RealTruck
Supporting Sponsor / Approved Vendor
Indeed, it is. Stay safe out there!
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Halseyt.....thanks.....I do my best.....
Chet6.7.....I don't and I don't carry anything similar. I guess you could say that I'm cavalier about that as well. Sometimes I scare myself, but honestly, I'd rather die in the mountains than I would in my bed.....
ITTOG.....you have to hike snow in the Spring.....it's just part of the game. That being said, my children are grown men, and yours are not. Our responsibilities are different.....so maybe you shouldn't hike snow in the Spring.....
RealTruck.....Always trying.....
For the entire month of June we had only made two short road trips, and everyday of that month, I would look at the mountains in my backyard.....
And like the clouds building over that mountain range, I was really beginning to feel the urge to get back into the mountains.....
And finally one morning I decided that I just needed to climb.....the urge that morning.....it was incredibly strong.....
We headed up Highway 86 (Bridger Canyon Road) with plans to climb in the Bridger Mountains. The plan for that day was simply to do a day hike.....a day hike to the summit of Sacajawea Peak (9,665').....
Well, you might have noticed in the pictures above & below, that the weather that day was certainly not the best weather for climbing a mountain.....
I didn't care.....
After 6 miles of driving on terrible forest service roads.....we reached a small mountain pond and just beyond the pond, we left the truck behind (the sky looked pretty darn good to the east.....the mountains were to the west).....
The real problem was not the dark skies.....it was the brutal winds that accompanied it.....
But the dogs & I.....we still climbed.....
Chet6.7.....I don't and I don't carry anything similar. I guess you could say that I'm cavalier about that as well. Sometimes I scare myself, but honestly, I'd rather die in the mountains than I would in my bed.....
ITTOG.....you have to hike snow in the Spring.....it's just part of the game. That being said, my children are grown men, and yours are not. Our responsibilities are different.....so maybe you shouldn't hike snow in the Spring.....
RealTruck.....Always trying.....
For the entire month of June we had only made two short road trips, and everyday of that month, I would look at the mountains in my backyard.....
And like the clouds building over that mountain range, I was really beginning to feel the urge to get back into the mountains.....
And finally one morning I decided that I just needed to climb.....the urge that morning.....it was incredibly strong.....
We headed up Highway 86 (Bridger Canyon Road) with plans to climb in the Bridger Mountains. The plan for that day was simply to do a day hike.....a day hike to the summit of Sacajawea Peak (9,665').....
Well, you might have noticed in the pictures above & below, that the weather that day was certainly not the best weather for climbing a mountain.....
I didn't care.....
After 6 miles of driving on terrible forest service roads.....we reached a small mountain pond and just beyond the pond, we left the truck behind (the sky looked pretty darn good to the east.....the mountains were to the west).....
The real problem was not the dark skies.....it was the brutal winds that accompanied it.....
But the dogs & I.....we still climbed.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
And we just kept on climbing.....
In the confines of the dense conifers at the lower elevations, the wind was bearable for sure.....
But the higher we climbed, the winds just became terrifying (almost).....at times nearly knocking me off my feet and eventually the wind removed my $200 pair of Oakley sunglasses from my face.....I found them approximately one hundred feet away.....crushed in the scree field.....
There were several climbers ahead of us and I watched as they struggled to walk across a snowfield that was in the neighborhood of 300' to 400' wide.....so the dogs & I tried a different approach and climbed directly up a scree field.....almost completely avoiding the snowfield.....
To the west the valley below looked so peaceful.....
The three climbers ahead of us all turned around at the ridgeline.....they said that they were unable to stand up, so there was no summit for them.....and I too descended with them.....no summit for the dogs & I either.....
So I decided to take the dogs for a swim instead.....
I've climbed that peak a few times over the years and it would have been a great place to have lunch.....
But this time we had to settle for the lake nestled in the pine forests.....
In the confines of the dense conifers at the lower elevations, the wind was bearable for sure.....
But the higher we climbed, the winds just became terrifying (almost).....at times nearly knocking me off my feet and eventually the wind removed my $200 pair of Oakley sunglasses from my face.....I found them approximately one hundred feet away.....crushed in the scree field.....
There were several climbers ahead of us and I watched as they struggled to walk across a snowfield that was in the neighborhood of 300' to 400' wide.....so the dogs & I tried a different approach and climbed directly up a scree field.....almost completely avoiding the snowfield.....
