I'll have a Grasshopper, on the rocks.

With summer seemingly coming to an end, it's time to get your last hikes in. When it's "Bloody Hot" out, you head up to the mountains to cool off. I know what you're think, "but Dash, arn't you closer to the sun?" Yes and no. The air is thinner but you are not and going up isn't always harder than going down.  Another thing to think about is; what ever someone brings to eat, always looks better than what you brought. Stop asking so many questions and start packing.  Hiking gets you away from day to day doldrums. (unless you work at a ranger station) Finding cool places to hike doesn't always pertain to temperature, but sometimes it does. I love having snowball fights in July just as much as the next guy.

 

  On of my favorite hikes is up to Hopper Glacier in the Crazy Mountains in Montana. Out of 150 original glaciers in the lower 48, only 2 dozen remain today and they are shrinking and thus great destinations! I believe there are a handful of glaciers in Montana and Wyoming named either Grasshopper or just Hopper Glacier. This one in the Crazies came under scrutiny in the early 90's (1990's) when it was discovered to contain hundreds of recently deposited grasshoppers representing 18 specific species. Kind of like how often they still keep finding dinosaurs around here. Big dinosaurs!

 

     Few things in life are certain, when it comes to hiking, here are a few: #1 Like the bear that went over the mountain, we just want to see what we can see, #2 If it gonna be easy, it's gonna be crowded, #3 If you pack warm, it's gonna be cold and vice verse, and most important, #4 You can't beat the view. Take time to enjoy it when you get there cause you never know if you're gonna get back and if you do, there's no guarantee it will still look the same if you do.