MOUNTAIN LOG COWBOY COUNTRY 49 The adjoining states of Montana and Wyoming, in America's Midwest, have a combined area seven times the size of Ireland, with only a quarter of our population. This is cowboy country, but it is also bear and bison country. Within these two states there are spectacular mountain ranges, all part of the Rockies – the mountains of Bitterroot, Glacier, Yellowstone and the Tetons – where hillwalkers are spoiled for choice. In September 2024, a group of fourteen members of Bishopstown Hillwalking Club visited these parks, staying in nearby towns, in hotels and log cabins. We flew into Missoula, from where we explored the Bitterroot Mountains, and from there we located north to Whitefish to climb in Glacier National Park. We then travelled south to West Yellowstone and, finally, south again to Jackson to walk in the Teton Mountains. The average elevation in Montana is 1,000m, where Wyoming’s mean elevation of 2,000m. The distances between our bases were relatively short, not more than half a day’s drive, and we were able to fly out of our last base in Jackson. Pictured this page: Lunch overlooking Hidden Lake, Glacier National Park. Photo: Jim Ryan Previous page: En route to Grinnell, Glacier National Park. Photo: Jim Ryan Between Whitefish and Yellowstone we paused in Butte, Montana, which has an amazing Irish heritage.
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