white patches of snow, were everywhere. Lakes sat in valleys below, unvisited for weeks at a time. We'll be back there again, but perhaps with bear spray and alien repellant.
Notes:
Forty-five miles of the Continental Divide Trail pass through the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness. Other trails in the area are never heavily used. You can easily find mountains and whole valleys where you'll be the only human residents for as long as you stay.
About the Author
Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com
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