My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....the sounds that come from a group (I'm hesitatant to say herd) of elk in a dense forest is memorable. The crashing into trees, the smashing of the bull elks' antlers, the snapping of branches, and the thundering of the hooves in a silent forest truly in itself is an experience to remember.....

the deputy.....the one statement that I can make with 100 % certainty, is that experiencing the backcountry with other people is definitely a distraction from what I seek. These guys were an outlier.....





We drove south now.....headed for home. It had been a good trip.....maybe a bit too short. How does one actually know ? One thing that I have noticed about myself these days.....if I'm a half days drive from the cabin, I begin to daydream about hot showers.....or sitting in my dog chair with a good book.....and now with the colder weather.....sitting by the warm fire.....



We passed through White Sulphur Springs, Montana.....as we continued south on Highway 89.....passed through a few more small Montana towns.....first was Ringling.....next came Wilsal.....and as we continued driving south, I began to think that I wasn't quite ready to go home.....



As we drove into Clyde Park, Montana I knew that we needed just one more night. So we took that left hand turn down that gravel road that I know so well and we drove east to camp at the base of the Crazy Mountains.....



This trip had been spent for the most part, in forests filled with dense pines. I wanted to walk in those wide open fields with those views that seem to extend forever. This is where one goes when one wants to cleanse their soul.....if that makes any sense to say.....



My idea was simply to walk along the gravel roads.....you know.....to see what we could see.....



These fields that go on forever.....they provide the habitat for so much wildlife.....





We walked late afternoon.....early evening.....and one walk during the night. I saw a bald eagle soaring across the sky with a catch hanging from its talons.....I saw Antelope, and I saw White Tail Deer too.....Pheasants and many other types of birds.....a lone Coyote hunting for its dinner. It truly is a magnificent spot.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We watched a wonderful sunset over the Bridger Mountains.....which are located just a bit further to the west.....



.....and the following morning we were right back out there.....walking along that gravel road.....taking in the beautiful sky. The plan was to head home early.....but the Crazy Mountains seemed to have had different plans for us.....



Just as we were about to complete our rather lengthy morning walk.....now nearly back at the camper.....I heard a bull elk in the forest begin to bugle.....



And just like that.....as if he was calling us into the forest.....his timing near perfect.....we changed our plans.....



So off we went.....for a walk in the forest.....





We didn't see any elk in the forest that morning.....a common sight here.....but we did get to see the remants of the fall colors in one of my favorite mountain ranges.....so I left very grateful to the bull elk for calling us into the forest.....



And that's how our journey into the wilderness came to its end.....

 

[the deputy]

Can believe the colors you're still encountering, granted, maybe you are a few weeks behind in posting these. But our trees have been void of leaves, except oak and willow (and none native speices in folks yards), for weeks now. Especially, aspen...it's typically one of the first to show its spindly skeleton.

 

[fisher205]

Jerry, an author you might enjoy is Ivan Doig. He wrote about growing up around Ringling and White Sulphur Springs in "This House of Sky" also a fictional series about this area and Montana starts with " Dancing at the Rascals Fair" He is an excellent writer.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

the deputy.....the leaves have definitely been hanging on around here. Hopefully one day I'll get around to posting some pictures of my property and the Quaking Aspens that I planted in their fall colors. Some of them still retain their leaves now. I've lost count on the number of transplants that I've planted here, but it must be nearly 300. I recently added 50 more.....

fisher205.....I know the author and I think that I've got several of his books around here somewhere.....you've just reminded me that I haven't done a book report in a really long time. I've been reading a lot.....a few really good books.....



The first snow of the season fell sometime in September in the mountain ranges that surround my cabin .....that first snowfall didn't last long.....and then we had a few more as the days passed by. October had its cold periods.....and it had its warm periods as well. We took advantage of one of the good October weather windows and headed into the Bridger Mountains for our next adventure.....

We spent our first night out camped along a paved highway where we would share a calming sunset with a herd of solid black cattle.....and where we once again fell asleep to the sounds of the howling coyotes.....the following morning we drove up & into the Custer Gallatin National Forest to climb yet another rocky peak.....



During one of our stays at the cabin, I had been going through some old climbing journals and noticed that I had climbed every mountain in the Bridger Mountain Range except for one.....Naya-Nuki Peak (9,449'). It just so happened that the trail to this summit is the same trail that leads to Sacajawea Peak (9,654'), which I have summited several times in the past years, and which we actually just attempted to climb in June, 2024 (page 354).....





You’ll read that this is a difficult / hard climb.....but it really is not. You just have to stick with it.....and with good weather, it's a walk in the park.....just a steep walk in some parts.....





On that particular day, I was hitting on all cylinders.....feeling good.....passing other climbers as we headed up into the mountains. I met one group along the way that was struggling, and I stopped to encourage them on. I continued to encourage them as we climbed, and they followed. It actually felt pretty darn good to help them achieve their goal to climb Sacajawea Peak (9,654').....typically I would tend to mind my own business.....



Once we reached the saddle, the most difficult part of the climb was completed.....



At this point, it was mostly hiking along the ridgeline.....hiking past Sacajawea Peak (9,654').....and onwards to our summit.....maybe just 15 or 20 minutes more of hiking to the south.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Initially I was under the impression that we'd have to climb both peaks to achieve our goal but as we were climbing I noticed an informal trail which ran below and along Sacajawea Peak (9,456') so I decided that we'd try the informal trail and save ourselves hundreds of feet of climbing.....




