My Journey

Ace.....that sucks.....it's been one real hot, dry summer here.....I've never seen it this bad before.....others I know that have lived here for decades say the same.....



After a couple of weeks of hanging out at the cabin, well, we were ready to go again. I almost felt like I had unfinished business in the mountains.....along the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....so we returned.....to tackle yet another mountain or two.....

20240903_154455_copy_1600x747.jpg

Big thunderstorms with high winds met us near Red Lodge, Montana.....

20240903_154451_copy_1600x747.jpg

Once the thunderstorms passed over, we were met with near perfect weather for the entire trip. We spent the first night once again in a gravel lot under the red rock cliffs along the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....just south of Red Lodge, Montana.....

20240903_193247_copy_1600x747.jpg

The following morning we were up bright and early.....like 4 a.m. as we had huge (for me) plans for the day.....

20240904_073954_copy_1600x747.jpg

We drove the Jeep.....south.....along the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....

20240904_081321_copy_1600x747.jpg

.....until we connected with a Forest Service road. Still in Montana at this point.....we drove west on various Forest Service roads.....driving into Wyoming, and then circling back into Montana.....until we finally came to the end of road at the Glacier Lake Trailhead.....

20240904_082608_copy_1600x747.jpg

The first mile or two of trail was as good as trails can get.....

20240904_084218_copy_349x747.jpg

And the scenery.....looking down at Rock Creek and the surrounding mountains were just spectacular.....

20240904_084157_copy_349x747.jpg

Eventually we reached a wooden bridge that crossed the creek.....an important landmark in our quest to summit another peak.....

20240904_084303_copy_1600x747.jpg

I think it was because the hiking was so easy on the Glacier Lake Trail that I forgot that we needed to depart the trail at this point.....and so it was that we continued on the Glacier Lake Trail, going in the wrong direction for a good 30 minutes, and then having to backtrack to that same wooden bridge.....

20240904_084439_copy_349x747.jpg
 
The next "trail" that we took, which really wasn't a trail at all, at least initially.....

20240904_084419_copy_349x747.jpg

.....was named the Moon Lake Trail. We hiked through dense chest high brush, climbed over fallen logs, and stumbled into water filled low points. The "trail" followed the meanders of the Moon Creek.....we climbed & bushwacked our way higher.....

20240904_093810_copy_1600x747.jpg

If we were going to cross paths with a Grizzly on this day, my gut told me that it would have been here along the Moon Creek Trail.....fortunately that did not happen.....

20240904_093805_copy_349x747.jpg

When we finally busted out of the dense brush, we saw the faint remants of the "trail".....

20240904_095014_copy_1600x747.jpg

What a welcome sight that wide open expanse was for me.....probably the dogs as well.....

20240904_101358_copy_1600x747.jpg

We didn't hike on the faint remants of that "trail" for more than a quarter mile.....

20240904_095019_copy_1600x747.jpg

We departed the"trail" and now we headed straight up for yet another obstacle on the way to the peaks' summit.....a ridgeline that we had to cross.....

20240904_094711_copy_1600x747.jpg

At this point we'd been hiking & climbing for most of the morning.....maybe achieving only 1,200' or so of elevation gain. In the distance, we could see our objective.....still pretty far away.....

20240904_113013_copy_1600x747.jpg

From that ridgeline we dropped back down, and I tried to figure out the best route to climb this mountain.....

20240904_113003_copy_349x747.jpg

In the picture above & below, it looks like a fairly simple grade on a smooth surface.....it was not that in any way.....it was actually the exact opposite.....

20240904_105424_copy_1600x747.jpg
 
ITTOG.....I'm certainly lucky to be able to spend the winter of my life in Montana.....

Ace.....it was yet one more great day in the mountains.....


The Hellroaring Plateau.....that's the name of this beautiful place in the Beartooth Mountains.....

20240904_104314_copy_1600x747.jpg

It was somewhere on that plateau that we finally took our first rest of the day at around 11 a.m......after devouring a protein bar and a jug of water (the dogs had treats).....we pressed on.....

20240904_103900_copy_1600x747.jpg

To our right and maybe 500 feet below us.....we passed by Sliderock  Lake. To our left and maybe a 1,000 feet below us was Shelf Lake (not visible from our route due to the sheer drop off).....

20240904_115142_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_115139_copy_349x747.jpg

As we hiked further along the Hellroaring Plateau, the more challenging the route became.....massive boulder fields covered the entire route to the base of the mountain.....and it was the same all the way to the summit.....

20240904_113435_copy_1600x747.jpg

Directly ahead we could see this beautiful mountain spire far, far away.....

20240904_104336_copy_349x747.jpg

I found myself struggling with Trapper due to her inability to jump (hip issues). I was literally hauling her from one massive stone to another. It was taking us forever.....

20240904_135201_copy_1600x747.jpg

Tanner on the other hand is and was like a mountain goat.....he won't hesitate to jump across a six foot span.....often sending me into a panic.....

20240904_122620_copy_1600x747.jpg

It wasn't until 2:00 p.m. that we reached the summit of Mount Rearguard (12,156').....one of only (27) 12,000' peaks in Montana.....

20240904_143338_copy_349x747.jpg

Mount Rearguard (12,156') is the highest peak that we've climbed since my heart & hip surgeries in 2023 so that made it a very special climb. And it was also my birthday.....so it felt kind of special to sit on that mountaintop with my two best friends.....I was and am an incredibly grateful man to have been given this second chance to do the things that I love the most.....

20240904_143241_copy_349x747.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ace, the deputy, Mekcanix & PNWY.....thanks.....birthdays suck.....not having birthdays sucks even more.....



