UNFINISHED BUSINESS
I had to
make some decisions on the morning of day 7.
My plan was to backpack from Ferry Lake off trail along the Continental
Divide to the north. My goal was to go
all the way to Yellowstone Point. I had
climbed up to “Lower Yellowstone Point” from Atlantic Creek on our 2022
trip. That provided a great view, but I
stopped way below the actual top. I was
eager to make another attempt at it.
From there I
planned to backtrack, but I intended to drop down into the headwaters of the
North Fork Buffalo to check out some waterfalls that I’d missed on my 2022
visit. From there I’d hike back to Ferry
Lake and on to Marston Pass and the headwaters of the South Fork of the
Yellowstone. That would put me in
position to climb Younts Peak before heading down Marston Creek to return to
the South Fork Shoshone.
There was
one problem with my plan. There was a
very good chance of afternoon thunderstorms for the next couple of days. That’s not ideal for walking all day above
treeline.
I debated my
options over breakfast before deciding on a change in plans. I would flip my route around and head for the
headwaters of the North Fork Buffalo that morning. I’d camp somewhere along the North Fork
Buffalo and then head back up a tributary valley the next day. I had marked a bunch of likely spots for
waterfalls in that valley that I wanted to check out. If I could find the route to Tri County Lake
I could camp there.
After those two days, the weather forecast looked better. From Tri County Lake I would head to
Yellowstone Point, before backtracking the following day. The change in plans meant that I might not
have time for Younts Peak, but I was ok with that.
I packed up
after breakfast and headed back around the east side of Ferry Lake. The wildflowers were astonishing along that
stretch, which I enjoyed for the third time in 3 days. At the north end of Ferry
Lake I headed west on the Soda Fork Trail, heading towards an unnamed
pass. This stretch of trail was very wet
and muddy, but it had nice scenery and lots of flowers. From the pass I continued down the Soda Fork
Trail before climbing steeply south towards the top of a non-descript
hill. I wanted to see Crater Lake, and
it looked like that peak would offer a good vantage of it. That was a good choice, as I found a great
view from directly above.
From there I
backtracked, crossed the trail, and headed north through a big meadow. My guidebook mentioned an unofficial trail
connecting the North Fork Buffalo headwaters with the Soda Fork Trail, and I
was hoping to find it. Unfortunately,
the guidebook description is written in the opposite direction, and I wasn’t
sure how to get to it from the south. I
headed towards the spot that was my best guess, but I didn’t see a trail up to
the plateau above. I might have been
able to scramble up, but I decided to parallel the base of a steep slope
heading west. That worked perfectly, as
I stumbled upon the trail at the bottom of the other place where climbing up
looked feasible. The trail was steep,
but it was a lot easier than scrambling.
I reached
the top of the plateau and looked back to see another view of Crater Lake in
the distance. I crossed the meadow and
reached the rim of the North Fork Buffalo valley. The valley is guarded by a small band of
cliffs that is just enough of an obstacle to create a challenge. Using my GPS, I followed the rim northeast
towards a spot where the map suggested a break in the cliffs. When I reached it, I was surprised to find a
pretty good trail heading down. It was
steep, but it actually had a couple of
switchbacks. I had lunch at the bottom
and contemplated my route.
I headed
down from there towards a tributary of the North Fork. It looked like it might have a couple of
small waterfalls down in a minor slot canyon.
I reached the tributary at one of the spots I’d marked, but I didn’t see
much in the way of waterfalls. The
canyon itself was interesting though, and I climbed back up along the rim of
it. The other spot I’d marked didn’t
have much of a waterfall either. A bit
farther up I reached a place where it was easy to cross. From there, I headed directly to the North
Fork Buffalo.
I reached
the infant river right at the uppermost spot that I had marked. There is a small waterfall there, but I
suspected that there were more exciting features a short distance downstream. I headed that way, following the hillside
above the river. It didn’t take long to
reach the point that I was most interested it
seeing. There was definitely
a waterfall down there, so I dropped my pack and found a place to
scramble down.
Wow!! I came out right at the base of a stunning
waterfall. I spent a lot of time there
trying to get photos with my phone. I
really wish that I’d been able to bring my DLSR camera and tripod, but adding
those 5 pounds to my pack just wasn’t an option.
I headed
back up to retrieve my pack and then followed the ridge down, parallel to the
river. Before long I veered away from
it, back towards the tributary. This
time I found a neat waterfall on it.
After a few photos I cut back over the river, where I found a pair of
small waterfalls. I crossed the river at
the base of the upper one and bushwhacked up to an actual trail. The map shows this trail ending farther
downstream, but it actually continues all the way to treeline and beyond.
I followed
it down the valley, parallel to the river.
Before long I reached the last waterfall I’d visited in 2022. Just downstream from it is a really spectacular waterfall. I stopped at that one
again, and this time I was able to get down to the base of it. I spent quite a bit of time at this one
before heading back up to the trail.
A short
distance farther I heard some noise below and looked at the map. That spot looked like it might have a
waterfall, but I had skipped it in 2022.
Since I was being thorough, I headed back down. Sure enough, there is a pretty
nice waterfall there.
I returned
to the trail again, and followed it to a crossing of a
tributary stream at the base of a pretty waterfall. The map suggested more waterfalls upstream,
so up I went. The climb was incredibly
steep, but before long I was able to cut over to the creek at the base of a big
drop. There was still more above, and I
attempted to climb higher. However, I
reached a point where further progress required steep scrambling on rock of
questionable reliability. I thought
about pushing it, but I decided to head back down.
With the
waterfalls behind me, there was nothing left to do but find a place to
camp. I followed the trail down into a
meadow. When I reached the bottom end of
it thunder was rumbling. I left the
trail there and climbed up onto a minor ridge that looked like it might have a
place to camp. I found a couple of
marginal spots that would have worked, but I wasn’t thrilled with either of
them. Storms seemed imminent, but I
decided to press on.
I continued
down a steep stretch of trail with lots of loose rock through burned
forest. It is a crappy stretch of trail,
and it was the third time that I’d hiked it in 3 years. It was a relief when I finally reached the
bottom. I reached the edge of another
meadow, where I spooked 4 elk. They
bolted, and I resumed the hike. I
reached a tributary and followed it upstream in search of a campsite. I didn’t find a decent place to camp, but I
did stumble upon another waterfall.
I
backtracked to the trail and continued down.
As I headed into the next meadow, I noticed a spot on the far side of
the river that looked promising. I
wasn’t sure it there was an established campsite there, but it looked like I
could make it work. I worked my way
through the willows down to the river and waded across in flip flops. On the far side I found a well-used campsite
with a great view of the river, the meadows, and the surrounding cliffs. There was even a waterfall on a tributary
crashing down the cliff above. I set up
there and enjoyed a lovely evening.
There were storms all around all afternoon and evening, but somehow they all missed me.
I couldn’t believe that I had nearly settled for a crappy spot earlier,
but I had ended up in a fantastic campsite.
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