08/19/07 Hiking East Rosebud Trail (12 miles round trip to Rim Rock Lake):
Poured down rain yesterday as I was driving from Idaho into Montana. Following the map, things began to look familiar. Same old bumpy road, same old campground, same old trailhead. What somehow seemed new was the huge canyon you could see from miles away. What you actually see is these immense granite walls sloping down to meet each other. Really impressive and I didn't remember them. Go figger!
I stayed in the campground so I wouldn't have to drive the rocky road any more than I had to. It was just a short walk downhill to the trailhead from there.
East Rosebud Lake is a gorgeous lake with huge walls on the sides and the canyon, leading off into the distance, at its head. Someone has gotten hold of the surrounding land and built cabins or condos or some damn things and placed much of the land around the lake off limits. Also much of this area is a burn area. It happened some time ago and there is some new growth. The scenery is such that I hardly noticed the burn. (A local told me later that 11 years ago lightning had struck between East Rosebud Lake and Elk Lake and huge winds just swept it right down the canyon and destroyed 36 cabins).
The trail leads along the left (east) side of the lake where most of the cabins are. They soon fall behind and at the top of the lake you're greeted by the raging stream the trail follows from there on.
It's 3 1/2 miles to Elk Lake, the destination of most people on the trail. I made the 600 foot rise in 1 1/2 hours. Giant walls the entire way. Same thing at Elk Lake. Even had a little island on it. Only one camping spot outside the 200 foot limit to lakes, streams and the trail.
Lots of wind roaring through the canyon. It was still in the 60's by mid-morning too.
Above Elk Lake, the burn area lessened until it finally disappeared. Still lots of dead trees on the slopes, probably from beetles or some such thing.
The trail started to rise through broken rock fields and then turned to switchbacks. I thought the trail rose 500 feet or so but the GPS only said 200. The trail went through some trees and there was Rim Rock Lake. Steep walls on two sides and graduated walls at the far end. The lake is a rich green color which is supposed to mean it is fed by glacier runoff.
A bridge crosses the outlet stream and follows the right (west) side of the lake. Towards the end of the lake a roaring waterfall drops into the lake. Not very wide and not very long but a lot of volume.
Switchbacks lead up over a crest at the far end. Rainbow Lake is 1 mile farther on but 1000 feet higher. I decided to end the hike at Rim Rock but when I saw streams of water tumbling down one of those great walls I just had to climb the switchback to see what was on the other side. Turned out to be just the bottom of the wall. I didn't even think to look and see where the trail might lead.
08/21/07 Hiking Mystic Lake Trail (12 miles round trip to Island Lake):
Driving into this the trailhead on West Rosebud Road is over a really bad washer board road. I could see great mountains and peaks towards the end of the road. Almost at the end are Emerald Lake and West Rosebud Lakes with the same peaks in the background. I stayed at the Emerald Lake NF Campground just to keep from driving that road any more than I had to. It was still another 1.5 miles to the trailhead though.
Lots of rain last night but most of it was gone by morning. Lots of big white clouds in the sky with the occasional black one. Temperature in the 50's and 20-30mph wind blowing most of the day. Got to the trailhead at 7:45. Went over to the trail sign expecting to find a trail. Stood there like a dummy looking for it before I realized the sign was pointing down the road.
Down past a couple of houses I saw another trail sign. Mystic Lake is a natural lake but the power company has built a dam to make it longer, wider and deeper. A tramway and water pipes run the 3 miles from the dam to a small power plant near the trailhead. Not too pretty but not too distracting
No burn area here and much of the hike is through trees blocking off much of the views. This hike is through another canyon with the walls not rising as high as East Rosebud nor as impressive. The wilderness sign appears after 1 mile.
After 2 miles switchbacks lead up the left side of the canyon through rock and boulder fields and away from the stream running through the center of the canyon. It's a 1200-1300 foot climb and 3 miles altogether from the trailhead to Mystic Lake. Once at the top of the switchbacks the lake is layed out 100 feet below. Very pretty with the same peaks seen on the drive in providing background and walls rising on either side.
The trail leads around the left side of the lake. This is mostly through trees and all you get is an occasional glimpse of the lake until you get down near the end. Lots of camping though. The lake is 3 miles long.
Island Lake is directly above Mystic Lake, separated by a short outflow. The same peaks provide background here too. Lots of good looking camp spots on the right of this lake.
Silver Lake is another mile or so above Island Lake but the trail sign said its 8 miles and I thought that a bit more than I wanted today. I had my gloves on until about 1pm and took off my jacket 1/2 hour later as I descended the trail. Black clouds threatened much of the day but the rain held off.
08/23/07 Hiking Basin Lakes National Recreational Trail:News said floods in the mid-west, temperatures in the 100's on the east coast and here I sit with my buns nearly frozen... in August yet. Not below freezing but mighty close to it.
I must have been on the wrong trail today. I would expect a national recreational trail to be pretty scenic or to have some historical significance. Not this one! Nothing except a medium size waterfall 200 yards from the trailhead. After that, nothing but a walk in the woods until you get to an ordinary pond with some water lilies on it. No kidding, nothing else, nada. And the guide book calls it an easy trail. 1800 feet in a little more than two miles is not easy.
I could see where the upper lake probably was, in a cirque. Looked nice from the lower lake but nothing special. Nothing else around but forested slopes. Why a national recreation trail? I was so disgusted I thought doing laundry held more appeal and that's what I did... and then drove down to Cody, Wyoming.