This was one of those summits where you really want to spend the time that's needed to take it all in. I recall hearing the occasional chirps of the Marmots, and the songs of the many songbirds, while we sat and ate our late lunch. Other than those occasional sounds, it was only the sounds of silence.....

20240904_143205_copy_1600x747.jpg

I took as much time as I thought was safe & that was actually possible.....while there was only a 15 % chance of precipitation.....the skies were beginning to look ominous.....

20240904_143158_copy_1600x747.jpg

I took pictures gathering a full 360 degree view.....it looked somewhat or exactly like this.....

20240904_143214_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_143210_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_143201_copy_1600x747.jpg

I started to hear thunder to the northwest of us and my biggest fear was starting to materialize.....I did not want to downclimb on wet, slippery rocks.....it was steep as you can see in the next picture that I took looking back towards the summit.....

20240904_140803_copy_1600x747.jpg

I don't recall when I twisted my right knee during this climb.....I do recall that it hurt as we downclimbed.....we were probably three quarters of the way down the steepest section of the climbing when it began to rain & sleet.....

20240904_171805_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_171844_copy_349x747.jpg

This is why I love this stuff so much.....the physical challenge.....sometimes it can even be risky.....testing my will to persevere.....this is really the fun stuff.....

20240904_162736_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_171833_copy_349x747.jpg
 
The hike back to the Jeep was mostly uneventful.....no Grizzlies attacked us while passing through the dense forest.....

20240904_174226_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_174231_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_174223_copy_349x747.jpg

Surprisingly we didn't see any wildlife other than the Marmots & the songbirds.....a few clumps of white fur attached to clumps of dried grass was about it as far as big game was concerned.....

20240904_171757_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_171801_copy_1600x747.jpg

The storm clouds passed us over and blue skies returned.....

20240904_121247_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_122152_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_122203_copy_1600x747.jpg

20240904_124446_copy_1600x747.jpg

After ten hours on the Hellroaring Plateau.....well, I was definitely ready to call it a day. This mountain.....this hike.....this climb.....made for one great day in the mountains.....

20240904_124433_copy_349x747.jpg
 
the deputy.....once I returned to the cabin, I reviewed my maps one more time (I'm thinking about a third trip there) and realized that I'd actually made an error in my route finding. Had I stayed the course and not returned to the bridge, I would have actually intersected with, and hiked the Moon Lake Trail. The "trail" that I actually took is referred to as the Climbers Trail. I should have never been in that dense brush.....oh well.....



Screenshot_20240915_131632_Gallery_copy_1600x746.jpg

So here I was.....a couple hundred miles from home with a knee that was causing me significant pain, and in need of a new plan. We took a few rest days.....and then finally did a half day hike to Twin Lakes.....

20240905_125637_copy_1200x2570.jpg

The beauty of this hike, considering the circumstances, was it's location.....a short hike from the Beartooth Scenic Byway .....and from our campsite along said byway.....

20240905_125032_copy_1200x560.jpg

We dropped down roughly 600' and hiked maybe a mile or two to the first lakes shoreline.....

20240905_131055_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_130117_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_130739_copy_1200x560.jpg

With perfect skies overhead and perfect temperatures for exploring.....it seemed as though we had stepped into Heaven.....

20240905_130736_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_131922_copy_1200x2570.jpg

I kept the dogs on leash cause this was still bear country.....even being so close to the byway.....bears have no boundaries.....

20240905_131909_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_132718_copy_1200x2570.jpg
 
Between the lakes we passed through an old growth forest where most of the trees had died and I couldn't help but wonder why they had died ? Was it simply age ? Was it just their time ?

20240905_133556_copy_1200x2570.jpg

As we approached the second lake I noticed a bald eagle overhead.....what a beautiful unexpected sight that was.....

20240905_132828_copy_1200x560.jpg

The dogs waded in the water and I could tell that they were just dying to be set free.....but not yet. I noticed in the shallow waters these tiny schools of fish.....I wondered too what these could be ? (probably Fisher205 can answer that question).....

20240905_131221_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_131230_copy_1200x2570.jpg

We tried to circumnavigate both of the lakes but this just seemed impossible, especially considering that I was hiking with a bum knee.....

20240905_132218_copy_1200x560.jpg

20240905_132806_copy_1200x2570.jpg

20240905_132214_copy_1200x2570.jpg

Finally I gave in to the dogs wishes and let them have what I like to call "dog time".....I set them free.....

20240905_135308_copy_1200x2570.jpg

20240905_135353_copy_1200x2570.jpg


And that's how we spent a half day at Twin  Lakes.....along the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....

20240905_133214_copy_1200x560.jpg
 

Riversdad

Active member
Between the lakes we passed through an old growth forest where most of the trees had died and I couldn't help but wonder why they had died ? Was it simply age ? Was it just their time ?

View attachment 852766

As we approached the second lake I noticed a bald eagle overhead.....what a beautiful unexpected sight that was.....

View attachment 852767

The dogs waded in the water and I could tell that they were just dying to be set free.....but not yet. I noticed in the shallow waters these tiny schools of fish.....I wondered too what these could be ? (probably Fisher205 can answer that question).....

View attachment 852768

View attachment 852769

We tried to circumnavigate both of the lakes but this just seemed impossible, especially considering that I was hiking with a bum knee.....

View attachment 852770

View attachment 852772

View attachment 852771

Finally I gave in to the dogs wishes and let them have what I like to call "dog time".....I set them free.....

View attachment 852773

View attachment 852774


And that's how we spent a half day at Twin  Lakes.....along the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....

View attachment 852776
Stunning pictures of a beautiful place. Thanks again for taking us along.
You keep giving me places I have to visit.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
187,888
Messages
2,899,582
Members
229,073
Latest member
fireofficer001
Top