Family Strength

At the top of a winding glacial path there was a hidden lake, and I came over the rise onto it right at sunset. The only other travelers up there were a family of mountain goats, who had made far better time than I had and were not remotely out of breath. The young ones were transfixed by me. The adults were visibly furious. They charged several times, I gave ground each time, and eventually they left together the way families do. Montana holds some of the most beautiful country on the continent, and it does not hand any of it over easily.