We are constantly amazed at our backyard.  That is a figurative backyard.  It extends from our property line in every direction for approximately 1.5 hours of travel time.  This takes us from mountain to river, sage scrub to alpine crag, skate ski track to riding lifts, and trail walk at sunset to backcountry powder turns.  We are infinitely blessed and know that we live in the place that supports us, body and soul.

Christmas day 2011 we woke to continued unseasonably warm weather.  The ski hills are thin and not worth our hard earned dollars.  As with most of the northern tier of states, Montana has been on the loosing side of the snow equation.  On a selfish side, this means that we are not using our Christmas break to indulge in our winter passion of telemark skiing by riding the lifts at Bridger Bowl.  The Bridgers are actually sporting a somewhat depressing shade of brown.  Just to the south of us, though, the mountains have sucked out every flake of the meager  snow that the region has received.  While not providing stellar ski conditions, there are still some wonderful adventures to be had.

Here’s a few nuggets from our day.  Merry Christmas!