My Journey

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I had a DC10, land at the tiny Airport in Egegik, on my way out of there. It was pretty awesome to see living, flying history like that. Ill post a pic when I have better internet. I dont believe those ones are in my thread yet. I was surprised the runway was long enough for it.

If you ever find yourself in Minot ND, they have an awesome museum at the airport, we were there for three hours, and ran out of time to see all the planes.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Tgil.....that was definitely a rough time that I went through. The camper fire, the passing of Montana, then I gave away a bunch of money (which I do not regret), then I wasted a bunch of money on various rigs (which I very much regret). In some ways I've rebounded from all that, and in some ways not so much.....

PNWY.....that plane took forever to get off the ground. I swear it sat on the side of the runway revving its engines and warming them up (I guess) for what seemed like 15 or 20 minutes. When it headed down the runway I remember thinking that it was probably not taking off but was maybe just testing the engines, but slowly it began to rise.....



The entire western end of the Missoula airport is occupied by the National Forest Service. They've got all kinds of stuff going on there.....







These signs represent just a small sampling of what's actually there. There are dorms for the training center, a large area for training the smoke jumpers.....it just goes on and on. Unfortunately for me the "tourist" section was closed for the season (I'm guessing that it's only open during fire season).....



I had my hands and face smashed against the glass at the firefighters museum. It sucked that I couldn't get in there.....I'll return one day. The dogs and I walked around the campus and checked things out. A water bomb exhibit was interesting. I'm not much into bombs but if you have to have them.....that type would be my preference.....





The D-1 Lookout was pretty cool as well.....







My thoughts at this point were "hmmmm, I could live in that".....



Leaving the airport had me thinking about how much I enjoyed my visit of maybe two hours. Prior to heading out to the airport I was just a little perturbed with the sender for addressing my package incorrectly.....but now I was thankful and I was reminded that nobody is perfect.....especially me.....

 

[Foy]

The DC-3/C-47 you saw may be "Miss Montana", recently restored and flown to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. I think Miss Montana flew a load of relief supplies to the Bahamas in the past couple of weeks, too. Those DC-3s are amazing airplanes, aren't they?

 

[Sierra Valley]

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I hung out along the chain link fence just to watch this old bird take off.....it was absolutely beautiful.....

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I flew in that old bird out of Missoula to Redding CA back when I was a wild land fire fighter. That is pretty rad to see she is still flying. Twin prop DC3 was a world war 2 plane and is now used as a smoke jumper transport. Good memories thanks for sharing.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Foy.....well, to answer your question.....yes. And that's why I hung out for so long.....I had a strong desire to see it lift off.....

Sierra Valley.....that's pretty cool. I'm assuming that it's still associated with the smoke jumpers since the National Forest Service has that large facility there ? Is it as slow as it appeared to me ?



Often as you pass through mountain towns or cities in the western states you'll notice on a nearby mountainside a large white letter, usually made from rocks painted white, and that letter will be the first letter in that towns name. So of course Missoula, Montana has a large M on the side of Mount Sentinel, the mountain just to the east of the city. And so it was, after many visits to Missoula, that we finally hiked up to the M, and then continued up to the summit of Mount Sentinel.....



The trailhead for the M is located on the eastern side of the University of Montana campus.....



Now I'm not much of a fan of the whole idea of these letters and honestly at times I daydream about dismantling every one of those things that I see. I guess that back in the day it seemed like a good idea.....I prefer the natural landscapes. The M has a long history, it's been replaced several times over the years since it was first erected in 1908. Today it is solid concrete.....and its huge. After a steep, yet short hike of 643 vertical feet and approximately 0.6 miles, we reached the M.....



The real goal for that afternoon was not the M but it was to hike to the summit of Mount Sentinel (5,158'). After 1,958' of elevation gain and one and three quarters miles of fairly steep ascent, we reached the summit.....



Few people bother to go to the summit but we did, and we encountered this group of paragliders just before they were jumping off.....



I've had the pleasure of jumping out of an airplane but theres something about paragliding that makes me uneasy.....





With our business in Missoula completed, we once again drove north returning to the same area where we had previously been on the search for a piece of dirt. The next several days and nights were spent looking for my Montana dream. I awoke one morning to see these guys camped nearby.....with the hood raised up on their truck I stopped by to offer assistance.....it was simply a check of the oil before getting back on the road and driving south. They too plan to winter in Mexico.....





The signs of an early winter are here in Montana this year.....several snow events have come and more snow is in the forecast later this week.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I came across a piece of ground that was not yet listed but would come onto the market fairly soon. The seller was carving out several lots from his original 80 acre tract of land. Now I thought that this land could be perfect for me except for I wanted a larger tract than what he had proposed and I wanted him to include one of the many ponds that he owned. Standing here I thought this to be the perfect spot for my future cabin.....

