On Friday, I set off from my spot at Hayspur Fish Hatchery, headed West towards Oregon. I spent one night on the Snake River outside of Huntington, Oregon, before spending all of Saturday exploring Hells Canyon. Saturday night, I camped on the West Rim of the canyon before heading towards Washington on Sunday. Due to a flat tire, the weekend got cut short, ending with me in a hotel room in Walla Walla for a couple of nights, waiting to get replacement tires.
Craters of the Moon Hikes: Indian Tunnel, North Crater Trail, Wilderness/Broken Top Trail
I decided to spend this weekend hitting up some of Craters of the Moon, since it was so close. I ended up exploring Indian Tunnel and then hiked the North Crater Trail on Saturday. On Sunday, I returned to hike the Wilderness Trail and the Broken Top Loop trail together.
Wildfire, Hells Canyon, and Hayspur Fish Hatchery
Late Wednesday night, a wildfire started up on the mountains above my campsite at Shorts Bar. I had fun watching the fire burn, but as the smoke continued making my stay uncomfortable, I set out Friday afternoon to find some new camping. I ended up checking out a good portion of the Idaho side of Hells Canyon before finally setting up camp at the historic Hayspur Fish Hatchery.
Into the Idaho Panhandle: Coeur d’Alene and the Salmon River
On Friday, I finally decided that it was time to move on out of Montana for the year. I have been eyeing Idaho, wanting to get in and explore it more than I did last year, when I really did barely any more than just driving through. Already, I’ve been having a lovely stay and adventure in the Idaho Panhandle, if going a little faster than I originally planned nonetheless.
Blacktail Mountain Boondocking
After my hike in Two Medicine, I stayed for a time at Cut Bank Campground again, before finally saying goodbye to the national parks for a while. I didn’t move too far, though! After Sunday night on the Middle Fork Flathead River again, I moved over to the Blacktail Mountain area for some quiet solitude and amazing views.
Glacier NP : Dawson Pass – Pitamakan Pass Loop Hike
After my recent hike in Grand Teton, I again looked up another hike I wanted to do in Glacier: the Dawson Pass, Pitamakan Pass Loop. The trails finally were declared clear and snow free, and with the wildfires near Grand Teton becoming a difficulty, it was time to go tackle that hike! And another amazing hike it certainly was!
Grand Teton NP : Paintbrush-Cascade Loop
Since leaving Grand Teton National Park, I have had one hike on my mind. So, Friday, I decided to take off, headed back towards the Tetons. After a stay north of Yellowstone Friday night, I got into Grand Teton on Saturday and did the hike up Paintbrush Canyon, over the Paintbrush Divide, and down Cascade Canyon on Sunday. What an amazing, amazing experience!
Glacier NP : Triple Divide Pass, via Cut Bank
I ended up having the day available to take off of work on Wednesday, so I decided to go ahead and go on another hike in Glacier! The park was packed on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and I ended up just deciding to head off to Triple Divide Pass over the course of the afternoon. It was more than worth the adventure!
Glacier NP : Gunsight Lake and Florence Falls
After a day of short hikes in poor weather on Saturday, I woke up to a lovely–although cold–morning on Sunday. I knew the forecast had some chance for showers, but the skies were clear blue. I quickly headed to the Gunsight Trailhead and started on a long hike–would turn out to be almost 16 miles–hoping for some wonderful views!
Glacier NP : Hidden Lake Overlook, St Mary Falls, and Viriginia Falls
I woke up in camp on Saturday morning and decided to head into Glacier for some hiking. The weather generally sucked, so I decided to do a couple of smaller hikes that had cool things the weather wouldn’t obstruct. I ended up hiking to the Hidden Lake Overlook from Logan Pass, and then followed that up with a hike to St Mary Falls and Virginia Falls.