[pct-l] FW: Indian Summer in the Wilderness

[Lonetrail at aol.com]

Great Posting. We need more of this
 
Lonetrail:


>
>It has been a fantastic journey through the Bob  Marshall and Scapegoat 
>Wilderness Areas - nine days of warm sunny  days, brilliant autumn color, 
>and great hiking along the Divide.   We took our time, as usual, and were 
>able to enjoy this last real  wilderness section in our long hike.
>
>The day we left East  Glacier the weather changed, from the cold, rain and 
>snow of the  previous 9 days to 60 and 70 degree days with sunshine.  Snow  
>melt made for a boggy entrance to the Bob, but it was still good as we  were 
>able to see fresh, very fresh sometimes, tracks in the snow and  mud.  We 
>actually saw bear tracks every day - sometimes four or  five different bears 
>- but no fur this time.  We did see lots of  deer and some elk, plus a 
>couple of golden eagles.
>
>It  was hunting season (earlier in the Wilderness than for the rest of the  
>state) but we didn't see all that many hunters - at most one group a  day 
>and some days none at all.  The one that surprised me was the  man who asked 
>if we had seen the grizzly feeding on the dead horse  next to their camp.  I 
>wanted to ask him, "Don't you think you  ought to move your camp, or at 
>least get your horses out of  there?"  But I kept my mouth shut.
>
>I was surprised to  learn that the first 20 miles south of Marias Pass are 
>open to ATVs  and motorcycles.  We stuck to the 'High Water Route' and 
>avoided  most of them, but on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the place is busy.   
>I talked to the Ranger (on his ATV) and he said that it was legal  during 
>the summer season.  He highly recommended part of the  'official' CDT - the 
>Kip Creek - Lee Creek Loop near the Ranger  station - he said it was "Way 
>cool" - but we were running so far  behind for the day after spending an 
>hour searching for Jim's lost  glasses that we decided against it.  Has 
>anyone else done  it?  Is it really as scenic as he said?
>
>We hiked the Clack  Creek alternate - very beautiful.  We reached the 
>Chinese Wall at  the wrong time of day for best photographs, but it was 
>still  beautiful. We had a resupply at Benchmark - the box was there, but no 
 
>one was home and the water was shut off so our long awaited and badly  
>needed showers had to wait for three more days, until we reached  Lincoln.  
>Fires closed the CDT south of Benchmark (Straight Creek  Trail) - it was 
>still burning when we were there.
>
>We  also had the excitement of walking right into another fire yesterday in  
>the Scapegoat on the south side of Green Mountain.  A prescribed  burn had 
>gotten out of control, due to high winds.  We thought we  knew where the 
>fire was, we could see the smoke two valleys over, so  were very surprised 
>to be walking down the trail and see smoke on  either side of us.  The ridge 
>1/2 mile ahead was clear so we  hightailed it through the smoldering grass 
>and trees to safety.   As I told Jim, "There's a time to take pictures and a 
>time to move  it"  but he disagreed.  "There's always time to take  
>pictures."
>
>If you hike through there on a dry year, as  this one was, and there seems 
>to be no water at Valley of the Moon -  go upstream.  We found good water 
>about 1/4 mile up, but it sinks  into the sand there, leaving the stream and 
>pond totally  dry.
>
>Walk softly,
>
>Ginny and  Jim
>
>
>
>
>http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/
>
>


_______________________________________________
pct-l  mailing list
pct-l at backcountry.net
unsubscribe or change  options:
http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l