My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The Beartooth High Lakes Trail was our first memorable adventure on this week long trip. I chose this particular trail because there was minimal elevation gain (719 vertical feet), it wasn't particularly long (8.0 miles roundtrip), and it passed by lots of pristine mountain lakes (approximately 20 and probably even more).....most unnamed.....



We drove south and then east along Highway 212.....into Wyoming. Once we reached the turn-off for the Island Lake Campground, we turned onto Forest Service Road 148 and left the camper at the end of that road.....now at the trailhead.....



And right then and there we encountered our first pristine mountain lake.....and I immediately knew that I'd made the right pick.....



The trail passed along the western side of the lake and passed through occasional stands of thick pines.....perfect spots to be surprised by a big ole' Griz.....





That first lake that we hiked by was named Island Lake and I could barely contain myself with excitement.....it was just so beautiful.....




We had to make one creek crossing right here.....Little Bear Creek.....fortunately it was shallow although it was really wide.....thankfully no wet feet.....not yet anyhow.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

To be perfectly clear here, the pictures that I'm posting may not actually be of the lake that I'm speaking of. I took well over two hundred pictures that day.....so many pictures.....so many lakes.....





The next lake that we encountered was Night Lake.....every bit as beautiful as Island Lake.....




After the first two named lakes, we started hiking by numerous smaller unnamed lakes. We'd constantly leave the trail behind and wander down to these smaller unnamed lakes.....




The morning.....it just seemed to fly by. At one point we stopped for a short break and the dogs immediately seized that opportunity to swim in that particular lake.....

 

[Riversdad]

To be perfectly clear here, the pictures that I'm posting may not actually be of the lake that I'm speaking of. I took well over two hundred pictures that day.....so many pictures.....so many lakes.....

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The next lake that we encountered was Night Lake.....every bit as beautiful as Island Lake.....

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After the first two named lakes, we started hiking by numerous smaller unnamed lakes. We'd constantly leave the trail behind and wander down to these smaller unnamed lakes.....

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The morning.....it just seemed to fly by. At one point we stopped for a short break and the dogs immediately seized that opportunity to swim in that particular lake.....

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Great scenery, no people, and happy dogs equals a good trip. Really jealous of your lifestyle as I sit here getting ready to lay some new flooring.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Riversdad.....the truth is that we crossed paths with four hikers that day. One guy that was on his way out. He'd spent two weeks backpacking with his cattle dog in the backcountry.....I was so envious. I also met an elderly couple that was struggling on the only somewhat difficult section of trail.....through a lengthy rockfall. They ened up turning back. And then there was a woman hiking with her Bloodhound that was headed into the backcountry for a planned week long trip. This woman had quiet the story to tell.....which I plan to share here.....



We continued hiking deeper into the backcountry.....at some point I knew that we had long passed the turn around point that would have made this an 8.0 mile / 3 hour hike.....the trail just kept on going.....and so did we.....




I suspect that we had been hiking for four or five miles when we finally decided to stop for lunch.....it was probably close to noon. It's really amazing to watch a dog eat after a morning of hiking & swimming.....they truly show their animal behavior. They gorge themselves on anything that I had brought along (including my lunch). Once done, it's immediately back into the water.....




While they swam I decided to have a look around.....and it didn't take me long to find a pile of Grizzly Bear scat.....



Walked a little more and found some more.....



The more I walked.....the more I found. We were definitely in prime Grizzly Bear territory. Once the dogs had finally finished swimming, we kept on hiking.....deeper into the backcountry. We crossed that rockfall that I spoke of.....it was a **********. Large boulders were strewn about.....climb a boulder.....downclimb a boulder.....over and over.....




Once through the boulder field, we hiked up the first ascent that was of any nature.....pretty much so far the hike had been on rolling hills type lands through a long valley.....



We hiked up to the high point in the pass where we had some incredible views looking north.....it was probably here on top of that pass that I thought that we should head home.....but as I looked further ahead.....it was just oh so beautiful that I just couldn't turn around.....and so we continued on.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The trail seemed to go on forever (it actually did).....





It dropped down into another valley.....we crossed over small creeks that ran from one tiny lake to another.....





