Spring in Helena doesn’t arrive with a lush green carpet; it arrives in tiny bursts of color. We found six species in bloom today, each one marks a small victory over winter. There is something wonderful about kneeling in the dirt to get a closer look at a Kittentail, Yellowbell, or a small patch of Draba after a long stretch without color in the hills.
All told, we hiked a bit short of nine miles across the Prickly Pear, Wakina Sky, Rodney Ridge, and Mount Helena today. Today wasn’t just a series of hikes; it was a reintroduction to the land.
Revisiting the trails feels a bit like catching up with old friends. I noticed a few changes: lots of fallen trees from December’s – and more recent – windstorms, utility and fire mitigation work done on the lower slopes Mount Helena and signs indicating more to come on Wakina Sky. Reconnecting with these local trails was quite lovely. Despite the recent mild winter, I have not been back in the hills much since last October. Today was very nice.
The Labrador is almost 11 years old now, he settled into a steady, rhythmic trot after the second mile or so and he’s out like a light now. This amount of elevation and mileage was probably a bit much for him after a winter of 1 to 2 miles walks. I need to be sure I take his abilities into consideration going forward.
Since my watch tells me these tidbits, the pace of one of the miles we marked today was recorded as ’45 minutes, 42 seconds’. That was a good mile! Decent steepness, lots of rocks, great views and more than a dozen flower sightings.
Tomorrow will be about birds. We head out early for Freezout and Benton Lakes to check in on the status of the Spring migration.
Nature, every day. 
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