Montana Trip -- Sunday

 I just realized I skipped Sunday!  On Sunday we hung out at the cabin.  Nathan and Z went for a hike on the property, and then in the afternoon we all went for a hike a couple of miles away.  This hike had beautiful scenery, but the trail was very overgrown and buggy, so the hike didn't last a super long time.

The boy does love a good hike!

We saw this pretty little schoolhouse on the way to our hike.

And this absolutely gorgeous ranch!

That's a waterfall back there.  The picture doesn't come close to doing it justice.  It was truly one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen.

Montana Trip -- Horses and Hikiing

 Monday was our last full day in Montana.  Eden had expressed a desire to go horseback riding, so we found a place to do that.  Here's what I learned: horses are big!  We had a good time and even saw a big red fox!

We went on a short hike, back to the place the kids and I had gone on Saturday.  The river was so beautiful we all wanted Nathan to see it.

We also went wading in this river, which turned out to have a much stronger current than we had anticipated!  A couple of places we almost got swept off our feet, but Nathan and Z managed to keep us steady!

Montana Trip -- Sioux Charley Lake

On Saturday we decided to do two different things.  Nathan wasn't feeling great, so the kids and I dropped him off at a picturesque spot to do some quiet fishing, and then we went a few miles down the road to hike the Sioux Charley Lake Trail.  The owner of our cabin had recommended it, and my guidebook said that it was about 7 miles round trip and not too difficult, so the kids and I decided to give it a go.  Turns out, we loved it!

The first mile or so followed the Stillwater River.  The water rushed down over rocks and boulders, foaming white or a beautiful green in some spots.  After the trail veered into the woods it got a little steeper, but the woods were beautiful, and we crossed several little creeks.  We ended up at Sioux Charley Lake, which was simply lovely.  The water was crystal clear and cold.  It was raining a little when we got there, and Eden said the rain on the lake sounded like a symphony.  We ate our lunch and enjoyed sitting by the lake.  It was pretty hard to leave, but we did have a 3.5 mile hike ahead of us to get back to the car.

Z can find a 4 leaf clover anywhere!

Our first glimpse of the lake.

We made it to the lake!

Rain on the lake.

Eden listening to the symphony.

A little blurry, but there we are!

Z was trying to get a picture of the moment the rock hit the water.  He did it, but he also got his finger in the picture.

On the way back down.

You can just see Z way down the trail.