strawberry lake trail #5

So, you like to hike, huh? Well, do I have a hike for you!We celebrated the 4th of July in Kalispell, Montana, with relatives this year. It's a beautiful area, and there is plenty to see and do in Big Sky Country. In the summer time, you have many options, if you like to swim, boat, fish, hike, etc. It's an outdoors wonderland and nature is the star!One day, we decided to go for a hike. My wife's family has a home in Kalispell, and brother-in-law Tim suggested that we all go to Strawberry Mountain - only 3 miles or so from the house - and hike up to the lake. He had never done this hike before, and was looking forward to it. So, we loaded up the truck with water, bug repellent, bear spray and off we went: me, Amy, Tim and his daughter, Madison. Amy and I love to hike. " Fun. No big deal!" That's what we thought, as our truck headed up the dirt road. We got to Strawberry Lake Trail #5 in the Flathead National Forest at 11 am on a bright, Monday morning: not a cloud in the sky. A sign marking the trail said: "Strawberry Lake: 3 miles." And so, we began . . .The trail begins with a short bridge over a beautiful, running creek. Then, you're on your way - UP, UP, UP!According to the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service website, "the Strawberry Lake trail is 2.8 miles long and climbs 1,500 feet." Elevation is 4,137 feet - 5,611 feet. About 5-minutes into the hike, after crossing the bridge, I said to Amy: "THIS is going to be a REAL hike!" Our heart rates were already on the rise and our legs were already feeling it.To be clear: we are in pretty good shape - work out 3 or 4 times a week, and have gone on many hikes before. But NONE quite like this. It was up, up, up, up, with a few switchbacks, along the way. 2-hours from the start, and many stops and re-starts, we got to our goal/destination: Strawberry Lake. Just gorgeous!But this was not a 2.8 - 3.0 hike. I had my MapMyWalk hike app on the whole way. We arrived at the Lake at the 3.5 mile mark.Going down was a bit easier: it took 1 1/2 hours. Different muscles hurt, and we felt the pull of gravity on our bones. What a relief to have this hike come to an end!Make no mistake about it: THIS IS A CHALLENGING HIKE! To put it into perspective, parts of it were like a resistance level of 6 on a Precor Elliptical. Tough going! But the views, going up the mountain: breath taking!In summary: if you like to hike, are in good shape and enjoy a challenge, Strawberry Lake Trail #5 might be for you. But . . .If you have never hiked, aren't in shape, have heart problems or bad knees/legs - don't think that this hike will be a "walk in the park." It isn't. And you will not make it. And you may hurt yourself.This hike is a major workout. All of us "felt it" the next day - some of us more than others. And it didn't feel good. But it felt GREAT to say that we made it!