My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Sierra Valley.....most of Montana is still in drought conditions but April & May were normal rainfall months. I guess we need more than normal to get back to normal but I'm still grateful to at least be at normal for a few months.....

Riversdad.....it pretty much sucks.....



Occasionally I like to post links here to adventurers that I admire & come across on YouTube....the last one I posted was the Bike Wander....Iohan Gueorguiev. Well, here's another one that I found about a month ago and I sure do enjoy his videos. His name is Martijn Doolard and if you've got a free minute check out his trailer for One Year on a Bike. After that trip he's back out there and produces a 4 part series called Two Years on a Bike. This is professional quality stuff (in my opinion.....no, it really is). He's also written 2 books about his adventures. Once he completes his bicycle travels, he purchases an old stone cabin in the Italian Alps and begins to restore it (maybe it's the similarities in my life that attracted me to his vlog but moreso I think it's his high quality content). Hope you enjoy.....my favorites are Episodes 3 & 4 of Two Years on a Bike.....

If there was ever a thing called Overlanding, this would be it.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yet Another Morning in Montana.....

The past few months have been a good mix of clear skies combined with warm temperatures, and cloudy skies combined with cold temperatures & rain or snow.....and it's fortunate that there's been plenty of inclement weather.....as we're having right now.....the rivers & streams are flooding with all the moisture and the melting snow from the mountain peaks.....





It's a good morning to hang out on the couch.....





.....and sit by the fire.....



.....and read a travel book.....



I found a free link to a movie this morning that I've wanted to watch for sometime now.....The Alpinist.....the story of the life of the incredibly accomplished Canadian climber.....Marc-Andre Leclerc.....what an amazing young man he was before he lost his life in a climbing accident in Alaska.....a few screen shots from the movie & a link to a piece published in Climbing Magazine in case anyone here has an interest.....

The Calculated Madness of Marc-André Leclerc

"He can deal with the runouts, the licheny rock, the missing bolts...he can go ground-up on routes that other people wouldn’t contemplate."

www.climbing.com

 

[Arjan]

Those are relaxed Goldens !

We love to see them that like that...

Take Care !

 

[Sticky9]

Is that a Brooks saddle on your LHT? I have been kicking around the idea of getting one (and have actually been planning on doing it, but just haven't yet). I have read a lot of reviews that say they take a while to break in, but once you break them in they are the best. How was your experience with it? Assuming it's a Brooks...

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

The Alpinist was great. So is 14 Peaks. Really cool documentaries.

 

[WFOORBUST]

I was just going to say the same thing as jbnum, both good movies..

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....yep they're loving their little plot of land in the mountains.....thanks.....

Sticky9.....yes, that saddle is a Brooks and yes it takes a while to break in, and yes it's a really well made saddle, and it's well worth the money as they are fairly expensive.....I'd say go for it.....

Jbynum & WFOORBUST.....here's my take on the 2 climbers.....there's no debating the fact that these are both incredible human beings that have achieved incredible feats. But the one thing that resonates with me is Marc-Andre Leclerc's style. I absolutely love the way that the guy doesn't climb for the notoriety & fame. That segment where he blows off the filmmaker is golden. Marc-Andre Leclerc is definitely the guy that I'd choose to climb with.....



This morning we are posting from the side of a mountain in the National Forest.....yep, we are currently on an Overland Expedition (sorry, I just can't help myself).....so I thought I'd finally get back to posting a few more pictures of the property and what we've been up to these past few months.....

First thing.....I had planned to build a $10,000 deck this year.....then it occurred to me.....why ? I never sit down and I rarely have guests.....people are not a large part of our lives. So I spent $400 instead and built myself these steps.....







The finished project picture is obviously not so good but that seems to be all I've got.....the steps work perfectly.....



We pulled a permit from the local park ranger to gather stone and headed up into the national forest where we collected stones to build the lead walk into the cabin.....my goal is always and will be to keep it rustic & natural.....something that ******** Proenneke (Alone in the Wilderness) might consider living with. Another huge cost savings here.....the permit was free.....the quarry wanted $1,500 for the stone.....





Dig a hole and the dogs will come.....





It's a bit rough.....almost like walking on a mountain trail.....and that's possibly the reason I like it so much.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So here we go.....after a night spent in the Bridger Mountains.....



.....we hit the road.....the early morning sky above the Bridgers was looking real good.....



.....we drove east.....spotted a coyote hunting along the roadside.....



.....and we continued on eastward.....passed by a Bald Eagle that I'd assume was hunting as well....



.....and as we looked further to the east we saw the Crazy Mountains.....



The recent rains apparently weren't enough for the spring crops.....





The creeks that flow into the Yellowstone River are fairly high.....



.....and the fields are in full bloom.....



An abandoned truck along the roadside.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We spotted plenty of deer this morning but these two were sensational as they ran at full speed in parallel with the roadway for nearly a mile.....



We passed by a ranch house and the old out buildings alongside.....



.....and four silos sitting on a hilltop.....



.....and there was that barn with the Crazy Mountains as the backdrop.....



