Distinctly Montana Magazine

84 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 5 I tried to act nonchalant and not look like I was going to pick up my backpack and walk out of the office for good. With this information, and carrying two cans of bear spray and a load of courage, I pointed the truck in the direction of the wilderness, breathed in deep, and told my- self it was going to be all right. Thankfully, my first trip into the Lee Metcalf was on the only well-traveled trail on the Madison side where people like to hike up to a saddle or continue to a popular summit, so I was expecting other vehicles at the trailhead. As I pulled up, however, the trailhead was empty and the courage I had earlier wasn't there. Putting on my backpack and rechecking I had ev- erything needed, I set out. Being early in the season, the trail was choked by vegetation that was well over my head. I called out loud frequently, naming wildflowers and making short videos so I didn't feel alone—and so the wildlife would hear me coming. Five miles in after cross- ing several snowfields, the saddle came into view and left me speechless. Mountains over 10,000 feet loomed above me on both sides. Wildflowers were just beginning to bloom. As I was enjoying the view, a guy came over and said, "Want to see something really neat?" He pointed to the valley I was about to head into. What he showed me was a sow grizzly with three cubs happily digging up roots and turn- ing over rocks, completely oblivious to us. I de- cided against doing the loop, leaving her and her cubs undisturbed. On my hike back down, the scale of this place hit me—how small we really are out here. Access to the Taylor-Hilgard unit requires signing in at ranch headquarters. As I was filling out the form, I met one of the ranch hands and we talked about the area. He described it as one of the last remaining areas in Montana that still has that wild and free feel to it, where you must know what you are doing, know how to read maps properly, and have the confidence to look af- ter yourself. He told me how wildlife such as bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem come out of Yellowstone Park and head into the Lee Metcalf, espe- cially the Taylor-Hilgard unit. He talked about an old sawmill LEE METCALF WILDERNESS

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