TEDDY
We
had lunch in Billings before heading northeast on I-94, bound for North
Dakota. Along the way we passed
Pictograph Cave State Park and Pompeys Pillar
National Monument. I probably should
have researched these places before our trip.
However, we had originally planned to finish our backpacking trip in the
Beartooths that morning. That would have meant a long drive without
any time for meaningful stops.
Pictograph Cave State Park features Pictograph, Middle, and Ghost
Caves. Pictograph Cave contains rock art
over 2,000 years old. Pompeys Pillar is a 150’ sandstone butte above the
Yellowstone River. It bears the only
remaining physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Captain William Clark carved his name and the
date, July 25, 1806, on the face of the 150-foot butte during his return
through the Yellowstone Valley. I learned
all of this later, long after we’d driven by these two parks.
We
drove to Medora, North Dakota and arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park
late that afternoon. It was still
overcast and drizzly, but it looked like the worst of the weather had
passed. The Weather Channel called for
partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, so we had high hopes that conditions would
improve. We decided that camping would
be tolerable, so we headed over to the Cottonwood Campground on the bank of the
Little Missouri River. Despite the
weather, there were only a handful of vacant sites. Luckily, we were able to get one right on the
river. We set up camp and then drove the
park’s Scenic Loop Road. We saw some
bison and enjoyed the scenery, despite the marginal weather. I vowed to get up early the next morning so
that we would have time to drive the road again in better conditions.
We
returned to the campground and made a quick dinner at a picnic shelter. Then we drove to an overlook where we had a
surprisingly strong cell signal. Christy
set up a hot spot there using her phone so she could do her work. I did some reading and planned a hike for the
next day. After a couple of hours we returned to camp and went to bed.
On
Tuesday morning we got up at first light, made breakfast, and broke camp. Unfortunately, the weather was still
dreary. The overcast sky really limited
our views, but we had to leave that afternoon.
We decided to do everything we had originally planned, despite the
conditions. After all, it’s not that
often that your find yourself in western North Dakota. We are all about making the most of our
opportunities.
First,
we drove the scenic loop road again. This
time we went clockwise, for variety. Our
first stop was the short Wind Canyon Trail.
That trail led to a pretty view of the Little Missouri River. Next up was a short walk down the Boicourt Trail. I
imagine the views from it are fantastic in better weather. Next up was a drive and short walk to Buck
Hill, the highest point in the park.
Then it was on to the Ridgeline Trail.
The views were once again limited by the weather, but we did see our
first fall foliage of the year.
From
there we backtracked a bit to Paddock Creek.
Christy dropped me off there. She
had more work to do, and wasn’t terribly interested in a longer hike in
marginal weather. My plan was to hike
the Upper Paddock Creek Trail upstream to the Painted Canyon Trail. I’d hike the Painted Canyon Trail up to the
Painted Canyon Visitor Center, where Christy would pick me up early that
afternoon.
Christy
drove away, and I immediately began having regrets. The Upper Paddock Creek Trail was overgrown
with wet brush, and the surface was mostly mud.
Hiking that trail was like walking through wet cement. I actually thought about calling Christy and
telling her to come back, but of course I had no cell signal. I was on my own and fully committed, since
Christy would be picking me up at the other end.
The
trail was so overgrown that it was hard to follow in places. Frequently it braided into multiple
trails. In those cases
I simply picked one and went with it. At
one point I lost the trail completely. I
thought the walking might be easier higher up away from the creek, so I decided
to hike cross country along the grassy ridge south of Paddock Creek. That actually worked, and I made good
progress for a while. Eventually a
tributary stream got in the way, forcing me back down to creek level. I crossed the creek and regained the
trail. Incredibly, it was in much better
condition farther upstream. That was lucky,
because I was well behind schedule due to the cross country
hiking and messy trail conditions early on.
The
Upper Paddock Creek Trail did have some redeeming qualities. The scenery in the open valley was nice,
despite the clouds. I saw lots of late season wildflowers and a bit of fall
color.
The
junction with the Painted Canyon Trail was well marked. I followed it for a bit, lost it, and then
stumbled back on it a bit later. Some
stretches were very difficult to hike due to the boot-sucking mud. On the other hand, the upper part of this
trail had great scenery, with lots of colorful buttes and bluffs. I reached the rim of the canyon and passed a
huge bison on my way to the Visitors Center.
There are many nice viewpoints along the rim, so it is possible to get
good views of Painted Canyon with only a short walk. It is hard to judge because of the weather we
experienced, but this area seemed to be the most scenic in the park. Ironically, it is right off the interstate.
I
somehow ended up ahead of schedule, so I decided to add on the Painted Canyon
Nature Trail. This was another
mistake. Previously, the mud had been a
nuisance. This mud was epic. One short but steep climb was virtually
impossible because the mud was so slick.
I ended up crawling up it. By the
time I returned to the Visitor Center I was pretty much covered in mud. And….it was raining again. Luckily Christy was waiting for me there, and
there was a change of clothes waiting for me in the car.
We
ate lunch before heading south on CanAm Highway (US
85). Incredibly, the clouds lifted and
the sun came out. I was annoyed, because
we didn’t have time to go back to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. At least the scenery along the CanAM Highway was nice.
This corner of North Dakota is beyond desolate. There were grasslands and mountains to our
east and west. The scenic highlight
along here was probably White Butte. At
3,506’, it is the highest point in North Dakota.
From
there we drove south into South Dakota, all the way to Belle Fourche. Then we headed west, back into Wyoming. We passed through a corner of the Black
Hills, where we saw dozens and dozens of deer along the road. Shortly after re-entering Wyoming we reached
Devils Tower National Monument.
Back to North Dakota
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!