misSOULa

The time has finally come to bid farewell to this unique and wonderful place I have been able to call home for the last six years. Missoula is a special place. Anyone who has ever lived or visited here knows that. It's the place that makes 'casual' stylish, where one identifies by their favorite brewery, and where local always supports local. It may not be for some, but damn I love this town.

To the countless hikes up Sentinel

In the last week I've made it my personal mission to enjoy every bit that I love about Missoula. Let's be honest, I could eat Tagliare every day and I am already looking forward to my next New Edition. I ask myself, what will I ever do without Kettlehouse in my life? (Serious question) I even drove across the Higgins Street bridge coming into downtown to enjoy my favorite view of the city one last time. But the time has come to move on.

The colorful Clark Fork

In preparation for my trek to SLC, I have stocked my Subaru (of course) with all of my favorite Montana beers because....priorities. I will miss the town filled with a mutual love of Subarus and craft beer.

The best part about living in Missoula and now leaving it, is that I have experienced everything there is here. One should never live in a place that offers so many amazing things and not explore and experience what it has to offer. I don't understand the people who start panicking when they are moving away from a place scrambling to do all the things they "never had time to do". Maybe you had other priorities like a date with Netflix while your friends went to the free Lil Smokies show or you never had 20 minutes to spare on a warm summer evening to stand in line at Big Dipper when Coldsmoke ice cream was back on the menu. For those folks...you're missing out.

Fall outside of the best apartment I'll have

Norman Maclean once said, "The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana."

Well touche Norman, and here's to you Missoula. 

Until next time, looks like this Northwesterner is heading south. 

k 

Time Flies.

The last month has been a bit of a hiatus between driving back to Missoula, going out on a fire assignment, and traveling around catching up on all the summer hiking in Montana that I missed. How is it already the second week in September? This month marks my sixth year in Missoula and I seriously don't know where the time has gone. Over the years I have been able to explore and experience so many great things in the area, but there's always room for more.

To all my fellow day-hikers, I highly recommend checking out your local REI or Barnes and Noble for any hiking book by Robert Stone. If you're in the Missoula area, I recommend "Day Hikes Around Missoula". I always had thought I was pretty knowledgeable about day hikes around Missoula and had been on many. After buying this book I realized how many I didn't know about and how over the years I had clearly found my favorites and put myself on repeat.

I tried to diversify my first hikes back with all new routes. Some were simple, some were long, but they were all beautiful. It feels great to be back in the forests. I finally visited the largest Western Larch in the country last weekend which is right outside of the town of Seeley Lake.  Over Labor Day weekend my dad and I made a rainy and cold (48 degress) 10 mile trek in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Ravine Trail - Grant Creek/Rattlesnake Wilderness

Morrell Falls - Lolo National Forest

Bass Lake - Selway Bitterroot Wilderness 

The snow hasn't started to fall quite yet. There is still plenty of time to check a few more off of the list and still be able to hike a few of my favorites. My goal is to get 60 miles in (since I've been back to Montana) by the end of September. Currently I'm at 37 miles, game on.

If I haven't mentioned before, I love fall. The weather is great, ski season is almost here, and it's football season. GO CHIEFS. Fortunately I missed the game yesterday because I was hiking as they lost terribly to the Titans. The thing about being a fan of a team that is hit or miss every year is that you finally accept the "no expectations, no disappointments" attitude and find that you will be much more happy. Especially when they pull through with a win.

Cooking during the fall/football season is also one of my favorite seasons to explore in the kitchen. Time to dust off the crockpot. Bring on the baked goods and beer-cheese dip.

I hope to have an update on my mileage goal and will have a new recipe next time, I promise.

Go explore.

k.

Northwest Goes Southwest

In the last few weeks my life has been a whirlwind. Bachelorette parties, brewery tours, Colorado, and finding out that I'm going to New Mexico for two months for work.

 That's right, this Northwesterner is heading to the Southwest.

As much as I was initially bummed to miss Montana during its prime season, I'm really excited to go on this new adventure to the desert, where I may or may not sizzle and evaporate.

