Summer Activity Stats

I've been working on this for a while. Between a busy few weeks at work and the need to consult maps before writing this up, I kept getting put it off. Before everything gets "lost in the mists of time," I've decided to document a few notable summer outings - a really quick summary to remember names but very lacking in details. 

Recent snowy and rainy weather coupled with several rainy weekends in September have likely brought this year's backpacking season to a close. While it wasn't one of my most ambitious summers, it was a good one.

Here are some of the highlights.

• Five backpacking trips
• One car camping trip
• One notable day trip
• Three notable mountain summits
• Two notable mountain passes
• Three grizzly bears along the trail
• One black bear along the trail
• Countless elk
• Endless nice weather and stoke!

After living in Bozeman for 14 years, I am pleased to still be finding new places to explore close to home. All of these trips were first-time trips for me as well as for Mike.

OTO Dude Ranch

Cedar Creek and OTO Homestead & Dude Ranch

Our first trip out. Wet spring weather coupled with lingering snow forced our first outing later into the summer than normal. A short trip. Steep walking on day one. The trail disappeared and we bushwacked up a steep hillside before skiddering down to complete the loop. Day two brought more bushwacking and one black bear. Could be an interesting place to explore further. Doesn't seem to get a lot of traffic and trails (faint in spots) take you to some peaks.

One of the more interesting parts of this trip was the side trip at the end to the OTO Homestead and Dude Ranch. From 1912 to 1939 this dude ranch, the first in Montana, hosted guests. Since then it had various owners including the CUT church out of Paradise Valley and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation who donated the OTO to the forest service in 1991. Efforts have been made to restore it. The buildings are open and in good shape and there are a few interpretive signs.

The OTO was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, and over the years volunteer groups such as Passport in Time and Elderhostel have worked on renovations.

Rock Creek to Big Creek loop via the Gallatin Crest

Petrified wood along Big Creek

Cool remote area on the south side of the Gallatin Range. We had to bump down a gravel road for about nine miles before hitting the trailhead. We camped near Big Creek amongst the glacier lilies, petrified wood specimens, and steep walls of the Gallatin Range.

The next morning brought a steep snow-covered climb up to the Gallatin crest, which we followed for almost three miles before dropping down and completing the loop. It was great to be along the ridge - the high open terrain that I always love exploring

Blue Danube & Avalanche Lakes 

Near Hilgard Basin but not as crowded. Amy C. joined us on this backpacking trip. Bushwacking up a steep hillside on day two to a unnamed highpoint 9,977 feet high point along a ridge. I enjoyed exploring the southern Madison range - lots to do down here, big peak, lakes etc. An area worth coming back to.

Bunsen & Sepulcher Peaks, Yellowstone National Park

From Bunsen Peak

After years of talking about it, I finally made it up Bunsen Peak. Located not far from Mammoth in Yellowstone, I had always wanted to hike Bunsen. At 1,300 feet elevation gain over the 2.1 mile approach, it's not worth driving to from Bozeman for the day. I had always thought about hitting it on the way home from Beartooth Pass over Memorial Day weekend, but once I settled into the drive I never felt like stopping. The solution, do Bunsen and Sepulcher in a car-camping weekend in the park.

Secret thermal area, Yellowstone

Mike and I headed out of town on Saturday morning and were in Mammoth by 10:30 a.m. where we snagged a spot with the masses at the Mammoth campground. A late morning storm sent us into our tent for reading and napping and lasted for longer than we expected. It was a glorious and rare lazy morning, but we were able to make it to the trailhead by 3 p.m. and Bunsen peak was good quick tootle, a short, steep hike to a lookout tower sits on top of the rocky summit. The best part was taking a look at the east side of the Fawn and Big Horn pass areas, which are more captivating seen from this side than from the west side off of Highway 191 .

Sepulcher was a great hike. 12 miles round trip, 3,300+ vertical feet. It was work but not crazy steep. The trail was in great shape and the summit views were nice. We descended a wide open hillside, typical of Yellowstone,and had the unexpected treat of passing by a thermal area not far from the end of our trip.

The day was made nicer by a couple who joined us on the hike. They approached at the trailhead as they were scared of bears and were considering bailing on the hike. They asked if they could tag along, and at first I was a bit suspect not knowing what their fitness level and attitude would be like. But it turned out that they were avid climbers from the New York City area who were on a climbing road trip in the Northern Rockies. The couple ended up being delightful company. We talked about their trips out west, (Current and prior), their climbing adventures closer to home as well as work and life in general. It was a good reminder to be kind to people and open to those who at first might appear to be different than you. It is these sorts of random connections that make a nice day more meaningful.

Mt. Holmes - Yellowstone National Park

Heading down from Mt. Holmes

Another trip we'd been thinking about for a few years. It's a longer, harder hike (18.8 miles round trip and 3,000 vertical feet. But you only gain about 300 feet in the first three miles so the elevation gain is really spread over the last 2+ miles) and it's located south of Mammoth so it's a bit of a commitment time-wise. Additionally, the trail was closed for a few summers due to road work and it was close earlier this summer due to a fire that destroyed the summit lookout tower. So it took us a while to get around to doing it.

Remote area - we didn't see any people until we were almost back at the trailhead at the end of the trip. Grizzly Lake was a nice lake a few miles in and it had an interesting log jam to navigate. Day two brought us the summit with its burnt lookout tower, and THREE grizzly bears all seen from a safe distance. One on the way up and two hanging out together on the way down.

Fawn Pass to Big Horn Pass - Yellowstone National Park
This is the area we scouted out from Bunsen and luck was on our side as we put in for backcountry permits for Labor Day weekend and got the exact itinerary we were hoping for. It was a 31+ mile trip over 2.5 days.

Day one - sharing the trail with a bunch of elk

The first day was an easy going stroll through open fields with rolling hills and mountain ridges off in the distance. The first hill not far from the parking lot brought us to a herd of elk and not far beyond that we ran into three people, the only people we'd saw until we were about half a mile from the trailhead 2.5 days later. Electric Peak, the most prominent peak in the northwest corner of the park, loomed in the distance and brought to mind adventures to be added to our list. We camped out at a lake for the night and then started the next day with the easy climb over Fawn Pass.

Day three was our favorite day with the best scenery and most wild feel. The trail faded a way for a

Who wore it best?

while forcing us to walk off trail in the bear management area but we found it again without incident. During this time off trail we stumbled upon some polished obsidian shards probably used as hunting tools by by Native Americans in the area a long time ago. Very neat discovery.

There's a lot more I want to say about this trip (And all of them in this post) - another reminder to make time to write.

Lemon Drop Day Trip
Very cool tootle in Gallatin Canyon. Starts from a little-used trailhead in Gallatin Canyon. A few the first few tenths of a mile, the terrain opens and presents options for longer trips.

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A few other posts with summer activity stats...

2016 - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2016/09/random-lakes-madison-range.html
2015 - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2015/11/bakcpacking-stats.html
2014 - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2014/11/summertime-done-come-and-gone-my-oh-my.html