One thing that I clearly remember was that it seemed to get more remote the deeper that we went into the backcountry which made absolutely no sense to me.....but that feeling was real.....maybe it was more than just a feeling.....




This valley was not near so long as the first valley was.....it was still filled with lakes but we found ourselves hiking up and down.....maybe constant elevation changes of several hundred feet.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Eventually the well worn trail meandered further away from the lakes, gained even more elevation, hugged the base of a long line of ragged cliffs.....and along the base of these ragged cliffs I could hear the occasional sound of rocks falling..... probably the work of goats or sheep traversing the cliffs I guessed....if it were goats or sheep that I heard they were able to stay well hidden as I unfortunately never saw a thing.....



Now at this point in our hike we didn't spend much time exploring around the shoreline of the lakes as the lack of time (daylight) now was becoming our biggest challenge.....




The trail passed through thick pine forests and it was in these thick pine forests that I was really on high alert. When I'm in Griz country I always feel safer hiking in the wide open expanses as opposed to hiking within these thick pine forests.....occasionally I heard a branch snap, again never saw a thing, and I'd optimistically assume that it was the work of deer.....




It was late afternoon when we popped out of the thick pine forests and the views ahead of us were pulling us on.....I just didn't want to retreat.....our solitary existence was sheer bliss.....




Now I could see way ahead of us and there was yet another pass to be crossed and beyond that pass were big mountain peaks.....the closet peak was named Lonesome Mountain (11,329).....a perfectly shaped mountain cone.....




At this point I started thinking about crossing that pass.....and snagging that mountain summit.....but it was so late and I knew that it was a stupid idea.....but I couldn't shake that idea no matter how hard I tried.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I finally decided that we just had to turn around.....we had wandered so far off trail so many times, stopped to swim in the lakes and stopped to take it all in, that I really had no idea how far we had gone. After maybe only 10 minutes, maybe a little more (+/- a half mile) we ran into the woman headed into the backcountry with her bloodhound. We chatted for a bit, she convinced me to turn around again, to at least go as far as the next pass, it would be well worth the effort.....she said.....the views she said would be magical.....




She told me about her backcountry trip here in 2024 and it was quite an amazing story. She said that she was on the farside of the lake where I saw all of the bear scat when she saw a woman and her dog being attacked by a Grizzly Bear. She witnessed the bear grabbing the dog in its mouth, the owner beating the bear with her hiking pole, and finally the bear dragging the dog into the pine forest. It almost seemed far fetched but then why would she lie to me ?





When we returned home from this trip I decided to Google "2024 Beartooth Mountain Dog Attack" and this is what I found.....obviously she told me the truth.....

In Brief: Grizzly Killed For Killing Dog, Raiding Camps In Beartooth Mountains | Cowboy State Daily

In Brief: Grizzly Killed For Killing Dog, Raiding Camps In Beartooth Mountains

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it killed a young male grizzly that was raiding camps in the Beartooth Mountains, then killed a hiker’s dog.

cowboystatedaily.com

We didn't quite make it to the pass that day.....we didn't climb that mountain either.....




We made our way back to the rig arriving there late, late in the evening.....I'm not certain how many miles that we hiked on that day. My Fitbit said it was 18.5 miles although I question its accuracy. I've found that its not all that accurate when hiking in the mountains. Regardless, it was a very, very long day that ended with the most remarkable views that anyone could wish for.....and left me wanting to return there come 2026.....



And that was one of the most perfect days ever spent in the backcountry.....we were warriors that day.....we had to be.....cause we never wanted it to end.....

 

[ITTOG]

Those days, when you hike so far and see so much, are the best. Glad you got to experience. All the lake pictures are amazing.

I had one of those days hiking in Banff National Park in winter. I think I was over 22 miles that day. I can vividly remember being too tired to eat dinner. Wow, the memories are so fresh.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....the Beartooth Mountains now compete with the Crazy Mountains for being my favorite mountain range in Montana. If you ever have the opportunity to return to Montana, try to get there.....



