Montana?s Mission Mountains - a phenomena of stunning proportions and striking beauty. I marveled as I waded back between those magnificent peaks. I was following the trail around McDonald Lake and back up Post Creek, off in search of Moon Lake. I had no illusions about the meaning of the designation stamped on the map - Annual Grizzly Bear Closure Area. There was no indication that this was the time for the closure though, so with considerable trepidation I set out on my adventure, figuring they must be off doing other things at the moment. To get to McDonald Lake, travel Highway 93 between Polson and Missoula, Montana. About 7 miles north of St. Ignatius, you turn right on McDonald Lake Road, following it straight east toward the mountains. Crossing a canal, you turn left and north, following the winding road another mile to McDonald Lake dam. Turning left again, follow the dirt road across the dam, past picnic spots and finally to the trail head at the end of the road.I am always in awe at the up-close and personal proximity of the surrounding peaks in that area, providing the constant lure to the area. In particular McDonald Peak with the McDonald Glacier towers over me to the south, directly across the lake and creek. Even as I marvel at the majesty of the towering peaks, the imagination takes off, spying a hundred vantage points above me for the local Grizzly population. I struggle to avoid picturing them sitting ?up there?, flipping a coin for which one gets first crack at the prewrapped morsel blindly stumbling into their kitchen. The amazing mountain scene, however, provides an unstoppable appeal, and the logical probability of having a bad day with a Grizzly is low enough that the exploration must proceed. The first thing you notice as you hit the trail is that it is not overly used. Makes you wonder. Within a quarter of a mile on the trail around McDonald Lake, following a set of mild switchbacks, you find yourself out on a point above the lake, with an awe inspiring view of the lake and McDonald Peak. Many times I?ve stopped when traveling through the area to walk that quarter mile to that point for ?just one more picture?, as can be seen on our website in Gallery 3. From that point leading back along the north side of McDonald Lake, the overall trail is surprisingly level for trekking into such steep mountains. The trail, virtually following the base of McDonald Peak sits at around 3,800 feet in elevation, with the peak right next to you ?up there? at 9,868 feet. Leading around the lake, the trail crosses numerous wide open slide chutes leading clear to the top of the peak opposite McDonald. At another point the trail crosses a moss covered shear cliff, but is wide enough that you don?t feel at risk for falling. Past the end of the lake, the trail drops down onto Post Creek, and in the next couple miles leads through an amazing old growth Cedar grove. Needless to say, my bear paranoias prompted me to pick up a sturdy stick. Not that I?m ready to put up much of a fight. Rather, I whacked that stick on every other rock and tree branch all the way up the trail. Bears really have no interest in spending time with the humanoid species. So if the bear hears you coming, they will interrupt their otherwise busy schedules to find pursuits clear up over the ridge from you. The key is to avoid surprising them. With all my noise, they at least stepped aside to a safe distance from the crazy person.