WalkingCarrot

On our second ride, heading out of town we got picked up by a rancher from Billings. He was driving a Peterbuilt Cab, the kind used to haul 18 wheel semi-trailer trucks. Only he was pulling a combo RV / Horsetrailer. A large RV compartment took up the front half of the rig and a climate contolled compartment for horses was the back half. He was headed for Jackson Hole for an equestrian competition of some kind.

We walked along highway 20 from Sawtelle to Mack’s Inn, which are both part of the City of Island Park, an unusual place. Island Park is 36 miles long and very narrow. Few people live in the city boundaries, but many homes are right outside of it. The lines were drawn to be able to grant liquor liscenses to various establishments along highway 20. We turned at Mack’s Inn and followed a forest service road overrun with remote cabins on small lots, built at an urban density. It had a similar feel to the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe.

Gradually we climbed towards the Madison Plateau, a broad flat plateau which takes up much of the west side of Yellowstone as well as a large are outside the park. We started in dense Lodgepole forest where some thinning had been done in a few places probably in a vain attempt to protect the populated outskirts of Island Park. Dark, thick clouds had gradually taken over the skies as we walked.

We entered an area of uniformly newer growth sprinkled with charred skeltons and white snags. One of the fires of 1988 which burned such a large area inside and outside of Yellowstone had started near here.

We topped out on one level of the plateau and, after much searching, found Latham Springs. We made camp nearby as the evening light was fading and the dark clouds started to release some of their rain. At first it just sort of “spritzed,” but then the rain picked up in intensity enough that we were forced to eat in the tent. Just as well too as the temps were dropping. During a break in the rain, we cleaned up and moved food bags away from the tent. There are no standing trees tall enough to hang a bear bag.

It’s a cold night again, but we are prepared for it. In West Yellowstone we bought or picked up extra hats, extra socks, a second heavier pair wool gloves and a small flask of whisky. We’ll be warm inside as well as outside. The happy hour drink is a luxury, but one that we can afford the weight of carrying when we are on a section as short as 3 days.

Miles 14.2