To the west the valley below looked so peaceful.....
The three climbers ahead of us all turned around at the ridgeline.....they said that they were unable to stand up, so there was no summit for them.....and I too descended with them.....no summit for the dogs & I either.....
So I decided to take the dogs for a swim instead.....
I've climbed that peak a few times over the years and it would have been a great place to have lunch.....
But this time we had to settle for the lake nestled in the pine forests.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....that was a great way to wrap up the day. I sure wish that we had summited, but you know as well as most do, summits are optional.....
RealTruck.....beautiful area that's not too far from home. We will definitely return another day.....
So, to start off the month of July, I had made some really big plans. Of course they didn't come to fruition.....they rarely do for me. We spent way too much time diddle daddling in Paradise Valley in southern Montana.....
We spent the first night along the banks of the Yellowstone River (again).....the plan was to drive south, into Wyoming, but that never happened. I decided to check out a lake that was nearby.....and we never made it much further than that.....
Being that it was summer and coming up on the holiday weekend, well, there were just a few too many campers at the lake for me.....
So we drove on past the lake.....
So, yeah, that sign (above) caught my attention.....so we headed south..... down the single lane gravel road to see what we could see.....
To the west was the valley.....private land.....where the Yellowstone River flowed.....
July is the beginning of the dry season in Montana.....the irrigation systems seem to run nearly 24 / 7.....
Now parked nearly a mile from the lake..... nobody was here. We parked the rig and set out on foot.....
I was curious if the road went back to the main highway as Google Maps and my Delorme map book said it did.....a mile hike down the road proved them both wrong.....
RealTruck.....beautiful area that's not too far from home. We will definitely return another day.....
So, to start off the month of July, I had made some really big plans. Of course they didn't come to fruition.....they rarely do for me. We spent way too much time diddle daddling in Paradise Valley in southern Montana.....
We spent the first night along the banks of the Yellowstone River (again).....the plan was to drive south, into Wyoming, but that never happened. I decided to check out a lake that was nearby.....and we never made it much further than that.....
Being that it was summer and coming up on the holiday weekend, well, there were just a few too many campers at the lake for me.....
So we drove on past the lake.....
So, yeah, that sign (above) caught my attention.....so we headed south..... down the single lane gravel road to see what we could see.....
To the west was the valley.....private land.....where the Yellowstone River flowed.....
July is the beginning of the dry season in Montana.....the irrigation systems seem to run nearly 24 / 7.....
Now parked nearly a mile from the lake..... nobody was here. We parked the rig and set out on foot.....
I was curious if the road went back to the main highway as Google Maps and my Delorme map book said it did.....a mile hike down the road proved them both wrong.....
Last edited:
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
As we headed back to the camper, I decided that we needed to check out the abandoned structures that were located on the Dome Mountain Wildlife Management Area lands.....
This stuff was pretty cool but the best part was that lots of animals lived in these abandoned buildings.....the dogs were in heaven chasing rodents around.....
The wood on one of those abandoned structures was some of the most beautiful wood I've ever seen.....
Dark clouds were forming over the mountains to the west, so we stuck close by the camper.....
I was noticing that I really liked it here.....we were alone, the summer wildflowers were in full bloom.....reminders of why it got it's name.....Paradise Valley.....
The skies opened up.....I grabbed my book.....we'd found our next campsite.....
This stuff was pretty cool but the best part was that lots of animals lived in these abandoned buildings.....the dogs were in heaven chasing rodents around.....
The wood on one of those abandoned structures was some of the most beautiful wood I've ever seen.....
Dark clouds were forming over the mountains to the west, so we stuck close by the camper.....
I was noticing that I really liked it here.....we were alone, the summer wildflowers were in full bloom.....reminders of why it got it's name.....Paradise Valley.....
The skies opened up.....I grabbed my book.....we'd found our next campsite.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We awoke that following morning to a perfect weather day.....I mean, this was the weather that every vacationer prays for when they come to Montana.....we started the morning with a hike down to the lake where there were even more campers that morning than there were before.....
Which got me to thinking....."why go to where I'd planned to go ?". There will be people there. Here I was in the beautiful foothills in the shadows of Emigrant Peak (10,921').....it was perfect here.....
