Tromping to Willow Creek Falls in snow

Douglasia wildflowers with Fairview Mountain in background

One of the three Willow Creek Falls 

Working our way through the snow on the path

Our band of five Wayne's Wednesday Walkers made it through the Willow Creek Falls to the opening of the Fairview Plateau via a muddy and sometimes snow-covered trail.
This wintry hike on a gray spring day actually enhanced the beauty of this already gorgeous scenery.
We went about 5-miles round trip, gaining some 800 feet en route taking in the three large waterfalls of Willow Creek in the Rocky Mountain Front west of Augusta.
The scenery was so beautiful I was berated by Camille Consolvo who berated me for not having included it in my list of "Top Ten" hikes for newcomers, something I gave her went she moved to Great Falls from Oregon several years ago.

A Pasque Flower cluster in time for the Pasque on Sunday

Despite the wintry weather, we were rewarded with several spectacular shows of spring flowers, such as a field of pink Douglasia, and many Pasque flowers.  We saw quite a number of mule deer on the road driving in and out.
The day was in sharp contrast to Tuesday when northcentral Montana skies were a beautiful, cloudless blue and the sun shone brightly.
Because of the weekend's snows I strapped on skis and skins and teled Big Seven at Showdown and then went to White Sulphur Springs for a soak. While there were about three inches of snow, it sat a top a wind crust, which broke when I powered my turns.  It was great to be out in the warm sun, but it wasn't the greatest of conditions.....sort of a metaphor for the entire ski season, now over unless I ski Logan Pass at Glacier when it opens this summer.

A "selfie" from the top of an abandoned Showdown ski hill, which closed two weeks ago