Amazingly we didn't see any bears, mountain lions, elk, or deer that day.....after spending nearly twelve hours in the backcountry. We did see an American Pika.....an animal that I rarely see anymore. Sadly, according to the National Wildlife Federation, the American Pika may become extinct one day. I felt blessed to have spotted this little guy amongst the rocks.....very near to where that Grizzly Bear attack occured.....



From the National Wildlife Federation website:

"For years the polar bear has been the symbol of the climate change movement. But today the American pika has good grounds to compete with the polar bear for this unwanted honor. American pikas are suffering because climate change has brought higher temperatures to their western mountain homes. Pikas have already disappeared from more than one-third of their previously known habitat in Oregon and Nevada. Despite their dire situation, the American pika is not federally listed under in the Endangered Species Act. Without protection and help, American pikas could be the first species to go extinct due to climate change."

"Pikas live in high mountain ecosystems that are cool and moist. The pika has adapted to life in areas that rarely get above freezing and can overheat and die when exposed to temperatures as mild as 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike other mountain species that can move to higher altitudes in warming climates, pikas live so high on the mountain that there is no where for them to go. Trapped at the top, alpine wildlife is vulnerable to several of climate change's damaging effects, including vegetation changes, the invasion of new predators and pests, reduced winter snowpack, and increases in extreme weather events."

"In the Great Basin—the arid region between the Rocky Mountains and California's Sierra Nevada—pikas already are disappearing. Scientists say the animal's decline may signal problems for other species, from butterflies and birds to large mammals."

 

[Arjan]

Many thanks - this makes good reading in wet & grey France.

The Goldens look happy !

Hope you're doing many more trails and share them with us.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I know for a while in Oregon, they were looking for volunteers to help with Pika surveys. I bet they would again for the 2026 year when its time, even just wanting folks to send them pictures and locations. I wonder if that area has a program like it?

Cascades Pika Watch

Cascades Pika Watch volunteers conduct 1-2 monthly sitting surveys to track and log pika presence in the Gorge and across the region.

www.oregonzoo.org

Current volunteer opportunities | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Here are the current volunteer opportunities at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Find the one that's right for you!Learn more about volunteering with ODFW

myodfw.com

Thanks for posting!

 

[ghostdancer]

ITTOG.....the Beartooth Mountains now compete with the Crazy Mountains for being my favorite mountain range in Montana. If you ever have the opportunity to return to Montana, try to get there.....



Amazingly we didn't see any bears, mountain lions, elk, or deer that day.....after spending nearly twelve hours in the backcountry. We did see an American Pika.....an animal that I rarely see anymore. Sadly, according to the National Wildlife Federation, the American Pika may become extinct one day. I felt blessed to have spotted this little guy amongst the rocks.....very near to where that Grizzly Bear attack occured.....

View attachment 904259

From the National Wildlife Federation website:

"For years the polar bear has been the symbol of the climate change movement. But today the American pika has good grounds to compete with the polar bear for this unwanted honor. American pikas are suffering because climate change has brought higher temperatures to their western mountain homes. Pikas have already disappeared from more than one-third of their previously known habitat in Oregon and Nevada. Despite their dire situation, the American pika is not federally listed under in the Endangered Species Act. Without protection and help, American pikas could be the first species to go extinct due to climate change."

"Pikas live in high mountain ecosystems that are cool and moist. The pika has adapted to life in areas that rarely get above freezing and can overheat and die when exposed to temperatures as mild as 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike other mountain species that can move to higher altitudes in warming climates, pikas live so high on the mountain that there is no where for them to go. Trapped at the top, alpine wildlife is vulnerable to several of climate change's damaging effects, including vegetation changes, the invasion of new predators and pests, reduced winter snowpack, and increases in extreme weather events."

"In the Great Basin—the arid region between the Rocky Mountains and California's Sierra Nevada—pikas already are disappearing. Scientists say the animal's decline may signal problems for other species, from butterflies and birds to large mammals."

We saw lots of pikas when we walked the Highline Trail in Glacier. There were lots around the visitor center too. There was signage there about their plight and precarious future. I won’t go further into politics, but defunding climate research is just crazy.
It’s already Christmas Day here in Chiang Rai, Thailand so, Merry Christmas to you and the boys.