Rattlesnake Recreation Area, Montana
No clouds, little wind and day 10 of morning temps in the single digits…a great day for a mountain adventure! Started at the main trailhead for the Rattlesnake and after about a 1/2 mile turned west into Spring Gulch. All the cold weather has turned waterways into sheets of ice. I did find a few open spots in the ice on Spring Creek, but the ice was 2 to 3 inches thick already and it may not melt again till spring. Winter has arrived, at least Jack Frost has.
When hiking in the shade it was pretty cold, but was much better when the gulch widened out and got some sun. The little snow we had last week is sticking around and morphing into some strange ice crystal creations on the brush.
On the back side of the loop I got into a snow free area and really could enjoy the blue sky and warming temps. It was 11 degrees when I was finished my hike and made it back to the truck, almost a heatwave.
