Tobacco Roots, Beartooth's and the remainder of the summer of 2016

[duffer]

Until a couple days ago, I haven't been able to log into this site since the middle of July. Seems the password reset was going to some destination I had no knowledge of----.

A summery of the start. The first 2 trips were posted here:

https://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f72/cabin-fever-finally-broken-26348/

https://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f72/another-tobacco-root-mountains-sorti-26415/

And the third here.
https://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f72/tobacco-root-mountains-sortie-part-ii-26416/

The 4th of July found us back at our usual haunt for that date, North Meadow Creek. A tradition started by my late Father in 1952 or 53 and missed only a handful of times since. We decided to forgo an actual 4th of July date and left the following Wednesday to avoid the hordes. It was worth the wait. The plan for this year was "car" camping at the Jeeps with day hikes from there as one of the group finished chemo a couple weeks before and wasn't really up for any packing.

Sterling Road and Ward Peak west of Norris, MT.


Ward Peak again, South Baldy on left and a little of Lady of the Lake Peak at extreme right. From Sterling Road near its intersection with North Meadow Creek Road.


Had to do a little chainsaw work on the way to Twin Lakes.


Camp area at Upper Twin Lake.


Following getting the tents set up, we did a short hike to the inlet of upper Twin.




Ward Peak, Upper Twin Lake.


Bog orchid.




Lady of the Lake Peak.




Day 2 consisted of a day hike into upper Bradley Meadows.
Lady of the Lake Peak.




Ward Peak from the upper meadow.


Suspect this was a claim marker but sure looked like a grave.




Stream from upper meadows.


Lady of the Lake Peak again on our exit.


Day 3 was a day hike to Lady of the Lake-Lake. We covered about a mile of the same terrain as the day before and then cut up to the lake. Not long after lunch, the clouds closed in and it started to sprinkle so we bailed early.

Lady of the Lake, Lake.


Making our exit.


Day four was just packing up very soggy tents and hitting the Jeep trail.

OK, get your lazy buns out of that tent.




Lower Twin Lake.

 

[duffer]

The next venture was Indian Creek. Our 32nd wedding anniversary was celebrated with a day hike up Indian Creek, out of Sheridan, MT. The main objective was Macaroni Lake, a small speck that we have bypassed at least 4 times on previous trips. Access was via Indian Creek Road (FS 158), FS Trails 6015 and 6007, plus some bushwhacking to Macaroni. Temps were very pleasant, in the low 60's someplace when we started and only getting to the mid 70's in the afternoon.

Trail 6015.


Macaroni Lake with un-named peak beyond. One heck of an avalanche path.


Another shot of Macaroni with Cloud Rest Peak to Left and a small piece of Granite to far right.


And with a little more of Granite Peak in the background.


We did some more off-trail bushwhacking leaving Macaroni and headed straight for Hill Reservoir and Taylor Lake, eventually finding FS 6007 a few hundred yards below the reservoir.
Hill Reservoir (dry) and another un-named peak.


Lewis monkey flower.


Taylor Lake (or swamp).


Couple of kid photos.




And back at the trail head.


FS 158 hardly qualifies as a Jeep trail. Didn't use either 4x4 or low range but that said, plenty of rocks that will remove pieces from the bottom of a normal car.

 

[duffer]

A couple of weeks later found us back in Sheridan only this time it was Wisconsin Creek with a day hike from the end of the Jeep trail to Twin and Sunrise Lakes in this drainage. I'm guessing the hike was something less than 4 miles total which gave my wife some time to throw line at the cutthroats. AND SHE DID HAVE FUN!!!!!

Out let area of Lower Twin Lake.


Below outlet with a little of Old Baldy Mountain in the distance.


Kid photo 1.


Lower Twin Lake.


A couple shots of Sunrise Lake with Mount Jackson behind.




Kid photo 2.


My wife enjoying herself at the expense of some cuts.


Sunrise Lake again.


Other than spending an hour trying to come up with a means of keeping one shock from beating its self to death after the rubber mounting went to pieces (shocks from MOPAR's lift kit with maybe 5k on them-junk!!!), it was a another very pleasant day. When I got home, I looked at the other front shock and it had the same problem but at least there was some rubber left. Both the rubber and the washer going to pieces-apparently from too soft a rubber compound. I replaced both sides with some left over Mercedes items I had in the shop. Fit perfect but am doubting the shocks themselves will have any longevity. Moral of the story: don't buy anything MOPAR for a Jeep.

 

[duffer]

The next weekend, it was another day trip South Willow Creek and Granite Lake, again in the Roots. This one on FS Roads 160 and 9605. 9605 is closed to Jeep use a little short of three miles below Granite Lake. Being a "goody two shoes", we parked where designated, but clearly, that isn't the case with some others. We didn't see another vehicle or person until we were about back to FS 160.

