Day 32
17.9 miles
We left the motel at about 9:15 am and made our way towards the Jardine trailhead. I’m not sure we actually found it-we ended up scrambling down an embankment behind the Mormon church, finding a trail along the river, passing about 4 “No Trespassing!” signs, and then finally coming upon a National Park sign. That was the last I saw of Jukebox and Stargate all day. The trail followed the River for a very long time, and it became hot, and very smoky. There must be a fire somewhere. I saw 2 people today-incredibly, the group of older ladies we saw in the Spanish Peaks, passed me going the other way. It was fun to chat with them. Then in the late afternoon, I met Larry Boy, hiking the other way! He looked so much better and himself again now that he was back on trail. He’s almost done with the loop and then will do the Winds with a friend. I continued to hike in the Yellowstone River Canyon, which was beautiful, except the forest fire smoke was getting quite bad and it was really hot. I finally camped at Hellroaring Creek. Thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky a few times, but mercifully the storm didn’t go directly over me.
Day 33
21.9 miles
I started hiking at about 7:30, starting with a ford of Hellroaring Creek. I did not choose the best place to ford and ended up going in up to my waist. Oh well. I made my way up the Buffalo Plateau, slowly gaining elevation-ran into Jukebox and Stargate at about 11 am, they had camped at the turnoff for the designated campsite we were supposed to camp at. We kept hiking for the rest of the day through pretty boring, old forest fire terrain, but on good trail. I hiked till 8 pm and we camped along a creek before Boulder Pass. It was quite cold once the sun went down.
Day 34
15.1 miles
I started hiking at 7:30, up and over Boulder Pass, just 1000 feet gain-then a loooooong way down on trail, then 4 wheel drive track, then dirt road. There was an amazing amount of traffic on this remote road-mostly 4 wheelers and Jeeps, but it’s Saturday. I chatted with a gentleman on a dirt bike for a long time-he moved to Big Timber, Montana in 1985 and his wife is a nurse at the local hospital. When I got down to Hicks Park trailhead in the afternoon, Jukebox and Stargate were actually already loading their packs into the car of a nice couple-perfect timing. The couple had done a 40 mile backpacking loop and were headed back to their home in Dillon, and Big Timber, our resupply spot, was right on the way. We rode the long rutted dirt road out, then highway-it’s 44 miles to Big Timber, a really long hitch-but there’s kind of no way around it. They dropped us off in Big Timber at about 5 pm, comically apologizing for Big Timber-“don’t judge Montana based on Big Timber, okay?” People are so unbelievably nice here, I wish I could wrap my head around the winters. Amazingly, Patch drove up right as we got out of the car-he’s on his way back to Eastern Washington from visiting his family in Illinois and I had texted him on the off chance that he could meet us in Big Timber. Patch hiked the CDT my year and direction, and we also have done many mountaineering trips together. Also, Jukebox hiked the AT the same year and knew him-apparently he destroyed her at a pancake-eating contest at a hut in the White Mountains, which is hilariously unfair since Jukebox is a very small, fit woman and Patch tops out at 6’4”. We resupplied at the IGA and Stargate booked a room at the Super 8 motel-right on the highway, next to a train and a casino-but one of 2 motels in town, and the other was full. It was actually a really nice motel, which we stunk up immediately with our backpacks and laundry and….selves. We all showered and put the laundry in and then headed downtown for dinner. We went to the Grand Hotel and sat off in the corner, away from others…..it felt so awesomely normal to just go eat out at a restaurant, which I have done almost not at all since coronavirus hit. Big Timber could never be mistaken for a tourist town-it’s just a dusty western town on the highway in the sagebrush like so many others, but the folks at the gas station were friendly to me, as was the waitress….I really had a soft spot for it by the end. We all passed out around 10 pm. Patch stayed with us, being a hiker himself he was totally comfortable just joining. 4 people in a motel room is actually pretty civilized for hikers.
Day 35
9 miles on route
3.8 miles road walk
We all woke up in the Super 8 motel, both the nicest and least expensive motel we’ve stayed in so far, at about 7:30. We got the hotel breakfast and then ran a few last-minute errands. Jukebox and Stargate had both sent packages to the post office with food, and it is Sunday-but they were both concerned about being able to get a hitch back to Hicks Park up that dirt road, so they decided to try and call the post office and bounce the packages and just take the ride now with Patch since it is available. We drove the highway, then good dirt road, then slooooowly up the very pot-holed part of the road before we just got out to walk to the final piece and give Patch’s Van a break. We said goodbye to Patch-he’s now got to drive all the way back out to the highway and then 7 hours back to his home in Eastern Washington. It was so reviving to see an old hiking friend, in the middle of a dusty small Montana town. We started hiking from the trailhead about 1:45 pm from Upside Down Creek-the sign for the trailhead was also hung upside down, funny joke Forest Service. It was 3000 ft gain up excellent trail-almost looked like it was built by the CCC. I met an older gentleman coming down who kind of growled, “you know it’s a long way up…have you been here before?” I informed him I was on a thousand mile loop and there had been plenty of “long way ups”, he shrugged and hiked on. I hiked till 7 pm, just past Horsehoe Lakes-exquisitely beautiful alpine lakes. A wonderful place to spend the night.
