I’m spending this week in Montana’s Gallatin Valley. I’ve stayed in Bozeman before but only as a waypoint going to and from Yellowstone. I’m enjoying this college town and its surroundings and the respite from the heat I experienced farther south. Yesterday, I took a good long hike, the first of over ten miles I’ve taken in a few years. I did a few warmup hikes over the weekend, but my feet and calves are still sore today. I expected that. Today is a full workday in between meetings with people spread all over the world.

This hike was on an out-and-back trail that goes a little over five miles along a creek up a glacial valley to a high alpine lake. There are also about ten waterfalls along the way with side trails to add to the total distance. I love a waterfall trail so this was a great first long hike in Montana. It won’t be the last while I’m here. All told, I was on the trail for about six and a half hours. Even though it was a Tuesday, I encountered other people though I walked alone.

A few miles before the trailhead, I lost cell service. I know that because my music stopped playing. I didn’t have cell service again until I was on the way back into Bozeman and that gladdened me. I remember a conversation during one of my law school summers when a partner commented that everyone would soon take vacations only to the most remote places in order to escape their phones. For whatever reason (most likely living in fear of my phone while I was a BigLaw associate), that offhand remark has stuck with me. If I could only discipline myself to stop checking my phone at all hours, I’m actually in a position to alleviate that problem now in my own life. I’m not there yet. Yesterday was a nice glimpse into what could be in that regard, though I won’t always need to walk on rocky ground to find that mental freedom.