Looking to the west across the pond, is the National Bison Range....



Looking to the east is the majestic Mission Mountain Range.....



Unfortunately the seller was not willing to part with more land and so the search continues.....



I decided to return one last time to the 20 acre tract on the side of the mountain.....its a beautiful piece of land but I'm still not ready to make an offer on that one.....



We drove west on Highway 200 finally leaving the Mission Valley behind. At some point we intersected with Highway 28 and there was a road sign which read Hot Springs 20 miles. I pulled over and gave thought but decided that I was already a week behind my plans.....we continued west.....



Highway 200 parallels the meanders of Clark Fork and I've always thought this drive to be one of Montanas best.....



It's difficult to do this drive without stopping often.....which occasionally provides an opportunity for the dogs to enjoy the cool waters of the Clark Fork.....



I've spoke of winter a few times now but the reality is that the fall season has just begun.....



We would only drive 44 miles on our first day back out on the road.....hiking and swimming certainly took precedence.....



It's been a long time (I think) since I've mentioned the number of miles that I put on my boots but this year will no doubt be my fifth straight year of exceeding 4,000 miles.....and if things continue as they have so far this year, I may even exceed 5,000 miles walked. I caught a 25% off sale at REI and loaded up on sales tax free hiking boots before leaving Montana.....



Always thankful.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The previous post may have led some readers to believe that we had finally left Montana but that's far from the truth as we have once again been stymied in our efforts to drive west.....we are still camped along the banks of the Clark Fork.....it's the magic of Montana that has me under its spell.....



And this will be our fifth morning to awaken to the sounds of the rivers rapids which are no more than a hundred feet from the campers door.....



Campfires are the norm here and begin each evening quite early.....pine sticks are plentiful and feeding the fires require little effort.....



Theres a certain calmness in this forest and along the rivers edge.....it's certainly a paradise for my two best friends.....



And the calmness is felt deep in the soul.....Fitbit tells me that theres been a rapid drop in my resting heartbeat.....back down to what are my normal numbers.....maybe too much stress in looking for that place to call home.....



Nearby is a railroad trestle which provides the nearly inescapable sounds of mankind.....



But I like the trains.....and that's a sound that has no ill effect on me.....





And of course overhead the passing of the planes.....



We will need to leave soon.....maybe today will be the day. We are now low on food and water so soon it won't be a choice. Maybe one more night.....

 

[tgil]

Love the pic of Tanner resting his head on Yukon!
Keep on keeping on!

 

[Sticky9]

Hey Jerry... just wanted to drop in and let you know about my climbing trip I told you about a few weeks back. It was an amazing 2 weeks up and down the west coast from Mammoth to Rainier and back. First we climbed Shasta which was a very fun yet frustrating journey. Next we attempted Rainier, but after getting caught in a 36 hour snow storm we weren’t able to reach the summit. We made it a little past the top of Disappointment Clever before running out of time. Next was a stop at Lassen to hike Lassen Peak which was a wonderful birthday present. Then we booked it back to Mammoth and did some awesome rock climbing in the Sierra Nevada. The Minarets were the treasure of the climbing and I wore myself out climbing out there. Anyway, just wanted to let you know since you really inspired me to go higher through your stories of your climbing in the Himalayas and South America. I hope you don’t mind if I post a few pics. Take care!

Michael

Mt. Shasta summit


Little Tahoma

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Tgil.....you know Golden Retrievers.....that dog is constantly laying on one of us. It's a rare morning that I'll awake without his head lying on some part of my body.....and I love that about him.....

Michael.....it sure was nice seeing your post yesterday and I just loved the fact that I, in a small way, helped to inspire you to climb higher. Your pictures are great and I'd encourage you to post more. When people take the time to interact and share their experiences here, or add comments, it does nothing but increase the quality of this thread. Please feel free to post more about your trip if you'd like.....I for one would love it. This morning I'm "camped" in a Walmart parking lot, rain petlting against the windows with cool fall air & brisk winds streaming by. Your post & pictures and the weather combined seem to take me back to my younger days climbing big mountains.....the anticipation of the planned trip, packing the gear.....the ice axe, the crampons, the plastic climbing boots, the climbing tools, the foul weather gear and on and on, the flight overseas, driving to the mountain range, loading the gear onto the mules, hiking deep into the mountain range, setting up base camp, climbing higher and crossing 20,000 feet, sleeping up high and watching the sunrises & sunsets, seeing the world as if I was flying across the globe.....

Thanks Michael.....



