Rising Above the Billings Smoke

After so many days in the heat and smoke of this summer, this man needed to get out.  And I wondered if anyone in Montana can lift themselves up above the haze from the wildfires.  So as an experiment, I drove up and past Red Lodge on the Beartooth Highway.  Will the air clear up?

In Billings the haze was depressing.  In Red Lodge, thought cooler, the view was not much better.  The hill just outside of town can be seen, but no detail on the hill.

Shortly after town and entering the Custer National Forest, I found the distant hills hazy while the closer hills looked like the color had had been washed out like clothes.  I walked to a running brook through the trees and the vision seemed clear as if nothing off.  Perhaps I have grown used to the subtle haze.

After winding up the Beartooth Highway to the "Leaving Montana" sign, the color was still washed from the smoke.

I stopped at nearly the highest point on the highway, the Twin Lakes and Beartooth Plateau.  The lakes down from the overhang looked pretty clear, while the distance still faded with the smoke.  It was then I remembered what I wore.

Couple years ago, I learned a trick for improving vision, and they are available in any sporting goods or shooting store.  Amber eyewear helps the color pop despite the haze.  And they cut the glare of sunshine and can reduce the glare of headlights at night.

My conclusion is that the only way to rise above the smoke is by flying.  And maybe even then the view is disappointing.

This wildfire haze may have become the new normal.  But you can still find relief in the close proximity of Nature.  The forest about you can still be clearly seen and the clear water still flows.  Any faint odor of smoke you might catch pales to the smells of pine and earthiness.

While the distant view is gone, get out and explore the Montana outdoors anyway.

Don't worry about the forest; enjoy the trees.

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