Greybull River July 2018

Georgia Yankee

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My wife and I took a week-long trip up the Greybull River into the southeastern Absarokas the last week of July, 2018. We hiked in two days from the Jack Creek campground/trailhead and camped near the confluence of the Greybull River and Cow Creek. We day-hiked from there for three days and took two more days to hike out. The lower Greybull turned out to be surprisingly tough terrain and it beat us up. Part of the challenge was the heat. The forest was patchy to begin with and was decimated by a beetle infestation. Then, as is common across this region, the gods held a Viking Funeral and burned it all. There were only a small handful of shady patches on the first two days of walking. It was much cooler higher up.

The terrain here is wider and more open than other places we have hiked. Instead of spectacular vertical expanses of granite there are very long, wide valleys that give a real feeling of vastness. The peaks are high (a lot 12K+ feet) and the valleys deep but the overall impression is just vast open space. According to locals we spoke with the area does not get much use except during hunting season, when it's quite busy. And the lower part of the Greybull on this hike is world-class fishing so people come out for that, but past the first few miles it's pretty empty. From the pictures you can see that the area is dryer than, say, the Winds or Tetons or even the western Absarokas. We were there in late July and probably could have come earlier, although the river fords may have been dicey. But no bugs!

The trail climbs right from the trailhead and remains high above the river for the first several miles. There were lots of small creeks crossing the trail so water was not a problem. Note classic pack--lately we have resurrected our 1970s Jansport external frame packs. In my experience these packs are better than modern internal frame packs for trail-walking. Internal frames are better for skiing, climbing and bushwhacking but for just walking external frames carry the load much more comfortably. They are also lighter than most equivalent-capacity internal frame packs and cooler because there is not much contact with your back. Our $.02, anyway.
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Continuing up the Greybull.
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Raspberries all along the lower trail.
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We camped after about 6 or 7 miles at what was really the first decent campsite we came to. Actually it was quite nice. Maybe if we were actively looking we would have found something earlier but I don't think so.
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Rained almost every afternoon. Perfect for pre-dinner naps. This is from camp after the storm passed. Looking north, downstream.
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Looks like Easter Island!
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Lots of fireweed everywhere
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Typical terrain here. Large alluvial fan at confluence with Venus Creek. I think a lot of these side valleys were only glaciated in their upper reaches. This and some others are very steep and narrow where they meet the main valley.
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Looking back the way we came... The lumpy ground in the middle distance is a big landslide deposit. You can see how it has pushed the river to the far side of the valley. I suppose it could have temporarily dammed it but we saw no evidence of that.
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Ok--more geology--I can't help it. Looking upstream now, you can see where the river has cut through some resistant rock layers. Instead of the wide, flat valley, the river is confined to a narrow gorge.
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The tops of the resistant layers create weird plateaus on the valley floor. The river is over a cliff off to the right
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Here's the gorge.
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This sure had us worried! But it turned out not to be true--there were more creeks after this one.
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Here's the gorge for the last time and a view ahead to where the valley widens out again
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We camped just where the valley widens above the gorge.
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Greybull River near camp, looking upstream
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Igneous dike across from camp
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The next day we day-hiked up the strange-looking, crumbling, white valley in the background.
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Started up dry creekbed but found a little springfed oasis up there
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On day 4 we hiked further up the Greybull. That's Steer Creek valley branching off to the right (west)
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View up Steer Creek
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Further up Greybull R. Many of the clumps of yellow flowers mark locations of springs
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We stopped for lunch here then turned around and hiked back to camp. There were about a dozen elk on the far slope. With binoculars we could see the trail up to Greybull Pass on the far skyline. It looked horrific.
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A spring on the valley wall.
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View down the valley (north)
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I guess this is day 5. It had been pretty hazy from the California fires. But this morning it was super clear.
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We're getting ready to cross the Greybull and head up Cow Creek. You can see our tent on top of the eroded riverbank.
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View up Cow Creek. At the end of the canyon the trail goes over Burwell Pass. We didn't go that far.
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Cow Creek scenery
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We stopped for lunch at the next little rise in the middle distance.
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There's a spring up there and just a ribbon of flowers all along the outflow stream
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More flowers
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Scenery on the way down
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More scenery
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On the way out we retraced our path and even camped at the same site we used on the way up. On the last day we broke camp and hiked to the first river crossing of the day. We had breakfast there before wading across. Here I am enjoying my morning tea. I have already "enjoyed" my oatmeal.
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View down Greybull River on the hike out.
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The trailhead
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This trip was really just a taste of the region. There are possibilities for all sorts of big hikes up, over, around and connecting all across the region. I hope to get deeper into this area some time.
 
