Walk this way

The Flathead is a hikers' haven. Throughout the year and particularly in the summer months, volunteer organizations invite the public to join their birding and wildflower forays and along treks into the backcountry.

The Glacier Mountaineering Society is one group that grew out of the desire of a few adventurers motivated to experience and explore climbing in Glacier and Waterton parks and the Northern Rockies. All ages and skill levels are welcome, from scramblers to alpine climbers.

Last month, Lisa Komer and her husband, Bernie, of Kalispell joined one of their hikes into Glacier Park. Although an avid hiker, Lisa found that group hiking with GMS gave her a sense of safety to help her reach her goals. Realizing that situations in the mountains can turn dangerous quickly, Komer really appreciated the group "leader" and "sweepers" who maintained group integrity and saw that everyone stuck together throughout the hike, which required some scrambling and crossing a snowfield over a creek.

Komer thanked GMS for helping her safely summit her first peak - 7,430-foot Angel Wing - in the park. She's since climbed Matahpi Peak at 9,365 feet, again with GMS; and has just 265 more peaks in Glacier to go.

For more information about becoming a GMS member, visit www.glaciermountaineers.com.

ANOTHER HIKING club that's active in the valley is the Flathead Outdoor Club. Mike Spence founded the club last January out of his compelling desire to sharing other hikers' experiences.

Spence networked with several other hikers, put together a series of lectures by knowledgeable outdoors people and organized evening hikes in the summer.

The club decided meeting once a month was not enough - they've since taken to meeting weekly across the valley and in Glacier Park and other hiking areas. Buoyed by their faithful attendance, the club has taken on a life of its own, even when Spence can't participate.

Once the evenings become too short for hiking, Flathead Outdoor Club will resume their speaker series through May or June. They already have a full slate of guest speakers lined up for September and October. The club meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Flathead County Library in Kalispell.

To find out the club's schedule, call Spence at 857-2599.

Earlier this summer, the Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society sponsored a series of trail walks and field trips in the abundant flora and alpine splendor of the Flathead and surrounding areas.

The local chapter also hosts public programs and slide-show presentations October through May on native plants, landscaping and conservation.

Fall programs begin at 7 p.m. and will be held the first Wednesday of those months at the Flathead County Library in Kalispell. The public is always welcome.

For details, call Linh Hoang at 406-270-7533 or log on to www.umt.edu/mnps/.

And one more for the road - or the trail. The Flathead Audubon Society hosts bird walks to explore the valley's birding hot-spots throughout the year, predominantly during the height of breeding season May through July, but also plans some winter bird-watching forays.

For more information about Audubon's activities, call Leslie Kehoe at 837-4467 or log on to flatheadaudubon.org.