Huckleberry Heaven

Huckleberry Heaven

On a late summer day in Northwest Montana my husband, Randy, my boys Caleb and Aaron and I determined that huckleberry pie was worth all the pleasure and danger we went through from beginning to end just to find the plump dark blue berries. If you have ever savored a piece of huckleberry pie you have sampled a part of heaven.

Deep in the magnificent mountains we found luscious huckleberry patches. Traveling up the winding logging roads was very frightening at times. The hair pen curves were especially treacherous because heaven forbid we would meet another car or even worse a logging truck loaded for bear of huge logs.   Who is going to move over to the edge of the mountain side to allow us to pass? We just hoped that we weren’t the ones to be on that unlucky side of the mountain road that had a sheer drop for 1000 feet or more. From the bottom of the mountain to that prized berry patch was 17 miles through the deep mountainous woods and valleys. There was no one around for miles and miles except my family. What serenity!

At last we arrived to our favorite huckleberry treasures. Stepping out of the truck was one of my favorite parts of the adventure that day. Looking down to the river filled valleys and the mountain peaks above, taking all the smells in at one breathe. The fragrances of wild flowers, pine trees, fresh running water, and the clean crisp air all blew between the mountains like a ribbon blowing in the breeze.   I saw three rivers swishing back and forth like a snake slithering through the grass.   Finally, the main reason we ventured out that day, the juicy plump huckleberries were gently hanging under the leaves, as if they were begging to become a pie. Huckleberries were everywhere you looked. The pretty red blooms glistened in the sunlight.   We crawled up the mountain side at the edge of the road grasping for whatever we could, planting each step carefully so that we were sure not to stumble and roll down the mountain side.  

Each one of us...