Seven day trip starting July 24 south of Livingston from Mill Creek. Three nights at Grizzly Creek and Carpenter Lake and three nights at Buffalo Fork and Hidden Lake. Come out July 30 at Box Canyon trailhead south of Big Timber on the Boulder River.
First day we met the guides at the Passage Creek trailhead. Horses were being sprayed with bug spray, as Montana is having a good deal of rain this year, which brightens up the wildflowers and brings out the bugs. Water and bugs are good for fishing, so we were off to a great start.
Backing up a bit, I got roped into this trip by my long-time buddy Ken, from Bonita Springs Florida. He hadn't been out west in a while, and he knew I flew from NY to Colorado every summer to catch fish with my old pal Jeff in Lafayette. So, through a happy coincidence of events, Ken found Black Otter, Jeff was happy to give Montana a try, and one of his old nuke plant buddies was also game. So the four of us met in Livingston, Montana for this glorious 7 day trip.
Ok, so just as we were getting ready to set off, this horse starts bucking and trying to pull itself loose from the trailer. Turns out that this is a newly acquired horse, and Black Otter (Duane Neal) is going to see if it can become a trail horse. This process usually takes a year, and by then the horse will either demonstrate it's ability to adapt to water crossings, precipitious trails and all kinds of spooky camp hardware, or he gets sent to some western european country for burger meat. Bon appetit. This horse had a bad start, and as the trip went on he got worse.
As we rode out of the Mill Creek area, we started gradually climbing through a thick forest of western fir and pine. The pine aroma was fantastic, and it's pungency almost seemed artificial. As we continued to climb the trail steepened dramatically, and switchbacks were the rule. Mules and horses were tugged behind one of the guides, six at a time. Each of the three guides experienced problems with packs slipping, horses wrapping up in trees, and other assorted and expected problems.
As we climbed to Wallace Pass on the way to Grizzly Creek camp, a semi-permanent tent camp, the alpine line fell away and the trail hugged the edge of a very steep approach. The horses were very cool and experienced, and I gave my mount no input whatsoever while climbing to the pass.
Once at Wallace, the view was spectacular. We ate our bagged lunches and continued down to Grizzly Creek.
That night we ate very well, and after a sixteen mile ride in we slept well. The next morning we headed up to Carpenter lake to hit some cutthroats, and mopped them up nicely with an assortment of flies. I was using a red bead head stimulator, and knocked em out.
The second evening we met Mr. Grizzly Bear. Apparently a mule lay dead in the pasture about 1/8 mile from camp, a victim of a nasty fall the previous week. G. Bear decided to munch on the poor old beast, and this greatly spooked the horses and mules. It didn't help that at about 10pm there was an earthquake over Billings way, that was felt by the horses. So, off they ran, 16 miles back to the trailhead. Needless to say, our guides chased after them the next morning, and didn't return until 230am the fourth day.
We were supposed to break camp the third day and head for Buffalo Fork camp site, but since our guides were still runnoft, Ken and I climbed a mountain over camp and took some nice shots of the area. I also caught 7 cutthroats out of Grizzly Creek with a red stimulator. Around noon on the fourth day Gary our guide, being a trooper, took by us by horse and mule over to Hellroaring creek to catch some cutthroats. Did well with a parachute adams.
Once we broke camp on the 28th, we headed towards the Buffalo Fork camp. Spectacular views at Hummingbird Pass, and we left our names in a bottle at the top. This ride was about 15 miles.
Once at Buffalo, we set up dome tents. The next day we headed off on foot to Hidden Lake, where we knocked the hell out of the rainbows with bead head prince nymphs.
The next day we broke camp again, and packed it out to Box Canyon, 16 miles away. The trip over the Buffalo Boulder pass was spectacular, the best of the three passes. The descent was also amazingly beautiful.
Along the way we saw scat from bear, elk, wolf and moose. The mountains and meadows were also flowering in white campion, daisies, sunflowers, silky lupine, indian paintbrush, larkspur, and columbine.
Needless to say it was a trip that will be remembered forever, and one I will take my boy along with when he gets a little older.
Enjoy the photos.
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