Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area's The Beaten Path, Montana August 2018

August 10th started the drive to meet up for our summer hiking adventure.  Larry and I stayed in Bozeman, MT, while Jen stayed in Glendive, MT, allowing us all to arrive in Red Lodge, MT, on August 11th within 5 minutes of each other.  This was better than when we have ever tried to coordinate a meetup, and we were perhaps more relaxed in our planning this year, sharing primarily our arrival date and packing list with one another prior to getting on the road.  We had thought perhaps we would be able to shuttle the cars on the 11th, but deep down, I thought that may be a "pipe dream" and not a reality.  However, it did become a reality.

One challenging variable about the car shuttle, is that it requires traveling the Beartooth Highway.  It is gorgeous!  The only other time I had been on this road following Kevin and Chelle Buffington's wedding in Anaconda, MT, many years ago.  My mom had thought that would be the fastest route from Billings, MT, where we would be driving my grandparents after the wedding, to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to meet up with the Loftus cousins, Ann and Laura.  It couldn't have been a longer ride, and it turned very dark outside while we were on the highway.  The only bright thing around were my mom's bright white knuckles.  She wouldn't pull over for the views due to her fear of heights.  Well, this time, I got to pull over and take pictures, even be the driver one of the three trips over the highway during this last week.

Mountain goats on the Beartooth Highway

What we had not planned for was that when we were close to the trailhead in Cooke City, MT, that we would not be permitted to camp in our tents.  We were so very fortunate in that we were able to secure ultimately the last room available in the area with finding a 2 bed cabin within 5 minutes of our trailhead outside of town.  Upon checking into the cabin, we learned that the restriction on tents in the area related back to the 2010 mauling in the region by a grizzly bear.  That night, we ventured outside to watch the meteor shower and were delighted by the brightest meteor that I have ever seen in my lifetime.  The new moon and the lack of nearby civilization were a big help with the visibility.  We didn't stay out too long as we were tired and the show would get better the next couple nights (or so we thought).

Our trip would begin at the Clark fork trailhead of The Beaten Path, and it would terminate at the East Rosebud trailhead.  Our guidebook reported that most hikers do the trip in the reverse direction, though that did not prove to be a reality during our experience.  We would become familiar with many faces throughout our five day wilderness experience.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Day 1 of our Backpacking Trip

After finding the trailhead and preparing the vehicle to be parked for the next five days, it was 10 AM when we started hiking.  Our hike was more forested with good shade, some areas of burn, and variable up and down over the six miles.  We passed by Kersey lake early in the hike and gained some elevation for good views of the lake below. We had a gain in elevation of 775 ft during the day and we arrived at Russell Lake to make camp just after 3 PM.  It took us a while to decide on where to set up in the area.  There are many small interconnected trails allowing for areas to set up the tent. 

View of Kersey Lake from the trail alongside Russel Creek

The camp site was small and scattered among many similar sites. We had a creek near us making filtering water quite simple. Finding a good branch for food hanging however was a challenge and we ended up pretty much on the trail for that.  Nearby though we found a good location to call our kitchen to make sure we were keeping all smells of food well away from our camp.

Camp at Russell Lake

Monday, August 13, 2018

Day 2

We all slept until about 830 AM.  First line of business is to pack up the items in the tent while still in "tent clothes" then proceed to take ddown the tent and change into "daytime clothes" when we could then preapare and eat our breakfasts.  Despite what I felt was a reasonable time to rise and shine in the cool Montana mountain air, we were the last backpackers to leave the lake at about 1025 AM. 

We hiked up 1200 ft, had a small return climb with a water crossing, and descended 600 ft to Dewey lake. this section included our one and only snow field crossing.  

Our original plan was to stop and camp at Fossil lake - a very large lake essentially above tree line.  That lake turned out to be very exposed without many viable camping spots.  We decided after talking with a couple about Dewey lake, that we would push on for that lake instead.  

