Winters in Central Montana can seem long. The best remedy is to learn to enjoy them. The crowds are gone that time of year and many of the easily accessible areas that are normally crowded with people offer great backcountry experiences.
On this Saturday morning, we drove up to the campground at Marias Pass across from Glacier National Park. There are forest roads here that make perfect backcountry ski trails in winter. I pull my daughter in an enclosed ski pulk that we affectionately call “the nap maker”.
Immediately after hitting the trail we crossed moose tracks and then wolf tracks. We stopped to investigate the tracks and discuss predators and prey. Climbing the ridge back to the south gains enough elevation for great views of the park.
When naptime finally came to an end, we stopped for a winter picnic. The nice thing about pulks is that it’s easy to pull plenty of gear so bring supplies to have a small fire, some hot water for chocolate and enjoy. It was unusually warm this day so we skipped the fire and built a backcountry snowman.