Day 36
22.3 miles
I woke up this morning at 6:30 to a plaintive little bugle. I got my tent open and 2 adult elk and 1 baby elk were about 100 yards away on the ridge, watching me in the early morning light. Thanks for the wake up call, guys. Got moving at 7:40 am, past Rainbow Lakes, another beautiful set of alpine lakes-and over short Jordan Pass, then down, down, down, losing all the elevation I had gained yesterday. I’ll gain it back tomorrow. The day was basically defined by the preponderance if berries of every kind (awesome) and the preponderance of biting black flies all day (terrible.). If I stopped hiking, 8-10 or them would immediately land on my legs. Crazy-making. And, if you are what you eat, I am about 96.5% thimbleberry at this point. I took a quick skinny dip in an obliging Lake-I stepped into the lake and sank into the mud-immediately thought of leeches-and splashed frantically deeper in and then right out. It was a quick “swim”. Hiked till 8 pm along the Stillwater River, I sadly realized there was a problem with the download of my “The Great Courses-Critical Thinking Skills” podcast and listened to the last 3 episodes of Dirty John instead. Passed out a little after 9 pm in a field a little ways from the trail.
Day 37
19 miles
I woke late this morning-6:50-feeling a bit lazy today. I think I will take an “alternate to my alternate” through the Beartooths, that maximizes alpine lakes and is less mileage. The route that I had designed does go by some lakes but also spends many miles in creek beds, which I am not really feeling right now. I started hiking at 8:40 and immediately noticed 2 large smashed-down places in the tall grass in the field where I had camped that had not been there the night before-apparently a group of elk had been snoozing peacefully next to me all night. That’s kind of sweet. I kept hiking down the Stillwater trail, an old burn area, but the new pine trees are now maturing. It is cooler today. I see the turnoff for Alex’s Route-up a drainage into some epic looking mountains-that does look cool. But I’m not going that way. It heads up to the Grasshopper Glacier, which Larry Boy describes as “class 4+ with an overhanging cornice.” I’ll pass on that. Being alone in this section (we split till Red Lodge so Stargate and Jukebox could comfortably hike their much faster pace for awhile), I notice how active, healthy, calm, and creative my brain has become. There is no drug on the planet, pharmaceutical or otherwise, that can replicate this. It’s like both your love/trust and reality dials on your brain are turned way up. I sit down for a mid morning snack. The wind blows through the dead trees-a bit eerie whistling-and a small weasel peaks over a downed log at me, then darts lightning-fast into the underbrush.
A little later I met a young bearded man with big kind eyes named Danny, hiking the other direction. He had a fishing pole and a gun, and bear spray. He lives in Bozeman and was out for the week. He had left his truck in Nye and was just following the Stillwater River the whole time-kind of a boring hike. I half wished he was going my way-he’d probably have a great time with that fishing pole in the lakes I’ll be visiting (and likely no need of the gun.). I climbed out of the river bed and up, up, up 3000 feet towards Daisy Pass. A solitary storm loud rumbled threateningly but went on its merry way, and I came upon a field absolutely covered in wild juicy strawberries. I thought walking through it that my shoes would be covered in strawberry juice. I finally approached Daisy Pass, now on dirt road, and the Beartooths opened up before me- I couldn’t believe my eyes. 2 gigantic brown twin jagged peaks soared in the distance-like the gates to Valhalla, I thought. I believe they are Index Peak and Pilot Peak based on the map. I went up and around Henderson mountain and made my way down the other side, now reaching the extremely trodden and well-used Lady of the Lake trail, which in 2 miles led me to the lake of the same name. Not a person in site. I’ll camp here tonight.
Day 38
15 miles
No company at all last night, although the Lady of the Lake area is clearly heavily used. I got moving at 7:40, had a small turnaround on a trail junction that wasn’t obvious-made my way up towards Aero Lakes. The trail up to the lake basin wasn’t where the map said it was, and I was about to turn around-when I heard a shout, and a lady appeared-“the trail is over here! We built a cairn.” Thank goodness. That would have been a pain in the butt to do with no trail-1100 feet up a steep scree field. I reached Lower Aero Lake at 1100. It took a long time to pick my way around the lake-but the scenery was incredible, all high alpine rock and snow and lake. I worked my way over to Shelter Lake and then northerly to Lone Elk Lake, as this was the least elevation change on the map, to go a little north. It was all boulder hopping and trying to find the easiest line of travel. It reminded me exactly of the Sierra High Route. I worked my way down a drainage for a mile or so, now a series of grassy benches. I got to the Russell Lake trail at 4:25-off trail travel takes so much longer. I sat down and had a ramen snack. I made my way down to Russell Lake-and holy crap, it was like a music festival there were so many people. I set up my tent in a little smashed down corner in some trees right near the lake’s edge. It’s actually really nice to camp around people.
Day 39
9 miles
It stormed all night, thunder and lightning, then steady rain. I stayed in the tent till 9 am, when the rain slowed-I decided to drop down to the highway. I am feeling a little burnt out right now and I think I’ll just get a motel for at least one night. I walked to the end of the trail, to highway 212- the Beartooth Highway-I realized I was only about 2.5 miles from Cooke City, so walked there. The sun came out for a little bit. Just outside town an RV pulled over-“need a ride?” It was this awesome outdoorsy older couple from, of course, Bozeman. We chatted for a while after they pulled over in Cooke City, and I headed to the Visitors Center to see if there was a bus that runs to Red Lodge, where I am supposed to meet Stargate and Jukebox-there wasn’t. I got a room at the Soda Butte Lodge, took a glorious shower, and to my surprise heard a huge boom of thunder and looked outside-the sky was black and it was hailing, marble sized hail. I am so, so glad I happened to come into Cooke City. I chatted with a friend on FaceTime for awhile and headed to the Cooke City General Store-opened in 1886-to see if I could resupply there. Not a great idea-they had a few ramens and Mac and cheeses, but I would basically clean out the store with a resupply. I got laundry soap and noticed the cash register is an old fashioned mechanical one-I wonder if it is original. I might be better off heading to Red Lodge tomorrow (via hitch), which I believe is larger. Cooke City, originally a mining town, is really just one strip of motels, restaurants, the general store, in the old western style-many of the buildings are original. It feels relaxed, slow, quiet-absolutely perfect.
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