PINEDALE

Thursday was a recovery day in Pinedale. I had managed to do our laundry in the hotel’s guest laundry room the night before, after we returned from the Wind River Brewing Company. Still, we thought it would be best to have a rest day before starting our next backpacking trip.

We started our day with breakfast at the Heart and Soul Café. The breakfast and coffee there were both great, and they offer outdoor seating. Afterwards, we relocated to a local park. Christy had some work to do, and we both needed to take care of some things online. Once our chores were complete, we drove over to the beach on Fremont Lake. We spent a few hours lounging there before driving out through the desert to the Scab Creek Trailhead. There is a small, primitive, and free campground there, which was perhaps half full. We found a decent site, and had just started setting up when a thunderstorm rolled through. We waiting it out in the car until it passed. Afterwards, I finished setting up our hammocks and the tarp while Christy made dinner. That evening we organized our gear for our next backpacking trip.

Next up was a 6-day trip in to Middle Fork Lake. The goal of this trip was to explore the alpine lakes and peaks in the headwaters of the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek. Topo maps and guidebooks suggested that it would be a spectacular destination. However, it is only lightly visited due to its remote location and inconvenient access. We were planning to take the most direct route there, which is approximately 16 miles using the Scab Creek Trail. The Scab Creek Trail is not popular for several reasons. First, it starts at a relatively low elevation in the desert west of the mountains. Getting to the good stuff requires a lot of tedious climbing through scrubby forest with only marginal scenery. The trail also gets a lot of use from horsepackers, which makes for a muddy, messy trail.

Despite these charming characteristics, it was still the most practical way to access our destination. I was eager to explore Middle Fork Lake, Lee Lake, and especially Noel Lake. Noel Lake sits on a bench only a few feet below the Continental Divide. That’s hard to fathom, and I had to see it. We would also spend a night or two at Bewmark Lake. A stroll to Photo Pass seemed compelling, and I was equally eager to hike up to Kagevah Pass. From there, reaching Kagevah Peak looked pretty simple on the map.

Originally I had planned to add a couple of days to the trip and hike over Kagevah Pass into the Wind River Roadless Area. The Wind River Roadless Area is an Indian Reservation, and hiking on that land requires a relatively expensive permit. I wanted to hike over the pass, camp at Kagevah Lake, and explore the surrounding alpine lakes and glaciers. However, because we were behind schedule, and the permits would be pretty expensive, it was an obvious choice to cut from the trip plan. Instead of 7 or 8 days, we would shorten it up a bit and finish the trip in 6 days.

This trip would be mostly above treeline. That meant sleeping in the tent for the first time on this trip. Christy was a little grumbly about that, but hammocks aren’t practical when there isn’t anywhere to hang them!

DREAMS AND RAINBOWS

On Friday morning we had breakfast, packed up, and made the short drive over to the trailhead parking area. We hit the trail by mid-morning and started climbing. Getting a relatively early start on this climb is critical because the elevation is low and it is on a west-facing slope. Afternoon hikers bake in the sun. The trail was pretty quiet, though we did get passed by a couple of horseback riders early on. After the first big climb we were treated to a view back to the west out over the desert. After a few more miles of climbing in scrubby forest we reached the first of several ponds adorned with water lilies. The next couple of miles of trail passed through rolling terrain, with the occasional rocky cliff providing interesting scenery.

We reached Little Divide Lake early that afternoon. Just before the lake is the site of an interesting attempt to divert water from one drainage into another. There’s no telling what ecological damage that little engineering project has caused. What it has definitely caused is a short stretch of flooded trail. We were able to get around that and down to Little Divide Lake. The sky had suddenly turned black, and we hurried through a wildflower meadow along the lake shore. At the far end of the lake we rock hopped the outlet stream and reached a stand of trees as the storm hit. We huddled there for a few minutes, until it passed. Afterwards we had lunch before resuming the hike.

We hiked a few more miles that afternoon. Our goal was to go as far as we could on the first day. It was about 16 miles to Middle Fork Lake, which was probably not realistic. I thought we might make it 12 miles to Dream Lake, but we came up a couple of miles short. We emerged from the endless forest in a meadow above the South Fork of Boulder Creek. The meadow featured our first views of the high peaks along the Continental Divide. It was late afternoon at this point, so I decided to scout for a campsite. I headed below the trail towards the creek. After a bit of hunting around, I found a good spot with a nice view. I returned to the trail, and Christy and I hiked back down to the campsite. We set up there and enjoyed a leisurely evening.

