My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Chet6.7.....It seems as though I'm spending a lot of time in bear country this year but honestly, I never get too concerned.....I just stay aware of my surroundings.....

Riversdad.....we're headed back out shortly.....I've got some new ideas.....back into bear country possibly.....



The answer to my question was obvious.....we should go on. And go onwards is exactly what we did. We made our way back through the pine forest, returned to the Sylvan Lake  Trail, and passed over the saddle and hiked down into the next canyon. We were darn near at the bottom of that canyon when we took a side trail and headed back up the mountain. Our goal.....Sylvan Lake.....



This remote mountain lake.....situated at approximately 9,180' above sea level.....was out of this world beautiful.....



When Sylvan Lake finally came into our view.....well, the dogs nearly dragged me all the way to the lake (they're both always on leash when hiking in bear country).....they dove right in and were rewarded with an ice cold bath.....



Me.....I stood on the shoreline and took it all in.....I don't think that I could have been any happier at that very moment. Everything was spectacular. We were tired.....had probably hiked 7 or 8 miles at this point.....





Clouds were forming in the west.....and thunder was heard.....late thunderstorms were in the forecast. So we hit the trail.....hoping to beat the upcoming storm.....so we hiked back down into the canyon, back up onto the saddle.....



Just as we reached the saddle.....the downpour began.....



It got ugly real quick and we put it into high gear, descended down the mountainside, as we tried to gain cover in the tall pines which were not too far away from the saddle.....



Pretty quickly that downpour turned into a hail storm.....



I'd guess it was a 14 or 15 mile day of hiking in the mountains.....maybe 5,000' or so of elevation gain.....and we loved every second of that beautiful day.....even hiking in the hail storm.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I enjoy watching this guys' videos as he climbs stuff, often with his buddies, in the Lower 48. Last night I watched this linked video as he climbs Granite Peak (12,799').....Montanas' highest peak. What really caught my attention is that he started his climb at the West Rosebud Trailhead (the same trailhead I used for Mystic Lake). I also hiked up a portion of the switchback trail that he speaks of. It's about a 10 minute video if you're interested. Oh man.....that plateau speaks to me.....

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

I enjoy watching this guys' videos as he climbs stuff, often with his buddies, in the Lower 48. Last night I watched this linked video as he climbs Granite Peak (12,799').....Montanas' highest peak. What really caught my attention is that he started his climb at the West Rosebud Trailhead (the same trailhead I used for Mystic Lake). I also hiked up a portion of the switchback trail that he speaks of. It's about a 10 minute video if you're interested. Oh man.....that plateau speaks to me.....

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Arjan]

Awesome Pictures !

Many thanks for taking us with you on these trips.

Mia, our Golden Retriever, is somewhat jealous....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

AlwaysRoaming.....glad you like it. I figured TripLeader would like it.....he's into that kind of stuff too. That guy that does the videos & his buddies are all so humble. They just go out and climb. Nothing sensational. I like their style.....

Arjan.....thanks.....it's a dog's life for sure.....


We spent that night camped somewhere along a paved highway.....I think it was under a cell tower in a field.....probably not allowed but it worked well for a single night.....we passed through Red Lodge, Montana the following morning.....



.....stopped for breakfast and a morning walk through town.....



We took Highway 212.....also known as the Beartooth Scenic Byway south.....



A return to this byway has been on my to do list for several years now. I've driven it a few times over the years and have had fond memories of it. This year it seemed even more crowded.....mostly from loud motorcycles.....



The drive up the switchbacks is truly sensational.....the views are absolutely outstanding.....



I was fascinated by the Forest Service road in the next picture. I still am.....and while I didn't drive it on this trip, I just may be driving it in a few days time.....



In my past visits here, I've camped at the summit pass.....



One thing that I've never done here was to venture far from the paved road.....



But this trip was different than all the others.....this time we ventured across the dry grass quite far from the paved road.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We love to hike across these high plateaus.....where the sky seems to never end.....





You only need to hike a quarter of a mile from the highway and then you can barely hear the roar of all the motorcycles.....





And the further you hike, you realize that there's this wonderful world that for whatever reason you didn't think was even there.....





I couldn't help but think "why hadn't I ever done this before ?"......hidden lakes just seemed to appear from nowhere.....





That night while the dogs slept, I made plans to climb one of these mountains.....I couldn't possibly leave here without standing on at least one summit.....



.....and I assure you that the dogs were just fine with my new plan.....

 

[fisher205]

Beartooth Highway gets a lot of traffic during the Sturgis rally. I believe they have a motorcycle event in Redlodge that is either at the beginning or end of the rally.

