6/12/07 – Paws Up, MT!!!

While almost every day on this trip seems like a long one, this one was truly a marathon. We began with a morning hike to the top of Mount Jumbo with Amy, which resulted in a panoramic view of Missoula and the surrounding mountains. Amy continued to wow us with her knowledge of her own backyard by identifying multiple wildflower species and pointing out all visible geographic features. Amy first arrived in Missoula a few years ago by chance and has remained here ever since – her passion for the area portrayed to us how many people tend to fall in love with this “random” place in Montana. After the hike, Amy dragged herself to work and we prepared for the next phase of our visit – Paws Up.

Our friend Ben Shlansky was kind enough to invite the two of us to join his family at the Paws Up resort, which by chance was only a half hour outside of Missoula. Paws Up is essentially a giant playground for adults, a high-class resort that represented an entirely different world from pb&j lunches. Ben’s grandfather Milton was treating the Shlanksy clan to an all-expense paid 10-day trip to this Montana paradise, and we were permitted to take part in the ride for a day – thank you, Milton and family! Our experience at Paws Up included meals at a five-star restaurant... mountain-biking and paintball... and luxurious accommodations... all under the backdrop of the Rockies. The contrast between spending a night in a cave and hanging out with the Shlanksy’s at Paws Up was downright comedic and represented yet another unexpected, thrilling experience on this trip.

In the evening, we ventured into Missoula for an open mic night at a local watering hole, named “Badlanders”. Ben’s cousin, Bear, performed original songs solo on an acoustic guitar to a surprisingly large Tuesday night crowd. Between Deyle and me, Ben, Bear, Ben’s sister Hannah, and Ben’s cousins Jason and Brooke, we were rolling deep at this place. Even a large number of Paws Up employees were there, which was fun because after a week of serving the Shlanksy’s, they had established an interesting relationship with the family. Let’s just say that their presence added entertainment at a level that should not be discussed publicly for the sake of one Paws Up waitress in particular.

After closing out the bar, we drove back to Paws Up (thanks to our DD, Hannah) and burned the midnight oil. The fact that our late-night snack was crackers and brie should give you even more of an idea of how classy this resort was. While we probably could have stayed up even longer, the group realized that the night had to come to an end at some point. That point turned out to be 4 AM, marking the end of a long but ridiculously fun day.

-Jonah