Trip details vol. two

Stage 2: The Mountains (Days 3 - 5)



We awoke sunday morning and prepared for our expedition. We had an hour's drive to get to the trailhead so we had to get packed and started early. The town of Buffalo was around 8,000 ft elevation, I think. The trailhead was at around 9,000 ft. so the trip there was mostly up up up. When we got to the trailhead we donned our packs, conversed briefly with an elderly ranger who informed us of the dangers of various bacteria in the water then we set off.



The first day of hiking was hard. any climbs resulted in shortness of breath. We would climb 30 or 40 feet then stop. about an hour in, we climbed up bald ridge which provided both the most challenge as well as the best views. We paused many times for rest and photo ops.



The rest of the day was somewhat of a blur. especially at the later stages. Fred and I had gauged the day's trek at around 6 miles which we estimated we could complete in 3 or four hours. It ended up being over 7 miles and over five hours. Lily Lake was a welcome end to the day. When we arrived our first order of business was to set up camp and pump water. Pumping water became a big problem. To save money, abs and I didn't buy a pump. So we had one manual pump to produce all of our water. Unfortunately, the water at Lily Lake was so dirty that we had to clean the pump filter every bottle (32oz) and a half. This took alot longer than we expected. By dinner time I was so exhausted I couldn't eat. I tried to force down what I could, but i was obviously dehydrated. Not Good! we barely got done with dinner before sundown. sleep was welcome.



The second day was fantastic. We got a late start and left Lily Lake with the intent of camping at MistyMoon Lake about 5 miles away. In our way was a pass about 1000 feet in elevation above Lily Lake. But our trip was made easier by the beautiful scenery around us and our added endurance from spending the night at high elevation. We still had to stop every 50 ft or so for breaks while ascending, but spirits were higher. I had learned from my mistakes and drank plenty of water. Fortunately the lack of dinner didn't reduce my energy. On the far side of the pass Fred and I took the opportunity to climb a hill and attain the highest elevation for the trip: about 10400 ft. As we approached MistyMoon the temperature dropped and a few drops of rain fell. And to our dismay, the lake was already too crowded for us to find any good campsites (Apparently, a group of about 20 kids were camped there on what appeared to be a school trip). So we continued forth towards the next lake.



It didn't take long for the skies to open up and the rain to really fall. But we were prepared so the rain wasn't much of a threat. By the time we reached our campsite for the night at Lake Marion the rain had mostly stopped. I was in a better state and food was welcome this time around. Even though we had a late start we were still in bed before sundown. This was a good thing too because not long after the rain started once again. but harder. everyone stayed nice and dry, however.



The morning gave us the opportunity to enjoy the scenery around the lake. It wasn't as impressive as MistyMoon lake which was surrounded by several peaks, but it was perhaps more beautiful. any discription I attempt would fail to do it justice. Just check my fotos.



We had some dissension on the third day. Our original plans were to stay a third night in the mountains but Tifany was bit sick of it all and needed to get out. So we ended up hiking out that third day passing the lovely Lake Helen along the way. The trip down was hard on all of our joints and the trailhead was a welcome sight. We got in the car and drove west towards Yellowstone figuring we'd find a hotel somwhere along the way.



Our first meal was McDonalds in Worland which tasted better than it sounds. But Worland's hotels had less to offer: NO VACANCY. So we continued on our way and eventually found a nice little motel in Greybull. Our luck with hotels had finally improved. so did our morale after some hot showers. Yellowstone next!