I drove down to Hamilton for the weekend, and on Friday, Mari and I hiked up Blodgett Canyon. Blodgett is considered one of the best hikes in the Bitterroot Valley, so this was a good time to go--on a weekday well after the end of tourist season. The locals told us Blodgett Canyon is usually a spectacular Autumn hike, but this year's early hard freeze robbed the aspens of their golden colors. It was still gorgeous.
Granite cliffs mark the mouth of Blodgett Canyon.
After a short stint through heavy forest, the trail begins to open up.
Blodgett Creek is to the right.
These trees have fallen into a glassy pool adjacent to the creek.
A tiny sapling (at left) emerges from the protection of a fallen log.
As the trail climbs, the creek narrows.
A small waterfall cascades 3.5 miles from the trailhead.
A storm was descending from the ridgeline, so we turned around at the first waterfall.
It was a beautiful hike with only a few hundred feet of elevation gain, but in a few places where the route crossed a talus slope, the trail was a bit rocky (Janet! Dr. Scott! Janet! Brad! Rocky! [extra credit for the first one to give the source of this Halloween reference]).