The last time we went to Grotto Falls was Jacob and I's first time hiking without the kids, which was ironic since this is quite possibly the easiest hike ever, besides the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park.. Also ironic - or just because kids are complete and TOtal assholes - was that this was also the hike where the kids complained the most.
It was a hot, late July day, heavy with biting horseflies and light on the mountain breezes. We had gotten to Grotto Falls Trailhead late in the day because no matter how hard we try, we can never seem to get our shit together well or fast enough to do anything when normal people are doing them. It has become a standing joke in our family that we're always the last car at the trailhead. But it's a short, uncomplicated hike that, like me, is wide and smooth and wheelchair accessible. Once we got to the falls, the water was colder than actual swimming would allow, but go ahead and try to stop us from at least dipping one toe in whatever water we come across; I dare you.
If there was ever a place to hunt for unicorns, this is it.
Jacob always thinks we're going, then turns around and this is me.
We took our 14-year old child on a few hikes but this one was his last. No, he's not yet gone to hike in the Great Beyond, he's just too old and tired for this kind of stuff anymore - he often stumbled, and hacked like a pack-a-day smoker. We know he loves us, loves going where we go, and loves being in nature, but he's reached the point where he loves his cushy bed just a little bit more.
To get to and from the trailhead, you pass Hyalite Reservoir, so we made a dip-stop as the sun went down.
If you don't get naked in nature, did you even go?
I've seen pictures of Mama Grizzlies doing this very thing. Moms: The Great Equalizer.
On the drive back to Billings, double rainbows over Bozeman.
Nope, not a forest fire, just how sunsets look in the big sky.
The hike to Grotto Falls is short but sweet; simple but pretty, and a good glimpse into genuine Montana, especially if you're traveling through or don't have enough time to take up full-on mountaineering. Make sure you pack a beer or two as you'll inevitably come across a lot of fellow hikers with their own beers or two. And while we actively try *not* to be the last hikers on the trail, it often means experiencing the scenery without anyone else, which makes it all worth it.
As our hiking and camping season starts to wind down, we already have a working list of hikes to do come Spring 2019. And while we most likely won't find our way to Grotto Falls again, there are a lot of trails and other lakes in the area that I am already itching to find, much to my growing children's chagrin. No more easy hikes for us! :-D *insert evil laugh*
