This mid-summer trek was guided by Dave Ellis with Mary Byers assisting, and a wonderful mid-summer walk it was! They began the trip in a beautiful mountain valley in the northwest corner of the park, and after setting up camp they enjoyed a mellow nature walk to identify and enjoy spectacular wildflowers blooms in the open meadows. Backpacking in Yellowstone with Big Wild usually includes a layover day; so the layover day-hike took the group to a beautiful high mountain lake where they spotted Barrow’s goldeneyes plus mountain goats on the surrounding cliffs. After the morning at the lake, they hiked off trail and found a high ridge for lunch with a great view. They also spotted another herd of mountain goats with kids and watched a couple of red-tail hawks circle the valley.
The next day included a challenging morning backpack up-mountain past colorful wildflower meadows along the way to another beautiful high mountain lake, which the Big Wild group had all to themselves. While camped at this lake, Dave led some members of the group to the summit of a near-by 9,800 foot peak, while others relaxed around the beautiful lakeside camp. From the summit, the views of surrounding Yellowstone National Park and the Custer-Gallatin National Forest were stunning — and they even used the binoculars to spy on the Big Wild Adventures home/headquarters in Paradise Valley, far below and a few miles distant! If the incredible views weren’t enough, Yellowstone once again asserted itself on the descent. The group was briefly halted by a herd of mountain goats with kids on the trail. They lingered for a while, providing a great opportunity for photography as the hikers admired the goats’ agility on the cliffs. Still excited from the close goat encounter, the group was again rewarded, this time with a black bear sighting further down the mountain! It was a great afternoon in a park that hosts some of the most abundant and diverse wildlife on the planet!
The walk from the high lake to the final night’s camp was spectacular. The route followed the Sky Rim Trail along a roughly 9,500 foot ridge with a few areas where sheer cliffs dropping off below us offered unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains and forested valleys. After hiking over a 9,900 foot peak, the crew enjoyed an afternoon of downhill backpacking in Yellowstone, to their final creek-side camp in a lovely valley of wood and meadow. The last day in Yellowstone featured a morning day-hike to the neighboring valley where they spotted mule deer before returning to camp. Then they packed up and headed to the trailhead, where the Big Wild van was ready for the scenic drive back to Bozeman.
