My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Dougnuts.....I get that for sure.....and I assure you that it was awesome. The wildflowers were just beginning to bloom and of course the scent of the evergreens is wonderful. Everything there, really, was & is wonderful.....



After two nights camped at the Rock Creek Trailhead, it was finally time to move on.....to move on to yet another trailhead.....and this trailhead & subsequent hike were the real reasons that we had come back to the Crazy Mountains.....



We returned to Highway 89, drove north to Wilsall, Montana, then took a right hand turn and left the paved highway behind and headed east back onto the dirt roads that took us back into the mountains.....





Unfortunately I had entered "Campfire Lake" (our end destination) into Google Maps rather than "Cottonwood Creek Trailhead" (our actual starting point).....



And that turned out to be a huge mistake on my part as we drove for better than an hour and ended up here.....here being the wrong place.....here being fenced off & posted.....



And with no cell service.....I had no idea how to get to the actual trailhead without retracing all that we had done that morning.....yes, it really did suck.....



And this was the last day of good weather.....rain was in the forecast for that night and for the following day.....that weather event would be followed by a few days of very high winds.....typical spring weather in Montana.....



I tried not to be too disappointed, but honestly, I was very disappointed.....



We really had no choice at this point in the day.....so we kind of headed home.....but not directly.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

All I could think of on the way out was how bad I wanted to hike to Campfire Lake that day.....here's a few pictures from September, 2020 on a hike to Campfire Lake (see page 222).....now maybe you can understand my disappointment.....







Anyhow.....as we retraced our tracks, I had a great view of a wooded valley below the elevated road.....I spotted deer and moose along the way.....that always brightens any day.....





I guess somewhere along that dirt road I reminded myself how lucky I am even to be alive.....how grateful I need to be.....and I once again began to rejoice in earths' magnificence.....and no more time thinking poor me.....



We stopped in Livingston, Montana for a very late lunch.....walked all over town.....and I do mean all over.....





While I sat there in Livingston, Montana stuffing my face with a sandwich, I decided that we'd be back real soon.....and real soon we did indeed go back.....and it was epic.....and it will be my next short story to be posted here.....

 

[Sierra Valley]

Do you use a map book? I supplement google maps with Delorme map books on my adventures because you dont always have service. They are more than handy.

 

[longhorn1]

The Crazy's are special. My great-grandfather was one of the first Norwegians to settle in Big Timber/Melville. My Grandmother was born in 1884 in Melville. Two large cattle and sheep ranches my cousin's have. Big Timber Museum has a family portrait with my Grandmother. Use to take the Northern Pacific from Chicago to Big Timber (mail stop) and returned from Livingston. The old railroad depot in Livingston is some stunning architecture.

Time to plan another visit.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Sierra Valley.....I also have the map books for all of the mountain states. I was just lazy that morning, I didn't research the name of the trailhead, and I just simply added the name of the lake into Google Maps and went with it. Once I had left the area and had cell reception, I realized the errors of my way.....the disappointment was short lived I assure you.....

JD.....if my cousins owned land around those mountains, well, I'd probably spend every summer there.....in my book, it's Shangri-La.....lucky you.....most people I speak with around town know nothing about this inland mountain, and that's a good thing.....



A week had passed since our first failed attempt, and all that seemed to be on mind during that week was a return to Campfire Lake.....we spent the first night camped along the southern bank of the Yellowstone River.....the river was roaring.....it was so incredibly powerful.....with the spring run off in full force.....



The drive to the trailhead the following morning was short.....maybe 20 miles at most.....but it was better than an hour of driving to get there.....



The last 4 miles which were in the mountains were incredibly rough.....at least for my truck / camper combination.....



The beginning of the trail was very tranquil, very easy hiking.....but that was only for the first mile or so.....as we hiked along a gated, abandoned ATV highway.....



.....then we headed up a footpath.....Trespass Creek Trail.....



.....and this is when the real fun (the challenge) began.....



We found ourselves walking & crawling under, over, and around tons of dead fall from the winters storms.....it was darn near agonizing trying to figure out how to get through all of the fallen trees that crossed the footpath.....



While much of the trail had turned into small streambeds due to the snowmelt, the streambeds had turned into powerful cascading waterfalls.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Initially I attempted to navigate around the deepest sections of the creek crossings.....and initially I was somewhat successful.....



.....but it was just taking way too much time.....and it was really difficult.....



By the time that we got to the third major creek crossing, I gave up and off we went into the torrents of water.....



The water was above my knees at this last crossing.....and getting the dogs across was very challenging. I had them on leash and I was only successful cause I dragged them across.....and they loved it.....I honestly wondered can they actually do this last creek crossing.....



Now with my jeans soaked up to my crotch, and of course my boots drenched, and the dogs too.....we entered sections of trail covered in snow.....



The good thing now was that we had gained a bunch in elevation, the trees were shorter, and there were no longer any dead fall to navigate around.....the bad thing was the depth of the snow.....and it only got deeper as we hiked on & up.....



Now we weren't the first group to attempt to visit Campfire Lake this early in the year.....I'm still not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing as I'd try to use previous hikers steps in the snow, but honestly it was hit or miss as far as helping me out.....



In the picture above you see a lot of footprints.....this is where everyone had stopped.....nobody had tried to go further. In the picture below, you see my solitary footprints (and the dogs of course).....the dogs and I were the first to attempt to make it all the way to the lake.....