 

[ghostdancer]

I’ll never understand the need to make motorcycles as loud as possible, maybe compensating for something. I really feel sorry for people who live by popular roads like Tail of the Dragon in the Smokey Mountains. I lived in the Florida Keys for 25 years and hated “Bike Week(s). Their run to Key West was a constant roar of unnecessary noise.

 

[TripLeader]

Great stuff as always! You are speaking my language! Keep it up, sir! I am one of your loyal readers.

I've been subscribed to Mediocre Amateur on YouTube for a few years. It's one of my favorite channels.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

fisher205.....I think you're correct although I never bothered to see when the Sturgis Rally took place. I'm back here now, camped along the Beartooth Scenic Byway and it's not near as bad as it was in August.....

ghostdancer.....here in Montana there are no helmet laws so you get to see who these guys are. My observation is that they're mostly late 40's to early 60's white guys acting as if they're in their teens. It's comical in one sense but in another I say it's great that they're up & off the couch doing stuff ! So I do my best not to judge my fellow man.....

TripLeader.....I discovered their YouTube channel only a few months ago. I just love the way that they're just normal guys. So much sensationalism on YouTube. Those guys are great in my book.....



Our last adventure before heading back to the cabin was a climb of Tibbs  Butte (10,673').....this was totally random.....I had not researched it.....I just saw it on Google Maps.....



We drove south on the Beartooth Scenic Byway.....and headed into Wyoming. A few miles past the state line we pulled into a large parking area which was the start of the Gardner Lake Trailhead.....



It seemed to me that if I used this trail to get close to the mountain, I could then leave the trail at some point, and just wander around eventually finding our way to the summit.....



The trail dropped down quickly.....



.....several hundred feet below the highway, and then continued slightly downward for quite some ways.....



We passed by Gardner Lake and it appeared that we wouldn't be able to cross the creek just below it.....it was just too deep. We persisted and finally found a decent crossing.....



The trail continued on.....I think to more distant lakes probably.....



When we got within a mile or so of the mountain we just took off through the wide open spaces.....that's always my favorite part of any hike.....



Eventually we reached the base of the mountain and this is where I guess you could say that the climbing began.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

This was not a difficult climb.....this was not even a long hike.....



Maybe 5 miles roundtrip at most.....maybe 1,500' of elevation gain.....





But dang it sure was fun.....



The views from the summit were outstanding.....as most views from summits typically are.....





The weather.....it was perfect that day.....I don't even recall a slight breeze that day.....probably 70 degrees give or take a degree or two.....





I dropped my pack and removed my sandwich, my water bottle and the bag of dog treats.....



We sat on the summit content in our little world.....three best friends on yet another summit.....the smile tells it all.....

 

[Ace Brown]

I passed thru Red Lodge a few days ago. Now in Philipsburg. So almost bumped into you.

Error it was Deer Lodge so not close at all.


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[ghostdancer]

my wife and I have been “on the road” for about a year and a half. Not overlanding, but traveling. So far…Spain, France, Belgium, England, Türkiya (2 months), Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, New Zealand (3 months), and right now in Australia (5 months). For our entire married life, we have had dogs, our own two and over 60 fosters for a rescue. Our biggest regret in traveling is that we can’t have a dog. We make up for it by dog / house sitting.
“Our“ current two. Bogart and Zoe. I’ve combined that to BoZo cause they’re clowns.
keep posting you summit pictures. Love your two.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....how's your Montana trip going ?

Ghostdancer.....if I didn't have dogs right now, I'm sure that I'd be doing exactly what you & your wife are doing. I love international travel and not a day goes by that I don't look at a video of someone's adventures overseas. That being said, I absolutely love hanging out with my dogs. No easy choice.....no better choice either way.....I guess.....



We just got home from another trip to the mountains and I'll be journaling about that trip soon enough, but I just wanted share with you guys a few pictures of this rig that I saw while in town shopping.....





I had an opportunity to spend about 15 minutes talking with them.....I tried to get them to overnight on my property but they said that they were already falling behind schedule.....meeting friends up north. As best that I recall, they said that the truck was built in 1972.....funny thing, I was just thinking it was about time to trade in my 2018 Ford F350 diesel pickup with 82,000 miles (cause it was getting old.....maybe not so dependable anymore ).....

 

[Ace Brown]

I don’t want to detract from your report so I’ll just say it was quite a let down. One problem was lots of wildfires causing low visibility and poor air quality. Actually had to leave one campsite when a fire was approaching too close. About 1.5 miles.


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