Cross Country Skiing at Seeley Lake

Last Saturday was rainy in Missoula, but it was blue skies up at the Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Trails!  We had 17 matches join us for a beautiful day of cross country skiing, snowball fights, and wilderness immersion.

A full load of skis!

We were fortunate enough to have a crew of experienced ski instructors from Missoula and Seeley teach us the basics of nordic skiing.  After learning how to stay upright, we learned how to turn, stop, and even how to fall correctly! 

Despite our initial lack of experience, everyone was cruising by the end of the day!

It just so happened that the Seeley Lake Trails were hosting a biathlon on the same day we were there.  Nordic skiing’s historic roots were clearly represented in the sport’s combination of skiing and target shooting.  It was also inspiring to see so many talented skiers using trails in our own backyard!

Pizza!

After a lunch of pizza from Seeley Lake Pizza Co., some of us hit the trails again while others couldn’t resist a good ol’ fashion snowball fight!

A big thanks to everyone that made this trip possible!  Special thanks to our volunteer instructors, Seeley Lake ROCKS!, and Beach Transportation, as well as Montana Wilderness Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center!  Stay tuned for our next Outdoor Explorers trip: on February 28th we’re headed to the Bitterroot Valley to do some snowshoeing and wildlife tracking.

As always, keep exploring!

Cross Country Skiing at Pattee Canyon

Another great trip for the Outdoor Explorers Mentoring Program. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful winter morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping (if there were any in the middle of winter), and we were all ready for a wonderful day of skiing in Missoula’s Pattee Canyon.

We are so thankful for all of the volunteers from the University of Montana Wilderness Association who made this trip such a success! A few of our volunteers gave an introductory lesson on proper skiing technique, and, before we knew it, we were off on the trail!

After we all got our feet under us (or skies rather), we put everyone’s new found skill to the test–with an old fashioned game of cross country ski tag! Our matches from Big Brothers Big Sisters were beating out some of the volunteers (including myself). It was amazing to see how a few hours of skiing brought about so much confidence and skill in all of the new skiers. Mission accomplished!

Of course, this day would not be complete without a few great tumbles on the snow! Icy trails and sore bottoms didn’t keep this group from smiling!

No day of skiing would be complete without hot chocolate and hot chili! Thanks Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula for providing all of the food and the great time! Everyone was a blast to hang out with. We at Outdoor Explorers would also like to thank our wonderful volunteers for donating their time on a Saturday morning. Thanks for making this trip a success! Stay tuned for our update on the wilderness skills activity next month!

Snowshoe at Lolo Pass

Our first Outdoor Explorers trip since September and it is now safe to say that winter has arrived in Montana! To celebrate, we went snowshoeing on December 3rd at Lolo Pass along the Idaho/Montana border. What a trip! We had over forty people with a mix of bigs and littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula and volunteer mentors from the University of Montana Wilderness Association and the Wilderness Skills Club.

We arrived at Lolo Pass around just before noon and hit the ground running, or in this case, snowshoeing. We hiked around the area for over two hours with nearly 3.5 feet of snow everywhere we looked. Truly a winter wonderland!

It didn’t take long before the sleds were put into use and it sure brought the child out in all of us! We spent another hour or so exploring the hills for the best sledding hills, and everyone had some amazing runs. But after awhile, the nearly single digit temperature brought us back to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center where we enjoyed some lunch, hot chocolate, some laughs, and of course, more hot chocolate–headed back to Missoula overjoyed!

Thank you Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula for an amazing turn up, and for the volunteer mentors from MWA–this couldn’t have happened without you. And a special thanks to REI for their generous donation of snowshoes and to the Arthur Carhart Center staff for the amazing support they given to Outdoor Explorers. Another success!

Whitewater Rafting

On July 30, 2011, the Outdoor Explorers crew traveled to the Alberton Gorge of the Clark Fork River near Missoula, MT for an adventurous day of whitewater rafting. About 35 of us traveled to the river, met our river guides for the day and listened to our safety talk before heading out.

 

It was a beautiful, hot summer day and the water felt great. All the kids learned how to paddle through rapids and everyone took turns riding the bull. There were countless splash fights and everyone jumped in the river for a quick swim at one point.

A big thanks to all the guys at ZooTown Surfers for guiding us down the Alberton Gorge. See you next month!

Tribal Wilderness

This month the Explorers traveled to the Mission Reservoir near St. Ignatius, Montana. This area overlooks the Mission Mountains, the first designated tribal wilderness area in the United States. Tim Ryan, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Reservation in Northwest Montana, joined us for the day in order to explain the importance of tribal wilderness and lead us through several activities related to wilderness survival and traditional tools.

 

We began the day with an overview of tribal wilderness and traditional tools of the tribe.

Our first activity for the day included making cordage (rope or string) from the dogbane plant. The process involves carefully stripping the dogbane stalks, collecting fibers inside, and twisting the fibers together in a particular fashion to create a strong piece of cordage. Most of us made necklaces or bracelets with our finished product.

Next, Tim taught us how to make a fire with primitive tools. No matches or lighters to help! Trust us, it’ s harder than it looks, but even in the rain we didn’t give up…

Lastly, Tim helped us to identify native plants around the area. He even showed us how to dig up roots properly.

A big thanks to Tim Ryan for leading us throughout the day and sharing so much interesting and valuable information about the tribe and tribal wilderness. To see more pictures, check out the slideshow below. See you next month!

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National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge

For our May trip, we dediced to head north of Missoula to the National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge near Moiese, Montana. Administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bison Range was established in 1908 and is one of the oldest refuges in the country. In addition to bison, the refuge is home to elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, black bear and many migratory birds. This day at the Bison Range was also, “International Migratory Bird Day.”

After a brief stop at the visitor’s center to view educational displays and a video providing some history of the refuge, we began the 20 mile trek through the Bison Range with our biologist guide, Amy.

Mission Mountains

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

A short walk up the Bitterroot Trail along Red Sleep Mountain Drive provided great views and a chance to learn more about the Bitterroot, Montana’s state flower.

 

Thanks to everyone who came out for our May trip! Next month we’re heading to the Mission Mountains to learn about tribal wilderness and wilderness survival. See you then!

Pronghorn

Our First Official Trip



March 18th, 2011 marked the first official outdoor trip for the Outdoor Explorers Mentoring Program. We spent the afternoon snowshoeing with five Big Brothers, Big Sisters matches in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area.

Emma, Dylan, and Gloria were our fearless student leaders for the day and they did a terrific job guiding us through the area while educating everyone on the history and use of the Rattlesnake. We spent the afternoon in the Sawmill Gulch area of the Rattlesnake because its varied terrain of hills and valleys allowed snowshoe users of all levels to enjoy themselves. Learn more about the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area (and Wilderness) here.

A big thank you to everyone who came out for our first trip. The snow is almost melted here in Montana so it looks like we’ll have to wait until next year for more snowshoeing and snowball fights! We’re in the midst of planning our April trip, so stay tuned to see what adventure the Explorers embark on next.