Searching for an old cabin on Little Saint Joe.

11/18/2014

This original post was dated 9/3/2014 on another blog. See note below post for more info.

Summer is over and fall is now here in our neck of the woods of Western Montana.

Which is, of course, the perfect season for hiking! :)

I went for another hike up Little Saint Joe the other day with my younger girls and adult son. This time we weren't going to the top, but rather heading out in search of an old cabin built by the Rocky Mountaineers for winter use by backcountry skiers and snowboarders.

It was a gorgeous day to be out, and we enjoyed it tremendously!

We hiked ...

... we picked huckleberries ...

... we relaxed by a fire ...

... we admired the views from numerous rock outcroppings ...

... we snacked by a small mountain stream ...

... we hiked before, after, and in between all of that ...

... and we found the cabin.

Mission accomplished. We found the old cabin on Little Saint Joe.

Searching for the cabin. The directions and description we were given were a little unclear.

Beautiful views from one of the many rock outcroppings.

Picking (and eating) huckleberries.

Ledges like these are great for views. (Yes, that's me!)

Bass Creek Crags as seen from Little Saint Joe.

Campfire cooking for lunch.

So many trees!

View of the valley below with the Sapphire Mountain Range to the east.

Note: As some of you may recognize, this is a post from a discontinued blog I started earlier this year before deciding to consolidate into one blog. Since some people really liked it, I thought I'd re-post it on this blog for others that may be interested in it as well. It was originally posted on 9/3/2014 here. I wish I could bring over the wonderful comments I received over there. Anyway... hope you enjoy the post, and I'll work on more hiking posts when I get time (including my first hike up Little Saint Joe when we went to the top). I'd love for you to share your comments with me, as I do enjoy reading them. :)

--Nikki / myMountainStudio

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3 Comments

Michelle Gates link

11/19/2014 04:09:25 am

It looks like the mountain had some amazing views! I'm really curious what the inside of that cabin looks like.

Nikki - myMountainStudio link

12/31/2014 02:39:54 am

Hi Michelle... Thanks for stopping by to read my blog and leave a comment. I took pictures of the inside of the cabin, too, but just had way too many pictures to post. The cabin has 3 wooden benches/platforms for sitting and sleeping (2 of them are deep enough for 2 people to sleep), along with two bunks up above for more sleeping space. The lower benches wrap in a U shape along the back end and the sides, with a woodstove in the middle of the cabin. A clothesline hangs around the woodstove to dry out wet stuff. There is also a taller workbench/table at the front end. The cabin is stocked with cleaning supplies, cups, tea bags, and games. And firewood outside underneath the raised portion. Access to the inside of the cabin is provided through a trap door in the corner. It was very interesting, but we didn't care much for the animal droppings. Because of those, I think I'd prefer my tent and an outside fire. But the cabin is roomier than I thought, and very accommodating. There is also a very primitive outhouse (forgot to take a picture of that this time around). The Rocky Mountaineers appreciate a donation for maintenance and provide an address to send it to. I've heard this cabin gets a lot of use in the wintertime, as Little Saint Joe is a destination for backcountry skiing and snowboarding in the Bitterroot Valley.

12/31/2014 03:15:41 am

This cabin is not really that hard to find, but because the directions we were given had us looking on the wrong part of the mountain at first, and because we were told it was an underground cabin built into the mountain with just a hole for an opening, we were really having a hard time finding it. After a phone call for clearer directions and moving to the right area of the mountain, we were surprised when we practically walked right into it and found it sitting fully above ground. After much discussion of how the person telling us about it would have thought it was an underground cabin, we realized he has never seen it except in the wintertime when the snow is piled all around it. ;)

Searching for an old cabin on Little Saint Joe.

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