Distant view of Fossil Lake from hike's summit; described in guidebook as an octopus like shaped lake

Mix of wildflowers

We arrived at camp after the 8.3 mile hike at about 450 PM.  We passed many beautiful lakes on day two and had less forest cover.  The lakes we were able to see included:  Ouzel, Bald Knob, and Fossil.  We also passed by many ponds along the way. 

The flowers were absolutely incredible!  So many varieties and everywhere you looked.  I don't believe I have ever seen wildflowers as plentiful and beautiful as this day and the following days within the Beartooths.

Our camp site was not one with amazing views; those amazing views however were only a short walk down the shore along the trail. We had plenty of room for a kitchen well away from the tent without having to scurry. 

We also tried a new hanging trick for the food explained to us where we purchased our great new bear-proof containers (bags) at Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop.  We sent the bags over a cliff edge!  It worked fabulous and was a lot less trouble with not having to throw a rock over a branch.

Dewey Lake, camp was just out of view to the right of photo edge

That afternoon, the wind came up and the temps turned colder. We ate dinner just before 7pm. Shortly after that we changed to our tent clothes and snuggled in. That evening was supposed to be the best night for viewing the perseid meteor shower, so plans were to get out of the tent after a bit to watch for the show, but mother nature had another plan.  We instead were treated to intermittent thunderstorms that evening.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Day 3

We all woke later that morning due to the night of thunderstorms and other ailments resulting in limited sleeping.  We got hiking after numerous hole digging events; luckily these were easier as most everyone had departed the lake or were preparing to do so shortly.  Eventually, we were on the trail around 1145 AM.  Our views leaving the lake were just gorgeous!

Outlet from Dewey Lake

Along the hike were many waterfalls, most unnamed and one called Impasse Falls. We also passed Twin Outlets lake and Duggan lake on the hike. Though the day began with sunny skies that later turned to brief and intermittent episodes of hard hail and rain with a little thunder. After the rain stopped we were able to take a lunch at a boulder field - it was the only dry sitting surface.  

Unnamed falls

Impasse Falls

We then pushed on briefly to the bridge crossing and found our little unmarked trail to Echo lake.  It would turn out that we would be the only backpackers at Echo Lake that night, only accompanied briefly by a couple base camp hikers checking out the lake after we told them about the trail accessing it (they had given up after a failed attempt to access via bush-whacking).  Due to no one else around that evening, it would be our first night without additional noise to keep bears away. 

Echo Lake view from campsite

Larry posing on the logs on Echo Lake

We hiked approx 5 miles in just over 3 hours, which included our lunch break.  Our hike was generally a 700 ft descent, a small return climb of less than 200 ft to Echo lake.  We did wade out to the logs where there was some great seating to just meditate by the beautiful peaks.  I had hopes of swimming in the great little lake, but the water was so cold, that by the time I waded the 10 or 15 feet to the logs, my feet were aching so strong that I couldn't wait to climb the logs.  That said, no swimming would be done by any of us that day.  We were able to enjoy our dinners, have plenty of room to spread out our kitchen, food hanging area, tent area, and dig plenty of holes in quiet - while making plenty of noise of the bears.

Berry picking by Jen

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Day 4

We knew that this would be our lightest day in terms of hiking, so we all indulged and slept in a bit and took our time packing up camp. We did get on the trail at the later time of noon and hiked just 2 hours and 10 min to Rainbow lake.  Our hike descended approx 600 ft.  We hiked past Big Park lake and Lake at Falls (apparently a recent bear sighting was in this area), then some switches with a plentiful spread of berries for slowing the walk down.  The berries did include blueberries, huckleberries, thimbleberries, raspberries, currants, another I cannot recall the name of.  The raspberries and blueberries were my favorites most definitely!  We weren't even to the area where our guidebook described the trail as "berry heaven" yet - that would come the following day - but it was crazy good and packed full of feasts!  We were mindful of the bears and kept up our singing and left some berries for them as well.

Just one specimen of berries in the area

Thimbleberry, more fibrous than an raspberry but otherwise similar flavor

We had thought about hiking on to Rimrock lake - one to two miles further - but were told by other experienced hikers from the area that there wouldn't be any camping available there.  Also to our disappointment, was that the only camping on Rainbow lake was on the closer end of the lake, making this day short and the last day about a mile longer.  

