Ch-paa-qn Peak

Ch-paa-qn (pronounced ‘cha-pa-kwin’) looks like a volcano but spews nothing more than spindrift. It’s one of the higher peaks visible from the Missoula valley, but once the road to the south side of the peak melts out it’s a fairly easy peak to climb. I’ll always remember this peak, I think, because it was the last hike Laura and I took together before Cooper was born. The peak was once called ‘Squaw’, and some still refer to it by that name. Its current name means ‘shining peak’ in Salish. While the peak is a popular climb, the trail to the summit ends at treeline, meaning determined hikers need