There was a massive open area and absolutely no sign of a trail.....at times I used the AllTrails ap to keep us close to the trail.....



.....but mostly I just kept the small snowmelt creek that randomly showed itself to my right and kept myself focused on postholing steps into about two feet of snow.....

 

[Jupiter58]

I have been back and forth across the country a number of times in the last few years, always taking less traveled routes as time permits. Mostly more southern routes in az, co, nm, tx, ok. My curiosity is always peaked when I see an abandoned homestead and my mind wanders thinking of the who’s, why’s and what’s concerning the history and circumstances of them and the lives lived there.
Thank you again for continuing to share your adventures, stories and photographs with those of us without the time to venture like this!

 

[Arjan]

Many, many thanks !

Awesome pics as usual.

 

[longhorn1]

Off Hwy. 191 there is a gravel road that will take you to USFS Half Moon Campground. There is trailhead parking. About a half mile in is a spectacular waterfall on Big Timber Creek. You have to cross private land and close the gate behind you before getting to the campground and trail. Not sure if there is another trail back there that leads to the Crazy's. We love to go sit and listen to the water.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jupiter58.....I too can't get enough of the old decaying buildings.....I don't know what it is that attracts me to old wood but there definitely is an attraction. It's probably what I love best about my cabin that I built.....the old boards that I used to finish the interior......they're beautiful.....

Arjan.....of course you're welcome ! Hey, I see you too are having some crazy politics.....ugh.....

JD.....go to pages 217 & 218 of this thread. I camped just outside of that campground back in August of 2020.....and hiked up to several of the mountain lakes and beyond the waterfalls.....



Once we had crossed that wide expanse of nothingness.....now at an elevation of approximately 8,500' above sea level.....



.....we finally decided to take our first break of the day.....for me, I had my lunch & all of my snacks.....the dogs, they devoured their bags of beef jerky & a portion of my lunch.....we were like starved animals at this point.....we had worked pretty darn hard all morning.....

(You might notice the bear spray canister in my daypack which obviously isn't easily accessible.....well, they say that these mountains are packed with black bears but I've only ever seen the signs.....never have seen a single bear so I hike alone with little concern.....I see people here with guns.....I wish I didn't).....



Now that we had fueled up, we were ready for the next challenge.....climbing to the top of the ridgeline.....as Campfire Lake is on the opposite side.....







The actual trail actually zig zags up the side of the ridge but there was just no way that I was doing that......there was at least 3 feet of snow on the side of that mountain.....the shorest route had to be the best route I thought.....so I postholed pretty much straight up it.....







The top of the ridgeline was at an elevation of approximately 9,050' above sea level.....approximately 500' to climb.....kicking steps in here was incredibly difficult and I could feel my newly gotten energy just being zapped right from my body.....



In the next photo you can see a lot of activity in the snow.....this is where I punched through the 3 feet of snow, where my left foot & ankle got lodged between two boulders, and where I nearly killed myself (no exaggeration).....I was literally stuck.....

 

[Ace Brown]

A friend here was bluff charged by a blackie that came within 20’. She usually carries spray but didn’t this time because she was with a companion and just didn’t think it was needed. Both agreed this was not a good idea. Black bear attacks/charges seem to be on the rise everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....yep, probably one day maybe I'll regret being so cavalier......



So here I was.....approximately 150' below the ridgeline.....trapped by the boulders and to make matters even worse, I had fallen backwards, now unable to even reach my foot to try to free it, really, unable to do much of anything.....

(the picture below shows how close we were to the ridgeline).....



Was I scared you might ask ? Yep, I definitely was. Fortunately there was one small tree branche that I could just barely reach......I used that branch and with all the strength in my right arm that I had remaining, I was just barely able to swing my body upright.....



It took me 10 minutes of digging through the 3 feet of snow, and yanking & twisting of my foot, and finally I was able to free myself.....and that is why I say it was an epic day in the mountains.....



And that was also the end of that climb.....I had had enough.....I never saw the lake that day.....yet another failed attempt.....but it felt good.....it felt good to be back in the snowy mountains.....as close to mountaineering as I have had in many years.....I'd like to think I'm back.....maybe just kind of.....



Never did a flat road feel so good.....on the return the three of were finished.....we could barely move.....



That evening we headed back to our campsite along the Yellowstone River.....the green fields were such a contrast to the snowy mountains where we'd spent our day....



Now back where the Antelope grazed in those green fields.....





.....and where Trapper went into attack mode.....



It's funny.....when I'm in the plains & the prairies.....I absolutely love them.....and when I'm in the mountains, I don't think I've ever been happier.....life is such an incredible gift.....and a day like this is a really good reminder of what a special gift it really is.....

 

[halseyt]

please stay safe.. we need you around for awhile longer

 

[chet6.7]

''It took me 10 minutes of digging through the 3 feet of snow, and yanking & twisting of my foot, and finally I was able to free myself.....and that is why I say it was an epic day in the mountains.....''

Glad it wasn't 127 Hours II.
Do you carry an In reach or something similar?

 

[ITTOG]

Glad you made it out safely. I learned to not hike snow in the spring with a similar story in some book I read. But when I hiked around the Tetons I hiked about 150' on snow and the entire time you could hear rushing water from underneath. I said a few quick prayers and fortunately never fell through. Notice the pool of water at the bottom of the hill.