And so it was that we just stayed here.....camped along the side of the single lane gravel road.....and nobody came here.....less than a mile away from the busy campground at the lake.....
Of course we didn't just sit in the camper all day.....we headed out to explore.....
The foothills is where we went.....I was not only out there to see what I could see.....I also thought that the probability of finding some antler sheds would be really high.....
So we spent our days wandering around the foothils.....the wildflowers were out of this world beautiful.....and the views from approximately 2,000' above the valley were outstanding.....
I didn't find a single antler shed during our stay, but I did find an amazing number of animal skeletons and just random bones scattered here & there.....Trapper, she's a riot always loving to hike with an animal bone in her mouth.....
Which got me to thinking....."why go to where I'd planned to go ?". There will be people there. Here I was in the beautiful foothills in the shadows of Emigrant Peak (10,921').....it was perfect here.....
And so it was that we just stayed here.....camped along the side of the single lane gravel road.....and nobody came here.....less than a mile away from the busy campground at the lake.....
Of course we didn't just sit in the camper all day.....we headed out to explore.....
The foothills is where we went.....I was not only out there to see what I could see.....I also thought that the probability of finding some antler sheds would be really high.....
So we spent our days wandering around the foothils.....the wildflowers were out of this world beautiful.....and the views from approximately 2,000' above the valley were outstanding.....
I didn't find a single antler shed during our stay, but I did find an amazing number of animal skeletons and just random bones scattered here & there.....Trapper, she's a riot always loving to hike with an animal bone in her mouth.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
There's something special about these places that are off the beaten path.....these places that are rarely visited.....at least by the two legged kinds.....
Initially I attempted to place my feet where the wildflowers didn't grow, but it became a senseless task as they must number in the billions.....probably certainly even more.....
There was a deep, heavily wooded canyon just to the south of where we wandered, and I suspected that this was a good spot for the Mountain Lions & Grizzlies to spend their days.....here, I kept my bear spray attached to my backpacks' chest strap.....just last year a Grizzly attacked a hunter somewhere near here.....
The foothills are filled with tiny summits and tiny valleys.....it seemed as though after every tiny summit reached, we'd descend into a tiny valley. Reaching each tiny summit was like opening a closed door.....you never knew what you would see as the horizon was constantly changing.....
I suspect it was the FWP that's removing the old barbed fencing here. I see a lot of this these days.....fencing either being removed, or replaced with wildlife friendly fencing.....always a welcomed sight.....
I was scanning one of the many horizons and far beyond that deep canyon to the south, I spotted a herd of elk grazing & resting along a hillside.....
Further along and higher up, we came onto another smaller, narrow canyon, and from our vantage point I could see a well worn game trail.....we hiked up to a rocky bluff and I scanned that smaller, narrow canyon below.....
To the north the canyon widened and was pretty much surrounded in forest.....and I spotted something white in the tall grass and of course I wanted to know what I saw.....
We hiked maybe a quarter of a mile down into that bowl where the tall grass grew.....well .....I would say that it was a killing field.....
As I approached the carcasses.....and there were many.....I got this real chill in my spine.....as if we were being watched from the dense forest that was nearby. I saw nothing, I smelled nothing, and I heard nothing.....but we still left immediately. I guess I'm a curious guy.....but I don't need to see everything.....and so it remains a mystery.....which was fine by me.....
Initially I attempted to place my feet where the wildflowers didn't grow, but it became a senseless task as they must number in the billions.....probably certainly even more.....
There was a deep, heavily wooded canyon just to the south of where we wandered, and I suspected that this was a good spot for the Mountain Lions & Grizzlies to spend their days.....here, I kept my bear spray attached to my backpacks' chest strap.....just last year a Grizzly attacked a hunter somewhere near here.....
The foothills are filled with tiny summits and tiny valleys.....it seemed as though after every tiny summit reached, we'd descend into a tiny valley. Reaching each tiny summit was like opening a closed door.....you never knew what you would see as the horizon was constantly changing.....
I suspect it was the FWP that's removing the old barbed fencing here. I see a lot of this these days.....fencing either being removed, or replaced with wildlife friendly fencing.....always a welcomed sight.....
I was scanning one of the many horizons and far beyond that deep canyon to the south, I spotted a herd of elk grazing & resting along a hillside.....
