All on a Sunny Day

Mystic Lake from the Froze to Death Plateau

With an unexpected extra night off of work and beautiful, sunny weather in the forecast, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my long weekend. We could finally make our assault on Froze to Death Plateau. 

We first discovered East Rosebud and Slough Lake over ten years ago. Then, in the last few years, we made a couple of trips up the West Rosebud drainage to Mystic Lake. I have always wanted to do the whole hike from one end to the other, but we just didn't have a way to make it work. But, now we do. 


Thursday afternoon, we hauled the camper up to the Jimmy Joe Campground in the East Rosebud valley. I was a little surprised and extremely delighted to find the place completely deserted. We chose a spot close to the river and set up camp. Then we drove both vehicles over to the Mystic Lake trail head and left the truck. Then, BACK again (did I mention that it is about thirty miles between the valleys?) for dinner and a little evening photography. 

















We were up early on Friday morning, and on the trail by 7:15. The guidebook said that this is a thirteen mile hike, and the trail divides itself nicely into four roughly equal segments. Slough Lake marked the end of the first quarter, so we took a short break for a snack and a few pictures. 

Slough Lake

The next objective was the summit of the plateau. A beautiful, if distant, waterfall kept us entertained for several miles. We met a hiker coming the other way who told us that he had seen a bear just below the plateau. Well then, I kinda want to see a bear, but I also kinda want to live. 

The whole plateau was blanketed with wildflowers. 

We reached the summit without seeing anything or anybody. The moment that we topped out on the plateau and Mt Wood, Mt Houge, and Pyramid Mountain loomed large on the horizon was perhaps the highlight of the whole day. With renewed vigor, we crossed the plateau and were soon looking down on Mystic Lake and Island Lake. We stopped at this half-way point and just soaked up the sun and the view. 


Once off of the plateau, the trail drops steeply down to Mystic Lake. About half-way down, it became obvious that this was a hike of more than thirteen miles. The gps showed that we were closing in on the twelve mile mark, and we weren't even to the lake yet, and we know that it is three miles from the lake to the parking lot. Eventually, we did reach the lake, and then the truck. Twelve hours and 15.81 miles after we started, I was tired and footsore. But, oh, what a feeling of accomplishment I had! 

The moon was just rising over the ridge as we reached the truck. 

Bonus pictures! =)

This pretty little waterfall gave me opportunity
to practice the soft water effect. 

This mama grouse (?) and her two chicks startled me!

A great blue heron? It was getting a little too dark for really good  pictures, but we had to try!

A very vocal redwing blackbird. 

Where the Wild Things Are

Oh, how many times have we been in the Pryor Mountains and seen nothing in the way of wildlife! We are always looking for the wild horses (or bears), and have spotted only a few. It turns out that we have been on the wrong side of the mountains!

A few weeks ago on the blog, I mentioned Burnt Timber Road and its warning sign regarding the kind of vehicle required in to navigate it. This weekend, we parked the camper at the start of the road and spent both Friday and Saturday riding it. And guess what... We saw horses both days! Friday afternoon, we came across a small herd. We spent quite a bit of time watching them and taking pictures before returning to the camper for a late dinner. 

Moonrise 

The sunrise that I did not get up to see

Saturday morning, we headed for Sykes Ridge Road. Dan has been wanting to try this one for quite a while. We were just getting started when I spotted two horses looking down on us from a higher ridge. Then a little later, we spied another one. This time we were looking down on it, as we had scrambled up a hillside to investigate what we thought might be a cave. (It wasn't.)

We ate our lunch on a peak high above the Big Horn Recreational Area - as in one of the peaks that tower overhead when you are standing at Devil's Overlook or Barry's Landing. We then continued up Sykes Ridge. This trail is a great ride - lots of up and down hills, in and out of trees, and vistas that go on forever. 

Not long after lunch, Dan noticed a group of bighorn sheep lounging in the shade of a lone tree. So once again, we were off the machines and photographing wild things. 





The highlight of the day, though, was still to come. As we approached Pen's Cabin, there were horses everywhere! It was so much fun to photograph a couple of foals, as well as the interaction of both stallions and mares. We spent a long time enjoying their antics before reluctantly moving on. My day was made! That's one more thing that I can cross off the Summer 2015 To Do list. 

Whole lotta horses!

P.S. I have to admit that I am saving the best pictures for the photography Face Book page. Please check us out at Photography by Dan and Tammi Capron. Remember to like our page while you are there. 

Over the Highway, and into the Park...

... to Yellowstone we will go!

This post is heavy to photos.

Not sorry. :)

Yellowstone National Park is one of my favorite places on earth. Yes, it gets crowded. Yes, tourists often put on a splendid display of stupidity. But all in all, the scenery, the vastness of untouched wilderness, and the abundance of wildlife make the small irritants just that ~ small. 

We are always glad when the Beartooth Pass opens in the spring. Not only is it the shortest, most direct route, but the fun of the drive and the spectacular scenery in all directions make it a destination in its own right. To correct myself, the highway is the shortest, most direct route in mileage. It took us five or six hours to get from home to the park entrance. We stopped to chase a goat, to climb the rocks at the summit, and to photograph two waterfalls and a lake. 

Eventually, we DID make it into the park. My main photo objective for the day was baby animals. We went by several herds of buffalo before we found one with babies in it close to the road. Ever alert for the bison with an attitude, we set up the tripod and took pictures until I figured that I had enough to have something good. Baby buffaloes ~ check. 

Dan was the one to spot our next subject - a female bighorn sheep contentedly nibbling the grass on a shady hillside. After taking another bunch of pictures (good thing we don't have to buy film anymore), Dan decided that we should climb to the top of the hill to see if the rest of the flock was hanging out up there. So we climbed. Can you guess what was over that hill? Another hill. We walked probably a mile before we spotted a small group of sheep yet another half-mile or so away. We decided to return to the car and make our way to Mammoth to look for elk calves. 

Mammoth is always over-run by elk. But not today. We spotted all of three elk resting in the shade near the headquarter buildings. So much for babies! We moved away from the crowds around the hot spring terraces and headed up a hiking trail into the woods. It was early evening, and we met only a few other hikers. Perfect! We met one family on their way out who told us that there were elk ahead. And so there were. Still no babies, unfortunately, but we did have the animals all to ourselves. Presently the rumble of thunder, and maybe a rumble in my tummy, chased us out of the woods. We got to the car just as the rain started coming down hard. We got just enough of a break in the rain to get inside the restaurant before the deluge continued. By the time we started for home, the rain had mostly stopped, and the clouds made for a beautiful sunset.