Lower Arrow Lake

One of my favorite lakes in Montana is Lower Arrow.  It's quite a hike to get to, but when you get there you feel like your on top of the world!  It was hard to get motivated to go, but Matt convinced us all, and it was an amazing day! We started out at the Lady of the Lake Trail- so we got to see the awesome cabins again.

I think I have my Christmas card picture picked out!

Oh I'm so thankful for indoor plumbing!

All right- enough looking around- lets go!! We got a 6 mile hike ahead, and 6 miles back.

This is an amazing day or overnight adventure.  After about the first mile and half the scenery is breathtaking!  It really makes the hike very enjoyable.  And you have to forge some rivers, so it's pretty exciting too.  It made me so nervous with Gabe on Darren's back, but Darren was like... a ninja jumping from rock to rock and walking along trees over the rivers.  I wish I had gotten some video, some of it was pretty sketchy.

Here we are resting and getting some much needed energy before "Cardiac Hill".  It's named that because the last mile is a steep hill.  It's hard too, cause you've already hiked 5 miles at this point.  But we kept a good pace and my kids did amazing! I don't think they complained once! 

Coming up to the top of Cardiac Hill.  You feel like you are at the top of the Swiss Alps.  The picture doesn't do it justice at all.  The flowers were amazing.

Still not at the top- you have to climb up these big boulder fields about the last 1/4 mile.

Then up some glaciers.  This is the end of July.  I have been there July 4th and there were huge ice chunks floating in the water. Brrrrrr.

Almost there!

And.... the payoff!!!  Great fishing!  And GORGEOUS scenery! 

Ah!! The fish moved! I love my face in this picture! hahaha

And yes, I caught that myself.

We hung out at the lake for a few hours.  We took off our shoes and socks and laid around, then fished, then watched a mountain goat from afar, then laid around again, then took a nap.  Ok that's what Tara did, I chased Gabe around the whole time to make sure he didn't die.  Because all he wanted to do was climb rocks and slide down the snow, and get near the freezing deep lake.  That baby.  One thing that's cool is that I have never been to this lake without seeing a mountain goat.  I wished we had brought our camping gear so we could have stayed overnight.  Mountain goats and camping overnight- that's a whole other story.

Darren caught a couple good sized ones too. He gutted them before I got a chance to take a picture.

Matt caught like 3 big ones- but 2 got away while he was holding them! I think we managed to keep this one.  That night Matt cooked up all the fish, and they were delicious!

AHHHHHH! I'm on top of the world!!

THIS is what life is all about. Worth the hike.

Sadly, our day started to get late- and even though the fishing was starting to get good, we had to head back.  We didn't want to get stuck hiking in the dark.   NOT fun, I've done it before, and I am still traumatized from it. 

Back down Cardiac Hill.  I think Gabe is already asleep.

One of my favorite things about this hike is the waterfalls.  They are everywhere- from the melting snow.  It's hard to see in the picture, but look in the mountain in the back and you can see some.

What amazing kids! Seriously AMAZING! Twelve miles in one day and they loved it.

Poor Gabe! We tried repositioning his head a hundred times! This was not the best Kelty backpack we have used.  The other one is way better.

Me, my hubby, and cute baby.   Notice the waterfalls in the background.  Does life get better than this?  I don't think so.