Ditching class at Bozeman Senior High School may never have been so rewarding. On Feb. 26, 1979, a friend and I cut class to travel to Bridger Bowl Ski Area. Taking the old Bridger lift we then hiked the last quarter mile to the top of the ridge in preparation for a total solar eclipse. From that vantage point we could see a large shadow approaching from the west, darkening the Tobacco Root Mountains as it flowed across the Gallatin Valley. Yard and city lights blinked on as an early night embraced us. To the east the blackness raced across the Shields River Valley, cloaking the Crazy Mountains in night. On Aug. 21 folks have the option of driving to parts of Wyoming or Idaho to have a similar experience.

To learn more about this year’s eclipse and where and how to view it, check out my story in this week’s Billings Gazette. http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/

(Written by Brett French – Outdoors Editor for the Billings Gazette)