The hills are alive, with the sound of music. Aahh...

We woke up early-ish (I like to sleep) so we could get a parking spot at the summit. After 10 AM there is no parking available. I asked Trace to fill up both our water packs for the hike that day. He didn't feel we needed that much water and filled them both halfway. This is Highline trail, a 12-mile hike along the mountain ridge. It is a gradual incline with fantastic views for the first 8 miles. 

I like to set up the camera using the timer to take pictures. I had 10 seconds to meet Trace- I almost made it!

Snow! At the very top of the summit after four steep switch backs. This picture was taken right before I got hit with that snowball.

Big horn sheep!

It was a hot day on the top of the mountain and we were grateful to reach the chalet at the 8-mile mark. It is a VERY rustic cabin with a few supplies. We sat inside for lunch when Trace ran out of water...Da, da, da. Water at the chalet is $5 a bottle and we weren't carrying money with us. Fortunately his wife had rationed her own water and was willing to share for the hottest 4-mile hike down to the road through a burnt section of forest. There was absolutely no tree cover for the entire 4-mile 2,000 foot elevation drop. We were also told a grizzly had been spotted about 2 hours before on this part of the trail.

 No Grizzly but he left his mark.

Again, one of the best parts of this park is the public transportation. The end of the trail meets the road where we jumped on a shuttle back up to the summit to find our parked car. Here is the wildlife we saw after getting off the shuttle. It was a long hike for novices who didn't put on enough sunblock, bring enough water, or stretch. Trace was having a difficult time walking after getting off the shuttle. Ah, the KOA, how grateful we were for the hot tub that night.