The perfect laid plans.
For the previous a number of weeks my daughter Amy had been planning an bold father-daughter journey for us. She had every week off, so we have been going to go to the John Day Fossil Beds and Crater Lake in Oregon, after which climb Mt. Shasta in northern California. Nevertheless, the worth of gasoline and her reluctance to depart her canine TJ for every week triggered a change in plans. As a substitute she determined to do a number of totally different adventures within the Helena space -all dog-friendly and a few dad-friendly.
Let the staycation start.
I satisfied Amy that we begin with a two-day, one-night backpacking journey on the Continental Divide Path (CDT) between Lewis & Clark Cross and the Dearborn River. A couple of years in the past, I did an out-and-back hike from L & C Cross to Caribou Peak. It was a protracted day (22 miles), however I used to be impressed with the realm, and needed to point out it to Amy. I assumed it will be enjoyable to stroll the subsequent part as nicely – the stretch between Caribou Peak and the Dearborn River. So, Sunday night we left my automotive the tip of the path in Dearborn Canyon (70-mile drive from Helena) after which Monday morning, my son Keith gave us a journey to the Alice Creek Trailhead northwest of Lincoln (60-mile drive from Helena) to start our 28-mile stroll.
The Nice Divide.
The hike was tougher than I bear in mind – carrying a 30 lb. pack takes among the enjoyable out of strolling, however the climate was excellent and the hike was all I hoped it will be. I like that the part of CDT from L & C Cross to Caribou Peak stays proper on the Continental Divide just about all the way in which, offering implausible view in all instructions. About 10 miles into the hike, the CDT does drop under the precise continental divide – about the place we left the path to climb Caribou Peak. We began climbing at about 8:45 am and reached the summit of Caribou at 3:30 pm. (Photograph Tour)
Above the CDT.
After virtually an hour of excellent summit time, we adopted the divide down after which up and over one other peak, earlier than rejoining the CDT and following it to a pleasant meadow the place we camped Monday night time. We slept nicely after strolling 16.7 miles, together with 5,000 toes of elevation acquire.
What goes up . . .
Tuesday was nice too, however totally different from day #1. We walked 11.9 miles, principally downhill via forested areas, far under the precise divide. The spotlight was strolling the final 4-5 miles alongside the Dearborn River. It will have been good to cease for a swim at Devils Glen, a spectacular collection of waterfalls, however the Dearborn was raging with spring runoff.
Age Issues.
After we obtained again to Helena at 4:30 pm Tuesday, I took three Ibuprofen with a liter of Pedialyte on the rocks for a chaser. In the meantime, Amy was already plotting her subsequent journey – one other two-day one-night journey with TJ on the CDT from Rogers Cross to Stemple Cross. Wednesday morning, we dropped her automotive at Stemple Cross, then I took her and TJ to Rogers Cross. I returned to Helena for a nap.
