The "M" (Mount Sentinel)

Last night, Colin and I headed to Missoula so that Colin could take the first part of the bar exam (about ethics) there. After he was finished with the test, we decided to hike to the big letter M in the hills above the campus of the University of Montana. The weather was cool and threatening rain, but we decided to give it a try anyway.

The hike began directly below the M and switchbacked up quickly and steeply. After about 15 minutes of hiking, we found ourselves at the big M. I had thought it was made of painted rocks, but when we got there, I discovered that it was a large concrete slab. 

Missoula below as we climb to the M

Colin and me at the M

We continued on to summit Mount Sentinel. A few minutes into this part of the hike, we heard thunder above us on the mountain, so we turned around to be safe. As we got to the trailhead, it began raining very hard, so we knew we made the right decision. 

Afterwards, we headed to lunch and then to the Big Sky Brewery. After tasting a few beers, we started the long, four hour drive back down to Gardiner.