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| Fields of wildflowers near Triple Divide Pass |
Just finished our four day backcountry camping trip. Ray,
Alan, and I trekked 34 miles through mountainous terrain that was teeming with
wildflowers and wildlife. It was refreshing to be amid the greenery that I had
seen from a distance while I was in Browning, and quite remarkable that the
forest was so lush despite the lack of rainfall over the last several weeks.
Still on a slow internet connection, so more photos later.
We stayed at three different campgrounds along the way.
Each one had four small campsites, a food hanging, and a food preparation area.
In order to keep campgrounds less appealing to bears and other wildlife, people
must be vigilant about containing their food and keeping it out of tent sites.
This gave us an opportunity to chat with many intrepid hikers as we prepared
and ate dinner each night.
We met several families with grown children, and some groups
of close friends who were hiking together. We noticed just as many women as men
on the trails, but we did not see any young children. While we were having
lunch one day, a group of two young men and two young women sloshed through a
nearby creek carrying shovels, axes, and helmets. One of them said they were
setting up for a nine day work camp. Not far behind them were a team of horses,
one of them leading a train of seven pack mules. They were huge!
Nathan, a National Park Service Backcountry ranger, and his
volunteer companion, Dave, were at our campsite for two nights. We took comfort in
having Nathan close by throughout much of our trip, and it was fascinating to
learn more about the park from his perspective. He told us that of the 300+
days he has spent in the backcountry over the last four years, he has only seen
two bears. Phew! He also warned us to be careful when viewing moose, because
they can be just as dangerous as bears.
There was a female moose at the Red Eagle Lake campground
who came out for dinner and breakfast while we were there. She ambled right by
our campsite and into the lake, seemingly unaware that any campers were there.
We stayed quiet and kept our distance while she ate. As we were leaving, the
moose trotted out of the water, right across our trail, and into the nearby
woods. Alan had a perfect photo op.
Our trip brought us Pitamakin Pass and Triple Divide Pass.
This meant we would gain and lose a significant amount of elevation within each
of two day’s hikes. We were happy that the climb for each of these passes came
at the beginning of each hike. The view from the top of Pitamakin was
spectacular. We could see four shimmering lakes from one spot that looked like
gemstones plucked from the earth. We hiked to Triple Divide in the rain. By the
time we got to the top, there were frozen droplets collecting on our gloves, so
we scurried quickly down the other side. Fortunately, the skies opened up and
we were treated to beautiful views as we hiked through wildflowers and bear
brush for the rest of that day’s hike.
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