Further along and higher up, we came onto another smaller, narrow canyon, and from our vantage point I could see a well worn game trail.....we hiked up to a rocky bluff and I scanned that smaller, narrow canyon below.....
To the north the canyon widened and was pretty much surrounded in forest.....and I spotted something white in the tall grass and of course I wanted to know what I saw.....
We hiked maybe a quarter of a mile down into that bowl where the tall grass grew.....well .....I would say that it was a killing field.....
As I approached the carcasses.....and there were many.....I got this real chill in my spine.....as if we were being watched from the dense forest that was nearby. I saw nothing, I smelled nothing, and I heard nothing.....but we still left immediately. I guess I'm a curious guy.....but I don't need to see everything.....and so it remains a mystery.....which was fine by me.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
ITTOG.....looking back, I wish that I had taken the time to photograph the small canyon, the well worn trail, and how it all led to the bowl filled with tall grasses, and which was surrounded by pine forests.....it was such a perfect spot for a predator to kill an elk or deer.....or me.....
We had spent most of our time here.....so far.....hiking & climbing the foothills that were to the north of the larger canyon. But that all changed after spotting that herd of elk.....which were on the higher foothills south of the larger canyon.....
So, the next morning we hiked south, following the meanders of a densely forested creek bed. Eventually I spotted a cut through in that forest and we hurriedly made our way to the mostly wide open foothills (dense forests with a creek = bear territory in my opinion, which is why we hurriedly crossed it)......
The views here were similar to the views that we had the previous days.....although we could see much further south from here.....towards Yellowstone National Park.....
Now we had probaby climbed 3,000 vertical feet +/- (very approximate).....and again we're crossing the numerous summits & valleys of these foothills.....and getting closer & closer to the elk herd.....
And then I finally see my first elk.....just one.....
And the elk looks up from its grazing, and she finally sees me.....
We had spent most of our time here.....so far.....hiking & climbing the foothills that were to the north of the larger canyon. But that all changed after spotting that herd of elk.....which were on the higher foothills south of the larger canyon.....
So, the next morning we hiked south, following the meanders of a densely forested creek bed. Eventually I spotted a cut through in that forest and we hurriedly made our way to the mostly wide open foothills (dense forests with a creek = bear territory in my opinion, which is why we hurriedly crossed it)......
The views here were similar to the views that we had the previous days.....although we could see much further south from here.....towards Yellowstone National Park.....
Now we had probaby climbed 3,000 vertical feet +/- (very approximate).....and again we're crossing the numerous summits & valleys of these foothills.....and getting closer & closer to the elk herd.....
And then I finally see my first elk.....just one.....
And the elk looks up from its grazing, and she finally sees me.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We kept on climbing upwards.....and then there were two.....
They eventually took off for higher ground.....and we followed. And that's where we found the main part of the herd....grazing along the mountain slopes.....
They easily numbered in the hundreds.....and when they saw us they just scattered.....up the hills, into the forests.....pretty much anywhere except towards us.....except for this young pair.....
They literally ran straight at us. And honestly I kind of freaked out cause I had no intention of disturbing the herd.....the herd was screaming for them (or screaming at us). Well, I immediately got the heck out of there and they eventually returned to the herd.....unsettling it was.....
We wandered around those foothills for the remainder of the day.....enjoying the wildflowers and the beautiful skies.....
This has become one of my favorite pastimes these days.....just wandering in places where no one else goes.....no destinations, no mountain peaks, no goals..... just to see what I can see.....
They eventually took off for higher ground.....and we followed. And that's where we found the main part of the herd....grazing along the mountain slopes.....
They easily numbered in the hundreds.....and when they saw us they just scattered.....up the hills, into the forests.....pretty much anywhere except towards us.....except for this young pair.....
They literally ran straight at us. And honestly I kind of freaked out cause I had no intention of disturbing the herd.....the herd was screaming for them (or screaming at us). Well, I immediately got the heck out of there and they eventually returned to the herd.....unsettling it was.....
We wandered around those foothills for the remainder of the day.....enjoying the wildflowers and the beautiful skies.....
This has become one of my favorite pastimes these days.....just wandering in places where no one else goes.....no destinations, no mountain peaks, no goals..... just to see what I can see.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....it still is "we". I think that "I" and "we" are easily interchangeable. If you take a second look at that paragraph, you see that I was speaking to "my favorite pastimes" so I used the word "I". That being said, nothing that I write is well thought out.....and thanks for the compliment. The elk encounter made my day.....