The Jeep portion of FS 9605 is a bit interesting. Nothing too challenging but if you were to screw up and depart the trail, it is a LONG ways to the bottom and you wouldn't likely stop until you reached the bottom. Very steep slope and a lot of tight switchbacks.

Start of hike. Granite Lake is in the bowl just right of Granite Peak in the center.


Looking back down-canyon, at the start of the hike. JK is visible just right of trees in middle distance.


Wet meadow one headwall below the lake. You can see an old mining road above it. Most of the roading in this area was done in the 68-70 time frame and almost all was just for core drilling but it sure did mess up the scenery.


Couple shots of Granite Lake.




Couple of "kid" photos.




Scenery.




Couldn't find a good location to get a photo of this cascade.


Looking back down the north fork of South Willow Creek on the way out.

 

[duffer]

A couple of weeks later, the trip we didn't think was going to happen. Five days in the Beartooth's off the Goose Lake Road.

Round Lake, adjacent to the Jeep trail.


Star Lake-where we camped


Not so nice Thursday morning.


Sheep Mountain.


Mount Fox.


Heading up from Star Lake to Goose Lake trailhead.


Goose Lake, Wolf Mountain left, Sawtooth right.


Token billy shot-saw 7 goats in this area.


Part of what is left of Grasshopper Glacier.


East side of Sawtooth Mountain and one of the Grasshopper Lakes.


Remains of the Copper King Mine with Sawtooth Mountain for a backdrop.


Star Lake again.


The crew.


Heading home, we went up Fisher Creek to Lulu Pass, thence to Daisy Pass. Fisher Creek.


At the top of Lulu.


Weather aside, it was a really fun 5 days in the sticks.

 

[duffer]

Early September we meet with up with friends from AZ and did a 2 day trip up the Ruby River and then north on the Gravelly Range Road. My wife and I meet up in Alder, MT (on US 287) and proceeded up the Upper Ruby River Road (MT 357 and FS 100) and camped at the end of FS 8342 on Basin Creek. From a few miles above Ruby Reservoir, a lot of the road is pretty much single lane and FS 8342 was low range territory. The next day, with a short hike to the Basin Creek Coal mine, we continued south on FS 100 until we came to Eureka Basin Road (FS 347) and took it 6 or 7 miles east to the Gravelly Range Road (FS 290). Thence 40 something miles north on FS 290 with an exit to US 287 via the Johnny Ridge Road (FS 324). In all, over the two days, we put about 300 miles on the Jeep.

The northern end of the Snowcrest Range above Ruby Reservoir from FS 100.


Camp on Basin Creek.


Couple more Snowcrest Range photos from camp.




The Basin Creek mine. Rather well preserved.










Then on to FS 290 which runs along the crest of the Gravelly's. The range is rather unique in that it is open and has a lot of roads.

Looking SE from FS 290 towards the southern Madison Range.


Black Butte, the highest peak (10,542') in the range.


Madison Range.


FS 290 near Black Butte. Road elevation here is close to 9,500'.


Sheep Mountain in the Greenhorn Range.


And our last stop for lunch at Clover Meadows.


It had been nearly 40 years since I did that trip before and was fun. But a lot of driving-----

 

[duffer]

And the last trip of the "summer". A return to Lady of the Lake in the Roots.

Ward Peak/North Meadow Creek about 3 miles below the trailhead for the Jeep trail.


North Meadow Creek about 1/3 of the way to Upper Twin Lake.


Upper Twin Lake and the start of the backpacking.


The backpacking isn't that far, but some of it is pretty steep and most off-trail.


A little too late for the bog birch-most of the leaves were already gone.


A couple of shots explaining the reason we are here---
Yellowstone cuts.


And the fisher person.


While were were preparing dinner, this guy wandered over the ridge and into the bowl above the lake.


He finally saw us and made a detour but got hung up in the rocks and just sat there until dark.


He did manage to break a limb off the tree we had our food hung from in the middle of the night but couldn't get to the food.

Camp. Definitely went below freezing during the night-a frosty morning.


Lady of the Lake in early light.


My wife took a few trail shots on the way out. Getting better at piloting the JK in this stuff. Only tickled one control arm on the exit but there are a couple of new scratches on the skid plates from the way in.




We had high hopes of getting out a couple more times but the weather just didn't cooperate.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

:ty:
Great pictures and really like the 'kid'.
I have a mini-Aussie, and she loves Jeeping & camping.


LG

 

[Torxhead]

Wow! thanks for that Duff, That is some really beautiful country.

 

[Posi]

Looks to be his home just above where he got hung up in the rocks.
Thanks for sharing John.

 

[Belizean]

That really is some beautiful country. Great pictures