We saw a lone antelope in the fallowed fields.....



And we continued driving east along that one lane dirt road.....



This is Montana.....





I'm not certain how long this trip will be.....heck, yesterday morning I had no idea I'd be back on the road again.....these types of questions have no importance to me.....



I'll do my best to share with you some of the seldom seen places of The Last Best Place.....Montana.....as we attempt to live our lives one day at a time.....

 

[longhorn1]

Arjan.....yep they're loving their little plot of land in the mountains.....thanks.....

Sticky9.....yes, that saddle is a Brooks and yes it takes a while to break in, and yes it's a really well made saddle, and it's well worth the money as they are fairly expensive.....I'd say go for it.....

Jbynum & WFOORBUST.....here's my take on the 2 climbers.....there's no debating the fact that these are both incredible human beings that have achieved incredible feats. But the one thing that resonates with me is Marc-Andre Leclerc's style. I absolutely love the way that the guy doesn't climb for the notoriety & fame. That segment where he blows off the filmmaker is golden. Marc-Andre Leclerc is definitely the guy that I'd choose to climb with.....



This morning we are posting from the side of a mountain in the National Forest.....yep, we are currently on an Overland Expedition (sorry, I just can't help myself).....so I thought I'd finally get back to posting a few more pictures of the property and what we've been up to these past few months.....

First thing.....I had planned to build a $10,000 deck this year.....then it occurred to me.....why ? I never sit down and I rarely have guests.....people are not a large part of our lives. So I spent $400 instead and built myself these steps.....

View attachment 727180

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The finished project picture is obviously not so good but that seems to be all I've got.....the steps work perfectly.....

View attachment 727199

We pulled a permit from the local park ranger to gather stone and headed up into the national forest where we collected stones to build the lead walk into the cabin.....my goal is always and will be to keep it rustic & natural.....something that ******** Proenneke (Alone in the Wilderness) might consider living with. Another huge cost savings here.....the permit was free.....the quarry wanted $1,500 for the stone.....

View attachment 727184

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Dig a hole and the dogs will come.....

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It's a bit rough.....almost like walking on a mountain trail.....and that's possibly the reason I like it so much.....

View attachment 727193

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Sweet. Nicely Done. Love the cost factor

 

[ITTOG]

Love the pic of the horse.

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....it's been unbelievable the amount of money that I've not spent on this project. I've transplanted nearly one hundred trees at almost no cost. I've been able reuse so much of the wood that I demo-ed last year. And then there's all the wood that I've scavenged off of the hoarders' property (although this year I've given him in excess of $500 as I've seen a need there).....

ITTOG.....they are owned by the Crazy Mountain Ranch.....18,000 acres of some of the most beautiful land in Montana.....



So the plan for this trip was simply to find solitude.....I missed it immensely.....as you can see, I found it.....



I had found Rock Lake on my Delorme Montana road atlas and it appeared to me to be maybe about a 12 mile round trip hike.....doable for an afternoon hike I thought.....



Well it turned out that I was wrong.....it would be more like an 18 mile roundtrip hike.....



But that really didn't matter to us.....so off we went.....



This place is heavenly.....



The trail passed through the private lands of the Crazy Mountain Ranch.....we encountered several log cabins along the way.....





.....and there were numerous small stream crossings.....



We also passed by what I had assumed was a small herd of elk (I was later proven wrong once again).....



The trail crossed numerous ridges & valleys so there was quite a bit of up and down but eventually it connected with a ranch road.....and now the hiking was oh so easy for better than a mile as we hiked along the road.....but then the trail took a 90 degree turn and crossed Rock Creek.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

With all the rains & snow melt that southern Montana has experienced as of late, Rock Creek was flowing high and fast.....



Trapper was the first to attempt a crossing.....she was almost immediately swept off her feet and away she went.....



The channel I'd guess was maybe two feet deep.....that water was flowing fast.....



So we backed off and I decided that we'd continue up the road hoping for another spot to cross.....



But when I saw the gate, well I guessed it might be the end of the hike.....



.....and indeed it was.....



That was our last good weather day.....highs in the 80's had the dogs soaking in the creeks.....



So we made our way back to the rig.....9.1 miles hiked with approximately 1,500' of elevation gain.....



The last few days we've experienced plenty of bad weather.....thunderstorms, hail, & major downpours. We're not too far from the Yellowstone River.....I sure hate to complain about rain but from what I've read we've experienced more than 400 % of normal.....now we stick to the road and not too far from the rig.....



I've attached a link to a YouTube video that shows you what I had hoped to see.....it's short (not quite 10 minutes).....check it out.....Iddings Peak overlooks Rock Lake.....

 

[pkripper]

Tremendous pictures and story as always. Just got back last week from a 2 week 5k mile trip to Montana as well as Yellowstone and the Tetons. Such a wonderful area. So sad for your neighbors to the south. Proenneke (Alone in the Wilderness) is one of my all time favorite films. Stay safe.

 

[ITTOG]

That area is beautiful. I would love to hike that ridgeline.

Too bad you had to turn back. Hopefully you were able to find another route.

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