The shortcut worked perfectly and the views to the east were sensational as we hiked along the rocky cliffs.....




And then finally we sat on the summit of the last mountain in the Bridger Mountains.....




And as we sat here having water and snacks, I looked to the north.....to the summit of Sacajawea Peak (9,456').....and I saw the group that I had encouraged standing on their summit.....and for whatever reason, that made me feel pretty darn good.....



It was a near perfect day in the mountains.....that day. We took in the views.....we rested and we chilled up there for nearly an hour.....and then we carefully headed back down the mountain.....and then drove east for another little adventure.....while the weather was still so good.....

 

[fisher205]

"I know the author and I think that I've got several of his books around here somewhere." I thought you might, but better to have checked. Enjoy your cabin and fire

 

[jasmine339]

So I've spent the past month selling most of my belongings, renting a small storage unit for some of the things that I just couldn't part with, and completed the sale of my cabin at 4:00 p.m. yesterday. I now find myself homeless and living on the road. This is something that I've dreamed of for years so I finally decided to take the plunge. I'll have a close friend along for the first three weeks. Last night night we traveled about (130) miles and slept in Cumberland, Maryland. We were headed for Montana but this morning we have changed our minds and decided to stay further south, hoping that the weather will cooperate and the temperatures will stay cool enough. We are also traveling with a Golden Retriever and a Yellow Lab. And yes it's quite cramped in the little camper but we all get along great. I've posted a picture below to give you an idea of my rig. I hope you enjoy.

Wow most amazing journey! I felt happy to read it.

 

[Ace Brown]

Wow most amazing journey! I felt happy to read it.

That prompted me to go back to the start of this Journey 12 years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

fisher205.....I'm ready to hit the road.....I've got plans.....well, not really plans but I do want to leave soon.....

jasmine399.....thanks.....

Ace.....it's kind of hard for me to believe that I've been posting since 2012.....coming up on 3,000 posts.....that's hard to believe as well.....



We spent that night once again camped at the base of the Crazy Mountains.....it reminds me of that old adage....."if ain't broke, don't fix it".....I love it here.....



The plan for the following day was to make a return to Campfire Lake.....same thing.....I love it there as well.....



It was quite cold that late October morning when we awoke.....and on mornings like that, I tend to want to stay in the bed. I don't use the heater at night.....so if it's cold outside, it's cold inside.....



The ranchers were already out working their fields.....the lone coyote was wandering.....when we finally hit the road that morning.....



We took the backroads to the trailhead.....



Traveling on several backroads that I had never traveled on in the past.....and on several.....that I've traveled on so many times.....




I doubt that I'll ever tire of this scenery.....Montana is such an incredible place.....




After better than an hour of backroad driving, we left the ranchers' land behind and headed back into the forests and onto the lower elevations of the Crazy Mountains.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The weather.....a mix of clouds in the mountains and blue skies over the ranch lands.....and very, very cold.....



We drove through the dense forest that finally led us to the trailhead.....



And then we headed out on foot.....



The mountains were covered in a light snow.....and we hiked in occasional snow flurries.....and it was majical.....



I successfully made the creek crossings without soaked boots this time.....a sign of the continuing drought no doubt.....




Next we had to climb the saddle.....the same saddle where I nearly killed myself earlier in the year (page 353).....




This time we made it.....snow was near nonexistent on our trail.....the views from up there were out of this world beautiful.....

 

[ITTOG]

There is something magical when our seasons transition. I find I struggle to pick a favorite but usually decide the transition I am currently in is my favorite. But when the snow starts to fly, it is definitely magical.

Congrats on summitting this time.

 

[the deputy]

Such a diverse backdrop, from old farm equipment to deep forested valleys. That old combine reminds me of the Oliver, granted different color, that my uncle Clarence use to use, him surrounded and covered in a thick layer of dust and chaff. Folks don't know dirty...until you've combined in an open cockpit combine. Always wondered what he would have thought of the new fangled air condition, climate controlled cabs nowadays.

 

[the deputy]

And yes, congrats on the summit and getting back after them!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG & the deputy.....there was no summit on this hike......the saddle is simply a landmark that needed to be crossed to access the lake.....



Once we reached the saddle, we still had a bit more of a climb before the trail descended down to Campfire Lake.....at this point in our hike, we still couldn't see the lake as it's tucked into a mountain bowl and it's hidden by the rock cliffs .....



So we hiked along the saddle.....continuing to climb even higher.....and finally we got our first views of the lake.....looking through intermittent snow showers.....



The trail climbs to a point where one could nearly summit a small mountain if one chose.....or so it seems to me.....



But the trail turns downward, away from the summit, and leads to the shoreline of Campfire Lake.....



Since I'd made that rookie (lazy) mistake of sleeping in.....and getting a late start.....it was nearly 2:00 p.m. when we sat down behind a rock cliff on the saddle and ate our late lunch. My fingers, without gloves until that point, had frozen.....nearly solid. So at that point, being late in the day and being freezing cold, I had to make a choice .....descend to the lake or call it a day & return to the camper.....





I calculated the time that it would take to descend down to the lake, let the dogs take a swim, and then to hike back to the camper.....and so it was that I thought to just see it was enough for me.....we played it safe.....and we headed out.....



Tanner led the entire way on the route out.....as he most always does.....there's really no way to keep up with that dog.....he's constantly disappearing, darting in and out of the forest.....wading in the creeks.....