 | This year's mountain peak to check off my list: Ward Mountain - elevation 9119 feet. Distance: approx. 12-1/2 miles round trip. Elevation gain: 4850 feet. Getting started at 7am to beat part of the heat on the way up, as well as allowing plenty of hiking time and time for breaks. Ward Mountain ... here we come. :) |
| Morning sun at the trailhead. What a beautiful way to start our hike! |  |
 | We've hiked the lower part of this trail before the Roaring Lion fire came through and burned Ward Mtn. last year. The beginning of the trail looks like a whole new world! But the morning glow made the new growth in this otherwise barren land extra lovely. |
 I love the morning sun! Morning is a wonderful time to be out hiking the trails in the summertime in Montana. Before it heats up and starts to scorch! |  The trail sure puffed up plenty of ashes as we walked ... making my shoes, socks, feet, and legs dirtier than they've been from any other trail I've hiked on before! |
The burnt forest in early recovery. The new growth makes such a stark contrast against the blackened trees. Beautiful in its own kind of way. It's a story of survival unfolding before our eyes.
Time for our first break at a rock outcrop with a view. It was still early enough in the morning to enjoy the sun for a bit while we relaxed on the rocks and had a little snack to fuel the next part of our hike.
 |  |
I love hanging out on rocks with a view! They're my favorite places for taking a break.
Our youngest three girls have been hiking most of their lives and they love getting out in the mountains as much as I do, so we always have a great time wherever we go.
The trail got steeper as we continued hiking, so we took another break when we got to the Roaring Lion overlook, overlooking the Roaring Lion Drainage to the north. Views were similar to the first overlook, but this area had a much larger rocky area, including this interesting rock structure on the cliff nearby.
| Time to hit the trail again. We're three hours into our hike, with another three to go to get to the summit. Stay tuned for Ward Mountain - part 2 to be posted soon. I'll be sharing some of our beautiful views from the top. |  |
* UPDATE *
The journey gets better... see more photos and read about
the rest of this mountain adventure on my next post:
WARD MOUNTAIN SUMMIT HIKE - PART 2
