I have been going to Cut Bank, Montana for years, at least since about 2000. However, this time I went to an area I didn't know existed even though it is only about 45 minutes from my brother's place....closer if I could fly!Jerusalem Rocks are located in Toole County in northwest Montana and they are breathtaking! I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard of them before. My mom grew up in the Great Falls area and she and her father did a lot of traveling across Montana....but she never mentioned these.
Hoodoos are pinnacles of sedimentary rock which are topped by a harder layer. The area erodes, leaving these great spires topped by rock much like a stone totem pole. They can be man-sized to over 100 feet tall and are often found in high plateaus which is what this country is.
I simply couldn't stop taking pictures....and I still wish I had more!One of the things which intrigued me was that there are dates and names scratched into the rock, but I couldn't find any more recent than in the 1980s. My niece Beth suggested that perhaps that's only about how long they last because of the incessant wind eroding them away.
Yes, I was bobbing around here with a broken pelvis....I tried to stay on the flat, even ground, but I really wanted to do some hiking. Fortunately, it is a very easy place to get to and you can stay pretty much on the level and not have to be a mountain goat.
The hills in the background are the Sweetgrass hills.
Can you get a sense of how high we are up? The gold is a combined grain field with a river running to the upper right side.
