Nicholia and Deadman Creeks Backpack, Italian Peaks, with Ellie, Dave, and Camilla

Ellie Checking out the plane crash.

Dave Sumner and I have been backpacking, more or less every year, since 2000. In these hectic years of high school and college aged kids, it's challenging to make time to get together, but we're always glad we do. This year, we did a trip with our girls: my 16 year old daughter Ellie, and Dave's 18 year old daughter Camilla. Dave is an English Professor at Linfield College (a small liberal arts college in the Willamette Valley of Oregon), but he spends a couple of weeks every summer in Salt Lake City, where he's from. This year we decided to meet in Lima, Montana (3.5 hours from Missoula and 4.5 hours from Salt Lake City) and drive approximately 30 miles into the Italian Peaks to hike the Nicholia/Deadman Creeks Loop. This hike can be found in the Montana Hiker's Guide and it goes through some fantastic and unusual country: there's a lot of sage brush for one; there's a ton of high peaks, including Italian Peak and Scott Peak; near the pass between the two basins, there's a 'breach anticline', which is a neat geological feature; and there's Divide Lake, which is a beautiful little gem with great fishing. We had set aside 5 leisurely days to do the 23 mile loop, with a couple of layover days planned, but the bugs were so bad that we cut the trip short one day. Nonetheless, the country worked it's magic, and we had a great trip. There were many highlights, but here are a few: Dave and I complained bitterly about the bugs, but the girls didn't complain; Ellie and I hiked up to a plane crash on the side of a peak near camp; and on the last night we had a great, spirited discussion about feminism with the girls. Listening to these girls, I have confidence in the future of our country and world.  

I highly recommend visiting this part of Montana. I plan to go back for some peakbagging, perhaps with Jen in tow. But given that the bugs were so bad in late July, I'll definitely wait until mid-August, or even better, September-to-early-October. 

Heading in, day 1.

At the fire, night 1.

Later, the sunset.

Dave and Camilla.

Ellie on our day 2 day hike.

And again on our day hike.

Heading up to the peak with the plane crash.

A breach anticline at the top of Deadman Creek.

And again with Dave and Camilla.

Ellie and Camilla swimming.

Divide Lake - a beautiful spot.

Hiking out on the last day.

It was hot and bluebird.