Taken from the journal of Michael Haney, June-July 2002
6/24/02 Belt, MT…After a welcoming and scenic stay near Whitehall, we have moved northeast onto the plains and have arrived at our campground in Belt, MT. The Campground (Fort Ponderosa) seems quiet and pleasant, with adequate shade and facilities and friendly people, so the long stay here may go easier than I had expected.
6/25/02 West-Central Montana…It’s quite a thrill to learn about the geology and tectonic evolution of West-Central Montana. The historical impact of this region’s topography and geology/geography is quite rich, having challenged the Native American people to envision lifestyles that embraced and utilized the natural features of the land. For example, the hunting technique of the Buffalo jump, where large herds of Bison were deceived and forced to run off of Buttes and other such cliffs, tumbling down to their demise and to the Native American’s delight. The natural features of this territory (Great Falls, MT) also became a formidable and ominous set of challenges for Lewis and Clark (map) and the Corps of Discovery and those first few followers. Of course, the landscape now has become somewhat urbanized and developed, dissected by roads and populated towns, but to study the Geologic history and natural settings here gives the imagination adventurous color to the picture of what Montana was once like…
6/26/02 Great Falls, MT…Another first. This being my first views of Morony and Ryan Dam, the latter of which I believe may be the key area to my project. It is now necessary to become familiar with these sites, particularly Ryan, where the outcropping is outstanding in quality…Here I sit, in a campground in Belt, MT, reflecting upon the places and settings I have already experienced and the landscapes I have studied. I am beginning to gain a sense of what my project will really be like out here. The geology of this area, Great Falls, MT, and the Missouri River is such an exciting and grandiose display! I take a step back now and think upon my travels and studies and notice that the details and features of the earth that I study are not seen by all, and yet they lie open, revealed for everyone to see. Most people come to Montana for vacation. I came to try and investigate the bedrock and learn what I can about earth’s history. At times through science and field techniques I gain a unique and wonderful perspective of the natural settings here. I also am most appreciative of the guidance I receive from Bob Schwartz. What a good teacher and mentor he has been…when all summed up, I feel privileged to be here and excited to learn. I will definitely return to this marvelous country sometime, to where the mountains stand tall and the plains stretch as wide as the sky, but for now I sit in the cool of the evening, as the cottonwoods shed their summer snowflakes all around, and await tomorrow’s lessons and fieldwork…
7/10/02 Many Glacier, Montana…Tonight I sit amidst the Alpine sculptures and natural towers of rock and earth that make up Many Glacier, Montana. A feeling of deep respect fills me as I stand, gazing at the behemoth cliffs that stand ominously all around me…being now used to the open country of the plains, the features of this carved and sculpted land seem to be even imaginary…how can one not be inspired in such a land as this?…
7/11/02 Hike to Cirque Lake, Glacier National Park…COLD! BRRrrr!! At the day’s start I had no idea that I would be splashing my way into and out of a glacial lake! An 8km hike into beautiful mountain country ended in a he climax at the top – a glacial cirque lake. Towering walls of rock surrounded me and my hiking companion Dan Schwartz as we dared each other to catapult ourselves off of an outstanding boulder and into the icy water. SPLOOSH! Into the ice covered lake we went – redefining the concept of cold into my very being! The thrill at the freezing sensation of shock and adrenaline was an instant memory to last a lifetime. But the sweetest part, (aside from the pictures!), is that as I sit at this lake -(Iceberg Lake) I realize that the hike is only half way over. 8km to go! I cannot emphasize what wonderful country this is! It seems unreal, the landscape is so fantastic and immense that it seems as though I witness tremendous fiction after fiction…
7/14/02 Forest fire to the east…Leaving the majesty and grandeur of Glacier National Park was a difficult thing to do, and yet the time to leave was accompanied for me by even more dismal tidings in the form of a forest fire to the east. It’s towering, billowing and fitful clouds of smoke grew along with the wind and heat – as did my anxiety. Distant smoke was thought to be a shameful thing, but with the shifting wind it became an absolute horror as the gargantuan flames became visible and even threatening as they feasted upon nearby hillsides. The reverent beauty of the mountains and trails I had experienced was the exact opposite of which I saw in that blaze, a blatant, costly and sorrowful reminder of mankind’s sometimes devastating impact upon the natural ecosystems of this grand country. Becoming distant from this tragedy became a need, and my car could not take me away fast enough. Nearly 100 miles south and east I could still see the immense clouds, seemingly tripling even the tallest mountains in height. My arrival back in the plains of Belt came with fond mountain memories and sobering thoughts of distant burning devastation. One more week of this incredible journey…
7/15/02 Great Falls of the Missouri…The Great Falls of the Missouri As I sit upon the capping sandstone boulders of what is now called Ryan Island my mind desperately tries to envision what once was. I feel a great familiarity with this place, having studied and climbed the steep slopes of the northern banks of the Missouri here, as well as stepped onto the very rocks that form the spillway of the dam, the old falls themselves. Yet all of this experience has been in the modern, with Ryan Dam looming tall over the old falls, and the sight of buildings and roads all around. Oh what it must have been like! As I sit and write exactly where Capt. M. Lewis did my mind gives way to imagination and I indulge in its creation. Crashing, foaming water as it cascades down the very rocks upon which I stood. The refreshing spray of water as it flies away – mist in the swirling winds. I can see great rainbows of light being carried off by these winds or covered suddenly by tumbling water, and upon the hills I see buffalo standing or walking towards their much needed refreshment. The slopes I measured and studied – I now imagine Capt. Lewis himself making his way down – or maybe sitting where I do now, writing in his famous journal. The sound of falling water as grand as the sight of it. Indeed, this place must have been an invigorating oasis of refreshing astonishment in the midst of the Great Plains. I prefer the imaginative view to that of the present, but to feel the heat of the sun-baked rocks upon my palms and feel the cooling water of the Missouri, coupled with my first-hand imaginative view is perhaps my greatest privilege and thrilling experience in Montana.