Living at the northern 45th parallel for most of my life means winter is a big part of my year. A really big one. And now that I live at 5,300’ instead of 830’, it seems it clings to our days longer than even a Minnesota winter can. Last ‘summer’ we went camping the second week of June and got SNOWED on. It was a proper snow that impacted roads and had lodging facilities in Yellowstone running specials for people who were trapped due to closures. I will say that the next day was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever been on in Yellowstone. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the snow clinging to the trees with the sun blaring through. And by the time we made it home, just 4 hours north of our camping spot, it was hot and I found myself wildly over dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt. 

Winter is an adventure. Well, all seasons are, of course, but there is something about a true WINTER adventure that seems uniquely exciting. Going out on a ski in 10 degrees? Snowshoeing to see sunset with wind whipping 15 MPH while then hiking back to the truck in the dark? Doing an overnight back country trip just to do it, while hoping temps don’t get lower than the teens at night? Those are some pretty cool personal adventure badges to wear. 

I am and will forever be thankful my path has led me to a life of travel, adventure, creativity and coziness. And now that I’ve set down some pretty serious roots in Montana (hello ‘engaged’ and ‘bonus mom’ statuses!) it’s thrilling to be able to compare lives of HOW I adventure and recreate. Not only because I appreciate what I’ve been able to do thus far in that category, but because I am incredibly excited about what my future seems open to. 

Last summer, The Mr and I thoroughly embraced backcountry camping to the tune of 153 miles of overnight trips. Let’s quickly compare that to the fact that prior to moving out here, I was lucky to sleep in my tent 3 nights a year and was averaging 1 mile of overnight trips. This terrain is kicking my ass and I love it. 

My parents introduced me to all sorts of outdoor things but as I got older, it seemed school, sports, work and life always seemed good excuses for not using my cross country skis or tent as much as I would like. Proximity to recreating certainly has an effect on that, too. From where I lived in Minneapolis, I was always at least one hour’s drive through obnoxious traffic and countless distractions to get anywhere quiet. And even then, as my dad and I found out on my last MN backpacking trip, the interstate is never THAT far away. Obviously there are remote places in the state, but when your home base is the metropolis, getting out is enough work that ‘settling’ for a run around the lakes does the trick. Can anyone else tied to a city relate to that?!?

So without knowing that I’d value the outdoors differently and more fully out here, I packed up my life, gear and cats and moved on out. And here I sit, going on year 2 of Montana life. In the middle of winter. A winter that seemed really slow to start but now has thwapped us with snow, wind and the long shadows only winter provides. In fact, I can hear the wind whipping around my office and see the naked limbs of trees bouncing around. My cats are mousing in the cold shop basement and I’m wrapped in a blanket and a scarf that some would call a blanket in front of my fire. Cozy is definitely a word I use to describe my world today. As I look outside to the flats and peaks of Yellowstone, I have to blink twice for it to really register that this is where my office sit and it’s not a poster I hung up.

I can’t hide much longer, though. We have a sunset ski on the schedule. And since no post is complete without a handful of photos, how about a smattering of Montana winter adventure shots?