For nearly two decades I've driven that route from Livingston, Montana to Yellowstone National Park and I couldn't begin to count the number of times that I've driven past Emigrant Peak (10,921') and thought "man, I sure would like to climb that mountain".....
When covered in snow, the beauty of that mountain takes your breath away.....and it's not so bad even without the snow cover. Now I had no illusions of climbing that mountain.....I was way too sore for that.....
Days of climbing & hiking in those foothills had taken a toll on me.....but we did decide to take a drive to the trailhead.....
.....on what would turn out to be our last full day here in Paradise Valley.....
We parked the rig about a mile from the trailhead and decided to walk the rest of the way.....
It was about a 300 vertical foot climb from our parking spot to the trailhead.....and I was feeling pretty good when we got there, so off we went up the trail towards the summit of Emigrant Peak (10,921').....
Initially the trail meanders along a creekbed, through a dense forest.....just enough to make a solo climber a little nervous (them Grizzlies).....
The trail.....it's not so steep while it followed the creek. But that changes right quickly.....
When we finally busted out of the dense forests at an elevation unknown to me, we could see forever it seemed.....
That's Paradise Valley.....
For nearly two decades I've driven that route from Livingston, Montana to Yellowstone National Park and I couldn't begin to count the number of times that I've driven past Emigrant Peak (10,921') and thought "man, I sure would like to climb that mountain".....
When covered in snow, the beauty of that mountain takes your breath away.....and it's not so bad even without the snow cover. Now I had no illusions of climbing that mountain.....I was way too sore for that.....
Days of climbing & hiking in those foothills had taken a toll on me.....but we did decide to take a drive to the trailhead.....
.....on what would turn out to be our last full day here in Paradise Valley.....
We parked the rig about a mile from the trailhead and decided to walk the rest of the way.....
It was about a 300 vertical foot climb from our parking spot to the trailhead.....and I was feeling pretty good when we got there, so off we went up the trail towards the summit of Emigrant Peak (10,921').....
Initially the trail meanders along a creekbed, through a dense forest.....just enough to make a solo climber a little nervous (them Grizzlies).....
The trail.....it's not so steep while it followed the creek. But that changes right quickly.....
When we finally busted out of the dense forests at an elevation unknown to me, we could see forever it seemed.....
That's Paradise Valley.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
This is another one of those climbs where the pictures don't depict the true steepness of the mountain.....
Now it wasn't so steep (at least at this point) where it was four point climbing.....but believe me, we stopped often so that I could catch my breath.....
The AllTrails ap states that Emigrant Peak (10,921') is a 7.6 mile roundtrip climb with 5,068 feet of elevation gain.....
That's what I call a formidable climb.....
Eventually the trail entered a pine forest where tons of deadfall covered the trail.....the trail that had gotten even steeper.....
We crawled over those fallen trees.....made our way up the switchbacks.....the views disappeared.....at least temporarily.....
At 9,000 feet above sea level I gave up.....I never had any intentions of reaching the summit when we started this day.....
I suspect that we climbed between 3,000 and 4,000 feet that day.....maybe 7 miles.....I'm not certain. Not bad for a day that started out as a planned short drive......
That day was just like this entire trip.....plans were nothing more than ideas that happened to float through my brain.....
Now it wasn't so steep (at least at this point) where it was four point climbing.....but believe me, we stopped often so that I could catch my breath.....
The AllTrails ap states that Emigrant Peak (10,921') is a 7.6 mile roundtrip climb with 5,068 feet of elevation gain.....
That's what I call a formidable climb.....
Eventually the trail entered a pine forest where tons of deadfall covered the trail.....the trail that had gotten even steeper.....
We crawled over those fallen trees.....made our way up the switchbacks.....the views disappeared.....at least temporarily.....
At 9,000 feet above sea level I gave up.....I never had any intentions of reaching the summit when we started this day.....
I suspect that we climbed between 3,000 and 4,000 feet that day.....maybe 7 miles.....I'm not certain. Not bad for a day that started out as a planned short drive......
That day was just like this entire trip.....plans were nothing more than ideas that happened to float through my brain.....