On June 26, the YVFC, in conjunction with the Montana Wilderness Association, sponsored a hike up Mt. Henry, deep within the Mt. Henry Lake Inventoried Roadless Area.  We met some great people, scrambled up a pretty tough peak, and experienced some of the best scenery the Yaak Valley has to offer.  A good time had by all!



    Andrew Duffin, Chair of the Board of Directors for the YVFC, and Randy Beacham, former YVFC staffer and professional photographer, led members from Women in the Environment, a nonprofit networking group of environmental professionals.  Most of the women were from Florida, which made the steady climb up to the 7,243-foot peak a challenge for these flatlanders!  BUT, all but one made it to the top.  We took a steady, even pace, allowed the group to break up into three sub-groups of folks with varying abilities, and stuck to it.  The last half-mile is particularly tough—a steep final ascent up scree-filled slopes while being battered with cold gusty winds.  After a quick stop at the summit for a snack and photos, it was back down the mountain, drifting back to the trail-head in the Hudson Creek drainage.

    Along the way Andrew and Randy related all they could muster on the flora, fauna, forest ecology, and politics of this incredible landscape.  Our guests were extremely eager to learn about this place they’d never even heard of a few months prior.  In the days leading up to the hike, the Women in the Environment folks had spent a few days in Glacier National Park; a natural wonder, to be sure, but then when they came to the Yaak, they got a different back-country experience altogether.  No frills.  Just wilderness.  Afterward, our guests treated Andrew, Randy, and Executive Director Robyn King to dinner at the newly-remodeled Yaak River Tavern—the perfect way to cap off a great day of hiking, exploring, and opening up a small part of the valley to a few great companions. 

    And if you missed out this year, fret not—we’re going to be doing these hikes well into the future.  We’ll have the 2011 hike set sometime next winter and we’ll spread the word via the YVFC member listserv.  Not a member??  Just click on “Help Us Help the Yaak” and follow the steps!