I knew the weather in Montana would be different than what I am used to, but I didn’t realize quite how unpredictable it is. In New England we like to say “If you don’t like the weather wait a few minutes” but here that is even more true. In the past month it has hailed, poured rain, thunder-stormed, been humid, been dry, been hot, been cold, and even snowed a little.

I check the weather every day yet I still never feel quite prepared for what the Montana weather will decide to do. We always joke that if more than half the cows are laying down that means it will rain. Although this is not a fool proof method of predicting weather I often find looking to the cows to be more accurate than whatever my weather app says. I also don’t think I’ll ever get used to how much the temperature changes when we drive down the mountain. There is often a 10 degree difference between where I live and the nearest city, Great Falls.

Another thing about the weather here that I am still getting used to is the wind. The wind is louder and stronger than anything I am used to. Not too long ago we were camping in an area we wanted to collect seed in. During the night the wind was so loud I thought a bear was trying to break into my tent! We could hear the wind building up before it hit our campsite and it made my tent shake. I think none of us slept very well that night between the loudness and the fear of falling trees. Luckily no trees fell in our campsite.

Despite unpredictable, and sometimes scary weather I have really been enjoying my time here. I was lucky enough to see a moose which was a bucket list item for me (I almost cried). I am continuing to learn so much and I am so grateful for the community in the region of my forest, they even make our safety meetings fun. I feel homesick sometimes, but I also know that I will be so sad to leave when my season is over.