Skookum Butte Lookout Revisit

 Skookum Butte National Recreation Trail, Selway and Bitterroot Forests, Montana and Idaho

A morning drive and hike with Geri into some wonderful forest land just 20 miles from Missoula. The trail starts gently for 1/4 mile then it turns steep crossing back and forth between Idaho and Montana.

The uphill effort is worth it as you soon come to an abandoned L-5 fire lookout. It really does look over lots of the Bitterroot Mountains and would have been a wonderful place to work in years gone by. I have looked for a picture of it in its heyday but so far have come up empty. Later this year I will go up and camp at the summit so I can get good sunset shots. Maybe try a time lapse of the sunset if I can figure out how to do it effectively.

 Like all the trails in western Montana right now, you just have to stop and look at the flowers. Every color is represented somewhere. Even saw some Bear Grass trying to bloom. It is kind of early for the Bear Grass, and as last year was a big bloom year I don't expect much activity from them. Here are 2 flowers that I have not posted photos of recently.