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This trip was really just a taste of the region. There are possibilities for all sorts of big hikes up, over, around and connecting all across the region. I hope to get deeper into this area some time.

Great report. Probably not an area I would ever choose to go, so thanks for the introduction to a great area.
 
Great post thanks for the TR! Confession : i've never worn an external frame pack. But your post intrigues me to at least demo one.

I don't think anyone makes an external frame pack any more. But you can still get those Jansports on ebay. I want to see about upgrading the hip belts--the ones on newer packs are so much better. My pet theory is the external frames lost out to the sleek aesthetics of internal frame packs. Never mind that many people end up hanging all manner of junk on the outside of those packs anyway!
 
I don't think anyone makes an external frame pack any more. But you can still get those Jansports on ebay. I want to see about upgrading the hip belts--the ones on newer packs are so much better. My pet theory is the external frames lost out to the sleek aesthetics of internal frame packs. Never mind that many people end up hanging all manner of junk on the outside of those packs anyway!

I used both metal and plastic external frame packs way back in the day. I remember them being very creaky with every step and always having painful shoulders and hips. I did like being able to grab the base of the frame and lift the weight off my back while walking, but I was pretty happy when they started making more internal frame packs.

I did always wonder if the external frame packs had potential had they created a much better suspension system, but pretty content with my Atmos these days.
 
I used both metal and plastic external frame packs way back in the day. I remember them being very creaky with every step and always having painful shoulders and hips. I did like being able to grab the base of the frame and lift the weight off my back while walking, but I was pretty happy when they started making more internal frame packs.

I did always wonder if the external frame packs had potential had they created a much better suspension system, but pretty content with my Atmos these days.
I think the perfect trail pack would be a modernized external frame (carbon fiber?) with a modern suspension system. I guess I should get to work on that!
 
Very nice Yankee! Thanks for the pics and the geology. Looks like that entire valley burned. Have any idea what your total mileage was and what the elevation of your highest camp was?

It looks like there was an established and maintained trail the whole way? Was that the same trail you saw going up to Greybull pass? Looks like the pass is about 11,5K'.
 
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Any animal sightings or was it too hot? Any wolf or bear sign?
 
I don't think anyone makes an external frame pack any more. But you can still get those Jansports on ebay. I want to see about upgrading the hip belts--the ones on newer packs are so much better. My pet theory is the external frames lost out to the sleek aesthetics of internal frame packs. Never mind that many people end up hanging all manner of junk on the outside of those packs anyway!

Alps Mountaineering makes a line of external pack frames. I have the Zion and LOVE it. It is so comfortable! Even though I got a new light pack, I am keeping the external. I feel like I will switch back and forth.

Thanks for your trip report! There were some really unique, and stunning views! Naps before dinner sounds like a good time.
 
Very nice Yankee! Thanks for the pics and the geology. Looks like that entire valley burned. Have any idea what your total mileage was and what the elevation of your highest camp was?

It looks like there was an established and maintained trail the whole way? Was that the same trail you saw going up to Greybull pass? Looks like the pass is about 11,5K'.
Our total mileage was about 50. Highest camp was 9200'. Yes, nice trails all the way. The area is popular with hunters in the fall and they all go up on horseback. So the trails need to be good for that. I said the climb up to Greybull pass looked horrific, but I think I need to modify that. From where we stopped we could see a bunch of switchbacks that went up a very steep, unstable-looking valley wall. But the fact that the switchbacks were so prominent from that distance suggests that the trail is very well maintained. So it would probably not qualify as horrific. I think I will change my assessment from "horrific" to merely "awful".
 
Any animal sightings or was it too hot? Any wolf or bear sign?
Deer and elk plus we almost saw a moose--some fishermen we met said we spooked one out of some willows but we never saw it. Saw bear poop of indeterminate age. With all the raspberries and other berries (gooseberries?) just ripe we wondered if bears would be coming down to have some. No sign of wolves.
 
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