The next morning we returned to the trail. We hiked a wooded stretch before entering a large meadow. We reached the South Fork of Boulder Creek a few minutes later. We were able to rock hop the many channels of the South Fork with only a damp boot or two. From there, we enjoyed a pleasant hike up to Dream Lake, which is largely surrounded by open meadows. After a break there, we negotiated a confusing stretch of trails. Some of the trails on the map don’t exist, but there are trails on the ground that aren’t on the map. One way or another, we found ourselves hiking through a vast meadow towards the imposing massif of Dragon Head Peak. A long but relatively gradual climb brought us to Rainbow Lake, which sits in a granite bowl below a ridge separating it from Middle Fork Lake. We had lunch there and contemplated the best route. There are trails around both sides of the lake.

We eventually chose the north side. We were near the upper end of the lake when a thunderstorm rolled through. This one was particularly nasty, with strong winds, pelting hail, and a lot of lightning. It passed quickly, and we found the faint route up to the pass on the ridge above. We crossed the pass and were greeted with a stunning view of Middle Fork Lake and Kagevah Peak beyond. As we descended, views into the headwaters of the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek began to open up. Unfortunately, the trail faded away as we began to descend.

Our goal was the inlet of Middle Fork Lake, so we plotted a course towards it. We wandered through grassy meadows, but there was bad footing and gullies to avoid. Ultimately, we dropped down too soon, and we ended up near the upper end of Middle Fork Lake. We worked our way around the lake to a stream. We rock hopped that one and climbed up onto a minor ridge above the Middle Fork. After a bit of exploring, I found a scenic campsite in a meadow near a few small trees. That spot featured a nice view of Middle Fork Lake to the north, and a spectacular view of Nylon Peak, Pronghorn Peak, Dragon Head Peak, and Mount Bonneville to the south. We set up camp, and that evening I hiked up the valley to Lee Lake. It was a scenic hike with some scouting benefits. My hike early the next morning would follow the same route.

NOEL

I got up at first light and spotted a deer in the meadow below. After coffee and a quick breakfast, I started my morning hike. My goal was Noel Lake, which sits on a bench between Nylon Peak and Bailey Peak, just below the Continental Divide. I enjoyed an easy warm up hike through meadows up to Lee Lake. I was able to rock hop the Middle Fork just below the outlet. The shore of Lee Lake offered some spectacular reflections of Dragon Head Peak in its calm waters. I hiked the shore of Lee Lake for a bit before beginning to climb away from the lake. I worked my way up the slope at an angle, hoping to find the most gradual route up the mountain. There were a lot of boulders, streams, and willows to contend with, but by the time I reached the drainage below Noel Lake, I was half way up from Lee Lake.

The rest of the climb was more grueling. The drainage was almost all rocks, and the only way up was over and through them. At one point I veered right, higher up onto the slope, in hopes of finding easier walking. That failed, and I ended up working my way back down into the drainage. There is no easy way up here, but that was ok. I made it up to the shore of Noel Lake eventually.

Noel Lake is ringed by rocky ridges and peaks. At the northeast end, the icy lake is maybe 15’ below the Continental Divide. I circled to the that side and climbed a rocky ridge along the Continental Divide. The ridge provided great views of Moraine Lake below and a small glacier on the north face of Mount Lander. After a long break, I started the hike back down. I took a different exit route, but I don’t think it was any easier than my approach. The final descent to Lee Lake was tedious, and even the part along the lake had some difficult stretches.

I made it back to camp by lunch time. Christy and I had lunch there before packing up. That afternoon, we hiked up to Bewmark Lake. First we waded across the Middle Fork just above the inlet to Middle Fork Lake. From there, we were able to pick up a faint path that occasionally looked like an actual trail. We frequently lost it in the willows, but we were able to work our way over to the steep outlet stream draining Bewmark Lake directly above us. From there, we saw a steep but distinct path heading up. That route looked as good as any, so we followed it. WOW, was that one steep! It was, “don’t lean back or you may cartwheel backwards steep”. Despite the grade, we were able to climb slowly. The grade eventually eased, and we climbed up past the last trees onto the bench just south of Bewmark Lake. There wasn’t much in the way of campsites, but after some scouting I found a flat, mostly rock-free spot in a grassy meadow. We set up camp there and enjoyed a pleasant evening. Later, we were treated to a spectacular light show at sunset, including some wild clouds, alpenglow, and a rainbow!

KAGEVAH

I got up at first light again the next morning. My goal for the morning was to hike the trail to Kagevah Pass and climb to Kagevah Peak. Kagevah Peak is an obscure summit, but it is situated on the Continental Divide, and its location promised great views. I had a quick breakfast and coffee before hitting the trail.