For all of you that will be in Montana this summer, live it up for me. If you somehow run out of activities to partake in or you just need to add a little spice to your life while you're in the Missoula area this summer, here are a few of my favorite things to do:

1) Floating the Clark Fork: River rats unite! Get your tubes, bags of wine (you will make friends, I promise), and Chacos to the river. I suggest hitchhiking, pit stops at White Trash Beach, and not wearing your favorite pair of sunglasses.
2) Hiking Squaw Peak: Between the beargrass blooming, slate rock scrambling, and the views of the Missoula Valley and Mission Mountains, you will not be disappointed. Directions to the trailhead can be found here: http://www.summitpost.org/ch-paa-qn-peak-squaw-peak/393990#chapter_2
3) Drinks on the Patio: Al's and Vic's and Draught Works are perfect.

I'll be chomping at the bit to get to Flathead and Glacier upon my return but in the meantime get yourselves on a boat and into the mountains.

In the next couple of months you can expect a rundown on food, culture, my heat survival, camping adventures, and much more. My love of spicy food, tequila, silver, and turquoise is about to get really serious.

The roadtrip begins tomorrow. I wonder how many people drive Subarus in New Mexico.....

Until August, Missoula.

The Spartan Race and an Ode to Sean Kelly's

Since January I have been training for the Montana Spartan Race that I completed last Saturday. This was the first time I've really stepped out of my comfort zone to challenge myself in a competition and I was doing it alone. I had never ran a Spartan and we are lucky enough to have this race in Montana.

During February, the Spartan Race put on a workout at the Adam's Center in Missoula to give a preview to what the race is like and how one should be training. I was really excited to attend even though I knew I was going to get my butt kicked because I was no where near the shape I needed to be in. Low and behold, Montana got a huge storm that weekend that dumped about 8 inches. Priorities took over and I decided to skip the workout and go skiing.

After a great day on the mountain of powder, beer, and cheese fries, I was beginning to regret my decision to skip the workout because now I was going into the race totally blind. I immediately started strength training and endurance which I knew needed work. I knew the biggest challenge would be my upper body strength, which I made my mission to improve in the coming months. A month before the race I heard the founder of the Spartan Race would be designing the course.

Fast forward to the week before the race. I started to get glimpses of the course obstacles that were being posted online and felt good about them. Two days before the race, the founder, Joe Desena, was quoted on the news saying this was the most difficult Spartan Sprint (the first of three levels of the race) he had ever seen. I'm a firm believer that in a given time frame, if you aren't prepared for an event whether it's fitness oriented or a test, if you aren't ready now, you never will be. I had worked really hard to get to the level I was at and I honestly didn't know if it would be enough until the moment of truth.

My friend Heather was gracious enough to come with me and be my support and photographer and I'm so glad she came. I personally thank her for dealing with me talking about how nervous I was and waiting in line for almost two hours to pick up my race packet. I told myself my one rule was to never quit. I started training early enough that it was not acceptable in my mind to be unprepared.

Without going into great detail about the race, let me just say it was tough. I walked out of it legs burning, bleeding, and shaking. That's what climbing a mountain and 200 yards of army crawling under barbed wire will do. But I was happy. All the hard work had paid off and I placed 267 out of 1855 females. I had set and achieved another goal and it was the best feeling in the world. I encourage you all to do the same and I hope to see you out there next year.

Heather and I after the race with a well deserved beer.

Earlier this week my coworker informed me that Sean Kelly's, an Irish Missoula icon, is closing at the end of this month. My reaction: "What?! Where will I get pub chips and gravy!? And Velvet Hammers? And a shot ski?!?!?" To hear that this Irish staple, community supporting, music venue was closing broke my heart.

So here's to you Sean Kelly's. You have served me well through many work socials, St Patty's Days, and Christmas parties. I am truly saddened to think about running Run for the Luck of It next year and not having soda bread, Irish stew, and Highlander waiting for me. Has anyone noticed that every running event myself (and most people) participate in end in beer? This isn't a coincidence. 

Velvet Hammer. Hard apple cider topped with Guinness. Do not knock it until you try it. Hard cider is so sweet that the Guinness adds a robust creaminess that ends in perfection.

Then there was the shot-ski. Where else will we invite a stranger to join our PB&J shot on St Patty's Day? Festive I know, but sooo delicious. Maybe I should just ask if I can buy the shot ski... Stay tuned.

Summer is upon us Missoula dust off the Chacos and get those calves into hiking shape. See you out there.