Men + Montana = Mantana

I had a chance to see my college buddies for four days in Montana. I will call it Mantana, not as a misspelling, but as an indication of the types of activities we enjoyed throughout our time. Dirt bikes, bonfires, meat-eating and general male shenanigans were the order of the weekend in addition to catching up with some of the fellas in my life who have shaped and impacted me so much.

We stayed at a cherry orchard near Kalispell and spent our time outside. The sun is up early and hangs out late, so we slept very little and enjoyed the perfection that is northern Mantana.

Seeing these guys was a complete blessing. In many ways, we grew up together at CU-Boulder and a lot of our individual success and growth has been determined by one another. It is not often that such good friends get to spend time together when each person is spread throughout the country, but we made it happen. It is Mantana, we had to.

Highlights:

• Driving a rented Chevy Impala like from Spokane, Washington to Kalispell, Mantana like we stole it. There is no other way to drive a rental car.
• Listening to each guy in the group recount their successes from the past two years. These guys may look like scrubs, but they are smart and successful. 
• Eating everything Huckleberry flavored. Ice Cream, shakes, pastries. I did not even know Huckleberry was a real thing, it sounds like something Yogi Bear would eat in Jellystone.
• Hiking in Glacier National Park and feeling tough because we had to carry bear spray. But nobody wanted the task of actually having to be ready to use it.
• Watching the sun set at 10:30 p.m. over Flathead Lake. Remarkable.
• Hanging out with these dudes. Excellent.

Here are a few photos of my trip.

Just some dudes hanging out at a cherry orchard.

Fellas loading up for a day of riding motorcycles and ATV's.

At Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park

Evening fire time, still light out at 10:45 p.m.