We did indeed leave the Lolo National Forest after five wonderful days escaped from the realities of the real world. But before I move on I'll tell you a bit about our stay. There's probably no need to remind you that I'm a huge fan of walking and hiking (I honestly don't know the difference) but occasionally I like to try some other activities.....and so it was that we headed into the forest to do some exploring in the Jeep.....maybe you'd call it four wheeling.....I'm not too sure about that either.....



My idea here was to go as far as the road would take us but there's so much to see from foot.....and so it was that I continually stopped to have a look at this or that.....sometimes the dogs waited patiently while I investigated this or that.....



We would never make it to the end of any road.....and I'm thinking that's how it should be.....



My boots are my means of travel when I enter the forest.....they take me by the river.....



And they take me high above the river.....





Here we walked for the most part in forests filled with pines. There were signs of fall throughout the forest but I must admit that I wanted to experience the wonderful changing leaves of the aspens and cottonwood. Here it was mostly the small brush that took on their fall colors.....





I would average fifteen plus miles per day during our stay.....at times even Tanner would say ****** ?



It had been months since I'd spent anytime on pick up roadside trash duty so I decided to clean up about three miles of forest service roads.....not bad compared to other places we've stayed.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

One evening I stopped along the rivers edge to chat with several fishermen that had just completed a float down the Clark Fork. They were also camped in their truck campers.....maybe a half mile down the forest service road.....



They gave me the details as to where to put in and what to expect in the ways of the rapids if I decided to float the same stretch of river. This was a slow stretch of river, from St. Regis to the take out at our campsites, twelve miles downstream. They began to prepare their dinner along the river bank and I wandered off thinking I needed a day on the river.....



The following morning I started a pot of boiling water for my coffee and checked the weather forecast, as I do every morning, and was pleased to see it said to expect "splendid weather" for the day. The three of us headed out early hiking in the forest.....by noon we had hiked in excess of ten miles. It was a glorious day and reluctantly I left the dogs in the camper and headed up river for my afternoon mostly alone on the river.....



I love the maneuverability of the kayak, and just like my boots, the kayak enables me to explore those hard to access places. It's always interesting to see the footprints in the sand of the various animals that come to the rivers edge to drink, or even hunt for the small critters that live within the rivers waters.....





The water was slow and knowing that the dogs were anxiously awaiting my arrival in the camper, I found myself paddling most of the way.....the exercise felt great.....



Cabins dotted the shoreline yet I heard not a single person from the shore the entire trip that day.....





I passed a few drift boats along the way.....I'd say maybe three for the entire day.....



When I approached the railroad trestle I knew that the trip was near its end.....and the weatherman was spot on.....it was a splendid day.....

 

[tgil]

Man, the pics in your last two posts are great! Did you get a new phone/camera? Sometimes when I use the computer at work, all I see are very small pics, this morning, they are all bigger than 8x10 on my monitor. The colors changing are amazing. I'm a bit of a planner type of guy. I found out a couple of days ago my nephew who lives in Colorado is gone to Europe for three weeks. I thought "I'm going to try this 'spontaneous' stuff and tried to throw a quick trip together to go see the aspens. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach him, so crashing at his house was out. If I knew more about the area, I suppose I could've tent camped, but takes more to put together than just driving up and getting after it.
Tanners pics always put a smile on my face, and often an audible chuckle. My knucklehead isn't quite to the point I can trust her off leash, but I continue to strive for that goal!

 

[ITTOG]

ITTOG.....that sounds like an awesome vacation. Feel free to share pictures here.....

Given I was in an airplane when going over the Swiss Alps I do not have any pictures. However I will include some pictures from Monaco, Italy, and the French (Maritime) Alps.

A couple cool Land Cruisers in Monaco.


... there were a lot of McLaren's, Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, etc.


Now to the scenery.

 

[ITTOG]

Jerry, let me know if this is too many pictures in your thread. If yes I will delete. But hopefully you will find them interesting.

 

[ITTOG]

Man, the pics in your last two posts are great! Did you get a new phone/camera? Sometimes when I use the computer at work, all I see are very small pics, this morning, they are all bigger than 8x10 on my monitor. The colors changing are amazing. I'm a bit of a planner type of guy. I found out a couple of days ago my nephew who lives in Colorado is gone to Europe for three weeks. I thought "I'm going to try this 'spontaneous' stuff and tried to throw a quick trip together to go see the aspens. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach him, so crashing at his house was out. If I knew more about the area, I suppose I could've tent camped, but takes more to put together than just driving up and getting after it.
Tanners pics always put a smile on my face, and often an audible chuckle. My knucklehead isn't quite to the point I can trust her off leash, but I continue to strive for that goal!

Agreed, great pictures.