We celebrated the 4th with a ride up to Firebrand Pass. This is a nice ride that takes off from the false summit in the Luebec area and skirts Calf Robe Mtn. It then climbs up to a pass between Calf Robe and Red Crow Mtn.
This is the view looking down towards Ole creek trail – west of the pass
It has been very warm here in the mountains, but the ride up here was very mild. A gentle breeze was blowing and with the higher elevation, temps weren’t to bad. We did meet numerous hikers on the trail up to the pass, as this is a very popular Glacier Park hike.
looking out toward the plains.
The previous day I took Freckles and Banjo up the Geifer creek trail. I haven’t been up this way since in my youth while hunting with my father. This trailhead takes off from an area known as Zips Cabin (forest service cabin that can be rented). The trail hasn’t seen any maintenance for awhile so there were numerous trees down along the way. I cut probably a dozen of them and probably jumped or stepped over that many more. Then there were at least another 6 spots that we rode off trail to get around the deadfall.
We rode up into the pass that drops down into 25 mile creek trail.
This was a great training ride, but not a great trail. The route is quite overgrown and as you climb up into the pass, the trail is very steep and narrow. Nice views as you emerge from the timberline, but I still wouldn’t recommend this trail for day trip. You can use it to access 25 mile creek and Moose Lake, but there are others that would probably be better.
On the trip back right when we were in a bad downfall area, jumping across 2 logs while trying to go underneath 2 hangers that the horse fit under but not with me on it, a big black bear decided to show himself. Luckily neither horse showed any sign of panic and I was able to slip off banjo and lead them through the area. The bear advanced about 20′ towards us, but then just stopped and we moved on. It’s moments like this when I am thankful for all the groundwork and desensitizing I do with the horses. Times like this can go bad and result in a huge blow-up. We were lucky.
As we drove home after Firebrand Pass we saw hundreds of people out floating the Flathead river. Lots more were camping and fishing along its banks. I saw numerous posts of friends and relatives out on the lakes or enjoying the 4th with a barbecue. Hope everyone stayed safe and had a great time celebrating.