Crow Lake Aquamarine
2019-09-02, Day 1
Crow Lake catches noon-day sun beneath towering cliffs that reach up to a high-elevation plateau, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.
At this point we had been hiking for almost 4 hours on our first day and the terrain conspired to teach us in no uncertain terms that we had severely underestimated its ruggedness. In a fit of questionable planning, the point where I stand is the end of the established trail in this direction, and also where we decided it would be a good idea to chart our own middle-aged course through the forest, up the drainage, and over an unnamed pass to the south. The benefits we anticipated included a general lack of company, spectacular scenery, and a considerable short-cut compared to the route the trail followed.
As the forest to the left of the frame suggests, it is healthy and full of interlocking branches and downed logs. As one might imagine, travel through its fastness is only grudgingly allowed. As I inspect my pack some months later, I am still finding needles lodged in every crevice. Fortunately, it is difficult to truly get lost in terrain like this, as the drainage provides a sort of topographic braille through which we felt our way ever upward away from the lake and toward the treeless heights. The final approach to the pass was steep, probably around 35 degrees, and we paused occasionally for breath and to feel the body humming perceptibly with exertion. Yes, next time more care will be taken in the physical preparation department...
Crow Lake Aquamarine
2019-09-02, Day 1
Crow Lake catches noon-day sun beneath towering cliffs that reach up to a high-elevation plateau, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.
At this point we had been hiking for almost 4 hours on our first day and the terrain conspired to teach us in no uncertain terms that we had severely underestimated its ruggedness. In a fit of questionable planning, the point where I stand is the end of the established trail in this direction, and also where we decided it would be a good idea to chart our own middle-aged course through the forest, up the drainage, and over an unnamed pass to the south. The benefits we anticipated included a general lack of company, spectacular scenery, and a considerable short-cut compared to the route the trail followed.
As the forest to the left of the frame suggests, it is healthy and full of interlocking branches and downed logs. As one might imagine, travel through its fastness is only grudgingly allowed. As I inspect my pack some months later, I am still finding needles lodged in every crevice. Fortunately, it is difficult to truly get lost in terrain like this, as the drainage provides a sort of topographic braille through which we felt our way ever upward away from the lake and toward the treeless heights. The final approach to the pass was steep, probably around 35 degrees, and we paused occasionally for breath and to feel the body humming perceptibly with exertion. Yes, next time more care will be taken in the physical preparation department...