I had a little trouble finding the trail in the talus along the shore of Bewmark Lake, but the route up to the pass was pretty obvious. I started up the beaten path, which makes little switchbacks as it climbs a steep gully. The path is braided in places, so I chose the path that looked the smoothest. As I climbed, I was treated to great views of the mountains reflecting in Bewmark Lake. As I gained elevation, the views opened up to include Lake 10,935’, Odyssey Peak, and the peaks surrounding Photo Pass. Kagevah Pass is a grassy saddle, and it provided additional views of Lake Kagevah below. The trail continues down to the that lake and beyond, but hiking in that direction requires a permit.

Instead I continued climbing. I headed up the broad, grassy slope to the south. The slope gradually narrowed to a rocky ridge that was a little more challenging due to the talus. The climb was pretty straightforward though, and before long I reached a large cairn on the apparent summit of Kagevah Peak. I say apparent, because just beyond the cairn is a deep, narrow notch (not shown on the topo map) followed by a second summit. That second summit appeared to be slightly higher, but getting to it looked daunting. I was content with my perch, which featured amazing views of Middle Fork Lake, the Ice Lakes, Lake Solitude, and Lake Kagevah.

Even though I was many miles from anything, I decided to check my phone to see if I had cell service. Incredibly, I got a pretty strong signal. I decided to check the weather forecast. I was surprised to see that a front was expected to bring some really ugly weather that night and the next day. Our plan was to spend a second night at Bewmark Lake before starting the hike back on Tuesday. I began to rethink that plan. Bewmark Lake would be a nasty place in really bad weather.

I hiked back down quickly and joined Christy at our campsite for lunch. I told her about the forecast, and we discussed our options. I wanted to hike to Photo Pass before we left. We decided to do that immediately. We would then pack up and hike as far as possible that afternoon before camping. We’d still have a wet night and a wet hike out on Tuesday, but at least we would be able to camp at a lower elevation, in a more sheltered area.

It was a good plan, but it didn’t quite work out. Storm clouds were already building as we started our hike around the shore of Bewmark Lake. We rock hopped the outlet stream, and caught a brief shower on the way to Lake 10,935’. This lake is sheltered from the wind and has a reputation for beautiful reflections. Unfortunately, the brewing storm brought enough wind to put ripples on the surface of the water. We continued on, and the rain stopped. However, black clouds seemed to be surrounding us, and they were accompanied by constant rumbles of thunder. We were most of the way to the pass when we decided that the weather was too threatening to continue. Photo Pass has great views back to the south, but only very limited views in the other direction. We were already looking at those great views, so there was really no need to continue.

The hike back was fantastic. The storm clouds made the scenery more dramatic and added some excitement to the hike. Incredibly, the rain held off until we returned to camp. It let loose as we reached the tent. Instead of packing up, we dove inside. We ended up taking naps, as the rain pounded us for an hour or two.

I managed to wake Christy up late that afternoon, after the rain passed. Although it was 4pm, we knew that the bad weather had just started. The main event would be that night, and the next day. Despite the late hour, we decided to stick with the revised plan and relocate to a lower, less-exposed location. Packing up the wet tent was unpleasant, but that is simply a part of the long-distance backpacking experience.

There are four exit routes from Bewmark Lake. Official trails lead over Kagevah Pass and Photo Pass, but they head across the Continental Divide, into the Indian Reservation. The route we came up is exceptionally steep, and full of loose scree. We were not interested in going back down to Middle Fork Lake by that route. That left a trail that is shown on the map heading southwest towards the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek. Both of my guidebooks mention that this trail is overgrown and difficult to follow, but on the map, the route looks obvious. We headed that way.

We loaded up and headed west. We rock hopped the outlet stream, and headed north back towards Photo Pass. After a short stretch of faint trail near the lakeshore, we climbed west through a minor gap. Initially, the trail was faint but easy to follow. We descended steadily, just above a small stream. I was encouraged by this start, but it didn’t last. After a mile or so, we hit our first willow maze. The trail disappeared into a sea of scraggly, waist-high bushes. There were many possible routes ahead of us, but no definitive one. When we reached the far side, there was no hint of the trail. We wandered around for a bit, before continuing on in more or less the correct direction. We stumbled back upon the trail twice, but each time it disappeared in another willow maze. This was getting tedious, and we were making lousy time. We stopped to consult the map and consider other options.

The outlet of Middle Fork Lake and the Middle Fork Trail were about ¼ mile to our south. The problem is that the terrain in between was full of small ponds and more willows. On the other hand, it didn’t look any worse than the route we were on, and a real trail was only a short distance away. We decided to head for it by the path of least resistance.

That was easier said than done. We skirted around a little cliff and dropped down into a gully. We crossed it and paralleled a small stream down to a large pond. We bushwhacked around the bottom end of it, fighting through willows to reach the outlet stream. We rock hopped it and fought through more willows to climb the opposite hillside. Once we gained a little elevation, we were above the willow line. The was a large knob ahead of us, so we turned back east to skirt it. We passed through a grassy saddle, and a spectacular panorama unfolded before us. We looked out over the vast expanse of Middle Fork Lake surrounded by high, rugged peaks. I can’t believe we nearly missed this view!