Our Ursacks hanging high above Jen

We definitely had some advantages to our early arrival though.  We got a stellar site, great access to the larger open field (not really a meadow as nothing much was growing there) to have coffee and meals, staked out a great branch for hanging food, took a longer walk along the trail where our hike would take us in our packs the following day, and checked out the beach.  

Larry and I even took the time to change into our bathing suits and hit the lake.  Larry found almost waist deep was as far as he could go, but I swam a bit, it was extremely refreshing!  The water was green due to being glacially fed, but was a tiny bit warmer than Echo lake, making the swim possible.  We were able to enjoy a good dinner and later retire to sleep.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Day 5 

Why change our routine, again, we were the last hikers to depart camp.  Our hike was 8 miles on map but 10.15 miles by gps and included descending 1500 ft.  The mile or so long hike alongside/above Rainbow lake was beautiful requiring many rest breaks for photo-ops. 

Rainbow Lake

We would then reach Rimrock lake, which as it turned out, had a couple fabulous camping sites.  The water was so very clear you could see the fish swimming by with plain view, no polarized glasses required.  The trail then switched down over talus for the steepest section probably (800 of the 1500 ft.).  Berry heaven followed this or perhaps was part of this, but it was not nearly what the earlier site was.  Perhaps this is much more picked over by hikers due to the location to the trailhead.

Bridge at the far end of Rimrock Lake

 We had a great long lunch at the last lake, Elk lake.  We had some wonderful shade and waded a little to cool the warm feet.  The day warmed with every foot of elevation we lost.  




Elk lake is only 3 miles from the East Rosebud trailhead, and results in a bit more foot traffic.  I had expected even more foot traffic, though we were exiting on a Thursday and this likely contributed to the lighter traffic.  The last 2 miles or so were very warm and sunny as there had been a fire in the area in the past and the new growth, though robust, did not offer any shade to hikers on the trail.

Mary, Jen, and Larry at the Wilderness Boundary marker nearing the East Rosebud trailhead

We returned to Red Lodge, MT, where we were able to secure a cabin at the KOA then begin the drive back to the Clark's fork trailhead to retrieve one car.  

The late arrival back in Red Lodge did limit options for our dinner, but we were delighted by our find on our first day in town, that we returned to Foster & Logan's Pub and Grill for dinner.

After all is said and done...

It's sad to get on the road again.  We decided to go into town for breakfast before dividing up our gear and hitting the road again.  We had a great breakfast in a cafe with murals of area attractions; it felt like home.  I know many places exist like this in Montana.  I don't know if it is a cafe that I have been in before with family visits or if it's just similar to other cafes in Montana, but I felt like my grandparents would have been right there with me.  Perhaps they were.

Farley with his new toys

We parted ways after a final swag stroll through town, that turned out to be quite a bit spendy on the Heckel household.  Larry and I made it to ID Falls before deciding to call it a day, and Jen to Bismark.  Now it is Saturday the 18th, and we are all home again.  My dogs are happy to see me, but not as excited as I'd like to see.  The good thing is, this means they were well cared for and not starved for interactions.  Of course some of the swag shopping in Red Lodge was for them.  They have a couple Montana made toys from West Paw Design - a Bozeman company from what I understand with a lifetime guarantee on their products.  Well, Farley is hoarding both of the new toys and absolutely loves them.  He even chose them over a rawhide, and that says a lot!

A huge thanks to my cousins Mike and Paul Buffington, who gave the recommendations on the hike and direction of hiking.  They have often asked if the Beartooths were in my plans for a backpacking trip - especially since I try to get in at least 5 consecutive days per summer (in addition to the weekend trips).  I had never thought much of it.  I have been to GNP a couple times, the Tetons, YNP, and the Wind River range.  Now I fully understand their persistence at recommending the location.  It was absolutely breathtaking, and I am sure that sometime in the future I will go there again.