For years, we measured adventure by how many new places we could discover. As each weekend drew near, we focused on finding a trail we hadn’t hiked, a lake we hadn’t camped beside, or a mountain we hadn’t stood on yet. Part of the excitement came from the unknown and Montana has no shortage of places to explore.
As we’ve spent more years wandering Montana’s mountain ranges, the list of nearby “new” places has gradually become shorter. The worry was that our adventures would inevitably become repetitive. Instead of constantly searching for new destinations, we started returning to familiar places with new objectives. Sometimes that meant trail running a route we’d backpacked before. Other times it meant climbing a nearby mountain or visiting in a different season.
Finding the New Objective
On a revisit to an alpine lake, we returned with new objectives. This time, the mountain behind the lake was on our list of activities. We had also heard rumors of golden trout which we were eager to catch. Lastly, we had yet to explore an old airplane wreckage that was under the snow in all of our previous visits. None of those goals required an entirely new destination, but they gave us a new way to experience one we had already enjoyed.
The Unexpected Discovery
After reaching the lake, we dropped our overnight gear and set off toward the mountain backdrop. There were scattered thunderstorms, but it looked like we had a decent weather window to make it to the summit. The climb led us to a meadow bursting with crimson Indian paintbrush before steepening toward the ridge.
About a quarter of the way up, we noticed dark clouds were headed our way. Before long, a brilliant lightning bolt cracked in the valley below. We ducked into the trees and tucked ourselves beneath a large boulder, hoping the storm would pass quickly.
As we waited, we kept hearing the unmistakable buzz of hummingbird wings overhead, followed by their tiny high-pitched chatter as they darted between the trees. One zipped toward us before suddenly noticing the two unexpected hikers hiding beneath a boulder. It hovered several feet away, tilting its head as if trying to decide what on earth we were doing there before settling onto a nearby branch.
Nearly an hour and a half later, the rain had mostly let up and we began gathering our gear for another attempt. As we stood, two hummingbirds flew out from the branches directly above our makeshift shelter.
Hummingbirds flitted from flower to flower, weaving across the slope in every direction. Suddenly, the basin blanketed in crimson Indian paintbrush made sense. We’d walked through wildflower meadows like this before, but it wasn’t until we’d been forced to stop that we noticed how alive with hummingbirds it was.
Finding Novelty in Familiar Places
After the paintbrush / hummingbird realization, we gave the mountain a second try. The climb to the ridge was short but steep. We found ourselves looking back at the lake where we’d pitched camp. It looked tiny below us, tucked beneath an impressive cliff face. Moments like these always make me pause and feel a quiet sense of gratitude.
When we reached the ridge, another round of dark clouds was already building. We studied the route toward the summit, took another look at the dark clouds headed our way, and quietly admitted what we already knew: We’d likely be exposed when the next storm arrived. Although turning around wasn’t the outcome we’d hoped for, standing on the ridge didn’t feel like failure, either.
We took the time we had to wander the rocky spine of the ridge, taking in a perspective we’d hadn’t experienced despite visiting this lake twice before. Climbing onto a rock outcrop for a better view, another neighboring peak caught our eye. Somehow the mountain was overlooked, but it was soon added to our list of future adventures.
Before leaving, we noticed a rock formation that looked remarkably like a giant taco shell. Two slabs of rock rose on either side of a small patch of grass that looked just big enough for someone to lay down in and soak up the view. Valerie couldn’t resist climbing into it for a few photos.
We stopped thinking about the summit objective altogether.
The sense of novelty was fulfilled by the hummingbirds and a new perspective from the ridge that inspired future adventures.
A New Objective
The next morning was a slower pace. Mitch wandered the shoreline with a fishing rod in search of the elusive golden trout, and we explored the remnants of the airplane wreckage.
When discovering a patch of crimson paintbrush along the shoreline, the hummingbirds came back to mind. Remembering how active the hummingbirds had been the day before, Valerie decided to simply sit down and wait, camera in hand. Within a few minutes, the familiar buzz of wings returned. One hummingbird hovered among the paintbrush just long enough to photograph before darting away.
It was exactly the moment Valerie hoped for after watching them the day before.
More Than One Reason to Return
On the hike out, we replayed the unexpected moments the weekend had given us: the hummingbirds we’d only noticed because a storm forced us to stop, the neighboring peak that quickly earned a place on our list of future adventures, and experiencing the new perspective from a ridge we hadn’t thought to climb before.
For a long time, we thought revisiting a place meant repeating an experience. Lately, we’ve realized the opposite is true. Revisits reveal things we’d overlooked before. Sometimes it’s a new objective, sometimes it’s a different perspective, and sometimes it’s simply slowing down long enough to notice what was there all along.
It’s the realization that favorite places aren’t places you finish. They’re places you build a relationship with. Each visit leaves you with another story, another unanswered question, or another reason to come back.
Sometimes they’re waiting in a place you thought you already knew.
01.
Always keep an eye open for hummingbirds when finding crimson Indian paintbrush.
02.
Unexpected interruptions help you notice things you might have walked right past.
03.
Return to Taco Rock for a post summit siesta.
04.
Places are worth revisiting. They rarely reveal everything the first time.
Gear We Used
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Recommended Backpacking Gear
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