WalkingCarrot

After a long, steep, steady climb in the trees, where we gained back 2,000 feet of elevation, we broke back into the country of rugged mountain peaks, high ridges, wet alpine meadows, boulder fields and scree slopes. Drama returns to the divide.

The divide itself is far too jagged for a trail, so the trail crosses a high pass into the Ontana side and then dips into a series of high basins, traversing along their upper edges, crossing over several ridges transecting the divide and general goes up, down, up down and repeat. Occassional glimpses down the creek valleys show the wide open flatland of the Big Hole area.

Snowpack lingers along the high shaded ridgelines and creeks are numerous. Wildflowers carpet the low wet areas and line the creeks. Red Monkey Flower has the big muscle and dominates the creek banks, but there are a profusion of others able to elbow their way in, including Groundsell and Indian Paintbrush.

We know we are in mountain goat country, from the terrain as well as the hoof prints so numerous as to have worn a groove right in the trail.

After a particularly long, steep climb we drop into upper Slag-a-Melt lake and make an early camp. We will have a choice to make in the morning: follow the trail as it drops way down the valley to come back up the next one, OR go cross country over a low ridge south of the lake. Either choice will end up at Lena lake. Too late tonight for either one to be a good option. We’ll see what the morrow brings.

The moon is full tonight, but won’t be rising until late as we are nestled close in to the walls of the cirque holding the lake.

If we stay on schedule, around mid-day today marked the halfway point for our hike, as measured by days on the trail. The feeling of accomplishment is tinged with sadness that it’s all going by so quick.

Miles 12.9