We took a break there, in a spot that would make a great, scenic campsite. While we were enjoying a snack, we watched a large bird of prey dive into the lake. It emerged with a trout in its talons. Cool!

The Middle Fork Trail was visible below us. We descended a grassy slope to join the trail and headed downstream along the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek. We cranked up the pace once we had a good trail under our feet. After a mile or so, we passed the theoretical junction with the trail we had initially followed. There was a cairn and a faint path there, but I definitely don’t recommend that route.

We hiked a couple more miles down the valley, through a mixture of woods and meadows. I originally hoped to make it to Dream Lake for the night, but we were behind schedule due to the late start and poor trail. Bobs Lake, Sandpoint Lake, or a spot along the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek were our best bets. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any established campsites along the creek. We joined the Fremont Trail just before a long, shallow ford of the creek. After changing shoes twice and wading the creek, sunset was rapidly approaching. We hiked a few minutes farther, to Sandpoint Lake. We saw several campsites, but all of them were occupied. Where did all of these people come from? The Fremont Trail is one of the main highways on the west side of the Wind River Range. It is heavily traveled, and apparently Sandpoint Lake is a popular place to camp.

We continued towards the far end of the lake. We enjoyed a lovely sunset as we hiked along the shore. Near the far end of the lake, I checked above the trail for a possible campsite. At first it looked mediocre, but after hunting around a bit, I found a big rock to sit on and a small spot for the tent under a large spruce. Good enough! We set up camp at dusk, had dinner, and went to bed.

It rained quite a bit that night. Getting up was hard, but we still had around 13 miles to go, and town was calling. It was a gloomy, overcast morning, and I made oatmeal and coffee in a cold drizzle. My hands were frozen, but the hot coffee helped thaw them. We ate breakfast in the tent and started packing up. Luckily, the rain stopped, and we were able to load up and hit the trail. The hike out was touch and go. The sky was full of angry black clouds, and thunder rumbled throughout the day. Incredibly though, all of the storms seemed to pass over us before unloading on the peaks just to our east. Leaving Bewmark Lake the previous afternoon may have been our best decision of the trip.

The hike past Bobs Lake and Dream Lake was almost pleasant. We had to wade the South Fork of Boulder Creek, where we had rock hopped a few days earlier. That is the difference that a rainy night can make. We passed the meadow where we had camped the first night and started the final 8+ mile slog back to the car. The Scab Creek Trail was very different on the way out. It was a muddy mess in many places thanks to the rain and apparently heavy horse use over the previous few days. The final miles were a trudge, and it was a relief to reach the car. At least the rain held off for the most part. We only caught one storm on the way out. It was at Little Divide Lake, where it had stormed on us 5 days earlier on the way in.

We drove back to Pinedale and booked a cheap hotel for the night. We had dinner at the Wind River Brewing Company once again. The next morning we returned to the Heart & Soul Café for breakfast. It was still storming in the mountains, but in Pinedale it was very windy and cloudy, but dry. Since we had come out a day early and the weather was poor, we decided to take another day off. Over breakfast, we discussed our options for the rest of the trip.

My top priority for the remainder of the trip was to spend the last few days in the Beartooth Mountains of south-central Montana. That is an area that we had attempted to explore on our 2018 trip, but our time had been very limited and the weather didn’t cooperate. This year, I wanted to spend 4 or 5 days there. That left us with 4 free days in between. The other backpacking trip I had originally planned would have been a full week. There was no way to squeeze it into our remaining time. I spent a good bit of the morning drinking coffee and studying maps and guidebooks. I eventually came up with two possible 4-day trips:

1) A loop exploring the alpine country above the New Fork Lakes

2) A partially off-trail loop to Bomber Lake, Ross Lake, and Whiskey Mountain.

Christy decided that she needed a longer break before we finished up the trip in Montana. She was fine with car camping and doing her own thing while I backpacked solo. That led me to choose the New Fork Lakes for my trip. The other hike was equally appealing, but it would have meant that Christy would be on her own near Dubois, on the northeast side of the Wind River Range. The Pinedale area has more car camping, restaurants, and recreation opportunities. She would be more comfortable there, so that made my decision easy.

That afternoon we drove to Fremont Lake, but the campground was full. We continued on to Half Moon Lake, where we got one of the last campsites. It’s a small campground, and it seemed like a good place to basecamp. It was pleasant and quiet that evening, but that weekend while I was backpacking it turned into party central. In hindsight, Christy would’ve been happier at a more remote location.

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