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- May 31, 2015
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August 4-6, 2023
This was originally going to be a trip with a full crew of 8 people. Due to various circumstances, that group got whittled down to 3 by the time the trip rolled around. After finishing the route, I think it was for the best because some of the others were first time backpacker and/or Yellowstone backpacking first-timers, and I think a different route would have been better. So we'll try that larger group trip next year.
Anyway, this one was me and my friends Chet and Kenny. The weather was forecasted to be terrible most of the time. Heavy rain, flash flooding, thunderstorms, the whole deal. It turned out being quite nice for most of the time, at least in the areas where we were.
Looking stormy along the upper Gallatin on the way.
It was raining when we started. We got started down the trail in the early afternoon. It was an easy walk down the DeLacy creek trail, and we came across just one other group of backpackers hiking out. They reported that the bugs were pretty bad.
Lower down along the creek. Something was laying that grass.
We got down to the lake and took in the views from the beach. None of us had been to Shoshone Lake before. We got a little mixed up trying to follow a trail that was off the beach just a ways. We got stopped by a deep spot on the creek, so we turned around and walked right along the shore instead. Much better.
Creeked out.
Back on track.
The trail in the woods went around a lot of ravines and little hills, and we got to our site. Great spot on the lake, and the rain had stopped entirely. We stayed out until it got dark and then went to bed.
Looking west from our site.
We headed to Shoshone Geyser Basin the next morning. Cool place.
Minuteman
We sat watching Minuteman and snacking, enjoying the unexpectedly sunny and pleasant day. I think the weather was actually bad in other places nearby, but we got lucky and had wonderful weather for the rest of the trip.
We kept going and crossed through the marshy meadows at the head of the lake. Loved the views around this part.
The trail took us back to the shore of the lake for a brief stint, and we took a break and filtered some water.
Then we powered through the last few miles to camp. There was one gruelingly steep section on here that really wore me out, but it was otherwise just a nice walk in the woods. We came across quite a few CDT hikers on this stretch. Some were friendly, others could hardly be bothered to look up.
We got to the site at Moose Creek Meadow by mid afternoon. Beautiful spot, really great camp site. But it was full of mosquitoes.
We jumped in the creek to cool off, and then we sat in Kenny's tent without the rain fly so we could get away from bugs. We played cards for a bit and heard a few distant rumbles of thunder, but it stayed mostly sunny by us.
Then, a thru hiker walked into our camp and asked where the tent spot was. We were confused, because it sounded like he was just assuming he could crash at our site. And it turns out that that actually was his assumption. He never actually asked if he could stay at our site. He sat and chatted with us for a while, and he seemed fine enough, so we didn't make a fuss. He was apparently a day ahead of his schedule for some reason. And he was in his tent by 6:30 p.m. and hiking out by 6:00 a.m., so we didn't see him much.
We sat around the fire until it was good and dark, and then we went to bed.
Our route for the next day was to hike to the Lewis River Channel, ford the channel, then hike out on the trail along the channel. The Dogshead trail would have saved us a few miles, but we wanted the scenery of the channel.
Idyllic scenery for the morning backcountry bathroom trip.
Near where we forded Moose Creek.
The boys.
Shoshone Lake back in view.
Coming down to the Lewis River Channel
At the ford.
Looking downstream.
Walking along the river.
Cool little outcrop above the river.
Lewis Lake with a storm building in the background.
We ended up hiking the 11 miles pretty quickly, keeping us out of the storm that moved through there later in the day.
Laughing at the poor souls stuck in the line of cars over a mile long near Midway Geyser Basin.
We got lunch at the Buffalo Bar in West Yellowstone and headed home. Awesome morning, and pretty great trip. Glad that some of us were still able to go and that the weather was far better than expected.
This was originally going to be a trip with a full crew of 8 people. Due to various circumstances, that group got whittled down to 3 by the time the trip rolled around. After finishing the route, I think it was for the best because some of the others were first time backpacker and/or Yellowstone backpacking first-timers, and I think a different route would have been better. So we'll try that larger group trip next year.
Anyway, this one was me and my friends Chet and Kenny. The weather was forecasted to be terrible most of the time. Heavy rain, flash flooding, thunderstorms, the whole deal. It turned out being quite nice for most of the time, at least in the areas where we were.
Looking stormy along the upper Gallatin on the way.
It was raining when we started. We got started down the trail in the early afternoon. It was an easy walk down the DeLacy creek trail, and we came across just one other group of backpackers hiking out. They reported that the bugs were pretty bad.
Lower down along the creek. Something was laying that grass.
We got down to the lake and took in the views from the beach. None of us had been to Shoshone Lake before. We got a little mixed up trying to follow a trail that was off the beach just a ways. We got stopped by a deep spot on the creek, so we turned around and walked right along the shore instead. Much better.
Creeked out.
Back on track.
The trail in the woods went around a lot of ravines and little hills, and we got to our site. Great spot on the lake, and the rain had stopped entirely. We stayed out until it got dark and then went to bed.
Looking west from our site.
We headed to Shoshone Geyser Basin the next morning. Cool place.
Minuteman
We sat watching Minuteman and snacking, enjoying the unexpectedly sunny and pleasant day. I think the weather was actually bad in other places nearby, but we got lucky and had wonderful weather for the rest of the trip.
We kept going and crossed through the marshy meadows at the head of the lake. Loved the views around this part.
The trail took us back to the shore of the lake for a brief stint, and we took a break and filtered some water.
Then we powered through the last few miles to camp. There was one gruelingly steep section on here that really wore me out, but it was otherwise just a nice walk in the woods. We came across quite a few CDT hikers on this stretch. Some were friendly, others could hardly be bothered to look up.
We got to the site at Moose Creek Meadow by mid afternoon. Beautiful spot, really great camp site. But it was full of mosquitoes.
We jumped in the creek to cool off, and then we sat in Kenny's tent without the rain fly so we could get away from bugs. We played cards for a bit and heard a few distant rumbles of thunder, but it stayed mostly sunny by us.
Then, a thru hiker walked into our camp and asked where the tent spot was. We were confused, because it sounded like he was just assuming he could crash at our site. And it turns out that that actually was his assumption. He never actually asked if he could stay at our site. He sat and chatted with us for a while, and he seemed fine enough, so we didn't make a fuss. He was apparently a day ahead of his schedule for some reason. And he was in his tent by 6:30 p.m. and hiking out by 6:00 a.m., so we didn't see him much.
We sat around the fire until it was good and dark, and then we went to bed.
Our route for the next day was to hike to the Lewis River Channel, ford the channel, then hike out on the trail along the channel. The Dogshead trail would have saved us a few miles, but we wanted the scenery of the channel.
Idyllic scenery for the morning backcountry bathroom trip.
Near where we forded Moose Creek.
The boys.
Shoshone Lake back in view.
Coming down to the Lewis River Channel
At the ford.
Looking downstream.
Walking along the river.
Cool little outcrop above the river.
Lewis Lake with a storm building in the background.
We ended up hiking the 11 miles pretty quickly, keeping us out of the storm that moved through there later in the day.
Laughing at the poor souls stuck in the line of cars over a mile long near Midway Geyser Basin.
We got lunch at the Buffalo Bar in West Yellowstone and headed home. Awesome morning, and pretty great trip. Glad that some of us were still able to go and that the weather was far better than expected.
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I'm glad the weather held up for you guys. Great trip!
