The Great North American Adventure !!

After visiting Helena, Philipsburg & Missoula, we went to Holland Lake. This was where my breath was taken away. Holland Lake is located in the Swan Valley.

Pinched between the east slope of the Mission Mountains and the west slope of the Swan Range, the Swan valley contains a series of pristine mountain lakes amongst dense stands of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and larch. The valley is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise for boating, waterskiing, canoeing, swimming, fishing, birding, or just snoozing in a hammock.

Lower Holland Lake

I felt that it was an amazing place of outstanding beauty. Holland Lake is split into two parts, upper and lower. The Upper Holland Lake is located somewhere up in the mountains and the water flows from the upper lake down a series of rivers and waterfalls before feeding into the lower lake. Both lakes were absolutely stunning! The water was so still that it mirrored the forest and snowy peaks in the background. It was so quiet and peaceful.

Justin on a mission...

We wanted to hike to the nearest waterfall but ended up taking a 14 mile hike to visit the upper lake. The 14 mile hike was really treacherous, with river crossings and...guess what....snow! And at this time of the year!

Lower Holland Lake (Taken on the way to the upper lake)

Upper Holland Lake

The snow appeared in patches and covered several parts of the route the higher we went. I wasn't really prepared for the snow and river crossings and was only wearing sandals. My feet were so cold that I lost all feeling in them, which was just as well because they were continously being pierced by sticks and stones along the route. The route would sometimes take us along the river, and I could see and hear the roar and power of the river. That was nature at it's best, and it was truly humbling.

Treacherous crossings!

There were several "heart in the mouth" moments though, like when I was trying to cross a patch of snow just wearing sandals. The sandals had no grip and it was slippery. One slip and I would have gone tumbling down the side of the mountain.

Slippery moments!

The other moment was Justin's leap across a swollen river. I knew it was too wide for me to jump across, hence I simply waded through the icy water to the other side, getting my feet wet and cold (again!). Justin wanted to remain dry and hence tried to jump across it. But before that, he had the smart idea to give me the camera to record his leap of faith. He leapt....I thought he was going to die....and he landed safely on the other side. He must have felt like a child....jumping around and putting strange things into his mouth (like flowers), telling me they were edible.

Justin's leap of death!

Anyway, it was an amazing time and I still think about it every night before I sleep. After our adventures at Holland Lake, a few days later, we brought our tired and broken bodies to Hot Springs!

Yes...I kid you not...there's a town actually called Hot Springs. And guess what...there's a hot spring there. A historic hotel called The Symes Hot Springs Hotel was built just by the hot springs and has been in operation since 1928.

The Symes Hotel

However, we decided to save a bit of money and gave the hotel a miss. Instead, we camped in the grounds of the hotel in our little tent.

Our tent

The spring itself is known for its healing waters and draws both locals and travellers from afar to sample it's wonderous smelling waters. If you think it's like a natural rock spring/pool, then you're wrong.

A very modern hot spring

The hot spring has been developed and it is now more like a jacuzzi/swimming pool. There are three pools in total, ranging from very hot to hot, and to medium. And the waters smell like sulfur. We enjoyed it so much that we soaked ourselves for hours and hours.

Mr June and Mr February. Which one would you take home?

Next post: Yellowstone! Stay tuned!