Montana in Review

My dad has a place about 20 miles off the main road and if you haven’t ever been that far off the grid, it’s an experience I highly recommend. I don’t know if I could live out there full-time, but it’s definitely a place I really like to visit. Being out there puts different things in perspective. It makes different things priorities. Chores and projects are done because if you don’t do them, you will be cold or hungry or without food or electricity. Maybe it’s something as simple as mowing the couple acres of lawn because if you don’t, you’re encouraging potential fire to get up closer to your home. Maybe it’s as easy as reorganizing your storage shed so that you know what all you have and where exactly it is in the even that you need extra large tarps or packing materials or a battery charger. Maybe it’s setting up more solar panels so you can save the generator for emergencies. You might need to clear out some dead trees or build a new structure to store wood or tools out of the weather. It’s just cool that you’re out there doing things that directly affect your next move, your next day. If you fall behind, you need to reassign importance and figure out what really needs to be done before the weather gets to a point where you just sit inside in front of your wood-burning stove for days on end. They say that there’s two seasons in Montana: winter and construction. If you fall behind during construction season, you’re setting yourself up for a harder winter and winter there isn’t messing around.

You don’t get caught up in any drama, there’s no cell reception and no internets: you have plenty of time to think and breathe deeply and while you’re trying to get things completed in a certain time frame, there’s not a feeling of being rushed. Things feel simpler there. The people are kind and generous and selfless. The wildlife goes on about their day like you aren’t even there, and in all fairness, you’re totally on their turf anyway. The hikes are legit and you better bring a gun and some food and water, because you can be out all day and you'll just end up food for wolves or mountain lions if you don't pay attention.  The weather can change in minutes and then change right back. The last time I went to visit, the second day I was there it was clear then snowed and then was cloudy and then was clear; five times it went through that pattern. The quiet is complete and almost stifling once all the animals go to sleep. There’s just no sounds, it’s a little eerie and takes some getting used to. When sky is clear at night and the moon is full or close to it, it’s actually so bright it makes it hard to see the stars and it’s almost as light out as dawn or dusk all night. That said, when the moon is half or less, the stars are amazing and even though we're in a valley and don't have a huge view of the sky, there's more stars than I've ever seen. 

I guess all of that is to say that Montana is pretty freakin’ sweet and I’m already looking forward to my next visit.