Post by hikerjer on Aug 31, 2021 17:27:06 GMT -8
On Sunday I headed the mountains for a short backpack trip. I hadn't backpacked for a while and decided to take a short overnighter - just to get out of town for a bit if for no other reason. Late Sunday evening I put my dog and gear in the truck and drove to Red Lodge, had dinner at a local restaurant and then headed to the trailhead about an hour away. I slept in my camper that night and after a late breakfast, strarted to backpack down to the lakes which sit shortly less than two miles in a deep basin. I've been by the lakes many, many times but have never actually hiked into them so I thought it was time to take a walk down and check them out and spend a quiet evening camped there. I got to the lakes in the early afternoon, found a beautiful camping site and set up my tent. Being an old guy, it was time for a nap so I stretched out and soon fell asleep only to awaken shortly after by my dog going crazy. I looked up and a very short distance away was a mother black bear and her two cubs. They wern't agressive by any means and I didn't feel threatened but still, they were bears. I tried everything - yelling, banging on pots, blowing my whistle, throwing rocks - to get them to leave but they just wouldn't. They just ambled a short way off and occupied themselves - the cubs frolicking around and mom just watching me. After about two hours of this, I realized they weren't going to leave. I guess I would characterize their behavior as the cubs being curious and mom just being patient and in no hurry to go anywhere. Finally, after a couple of hours, I realized they weren't going to leave. I decided to pack up and leave. While I didn't feel in danger, I didn't relish spending a sleepless night fending off curious/hungry bears. It was just a short hike out so leaving was really no big deal. I walked out to my truck and then drove the hour back to town where I had a beer and then headed home.
On a positive note, on the hike out and and it's a pretty steep climb, I stopped, sat down and propped myself next to a rock to rest. It dawned on me that I was experiencing a rare moment on the Beartooth Plateau. It was all blue skies, 70 degrees, not wisp of wind and absolutely no bugs. 11,000 to 12,000 foot peaks loomed over the tundra and it was absolutely still and quiet. A magic moment, if you will. I lingered for half an hour before continuing back to my truck.
Perhaps I was being overly cautious in leaving. Maybe not, but it does beg the question - would you have stuck it out that night or headed home?
On a positive note, on the hike out and and it's a pretty steep climb, I stopped, sat down and propped myself next to a rock to rest. It dawned on me that I was experiencing a rare moment on the Beartooth Plateau. It was all blue skies, 70 degrees, not wisp of wind and absolutely no bugs. 11,000 to 12,000 foot peaks loomed over the tundra and it was absolutely still and quiet. A magic moment, if you will. I lingered for half an hour before continuing back to my truck.
Perhaps I was being overly cautious in leaving. Maybe not, but it does beg the question - would you have stuck it out that night or headed home?
