I've done a few trips this year, but I haven't written about them (for Trout Whisperer, especially, who asks for them), because I've always had the next thing to prepare for. This was one of those next trips that was always dangling out there. I had wanted to do the Bechler Canyon, but getting reservations wasn't working out, and I didn't want to do it on my own, and setting up a shuttle seemed expensive and difficult, and anyway, I signed up with an outfitter. It turned out that I was the only person who signed up, and so I got a private trip.
We started at the Lone Star Trailhead. We were to meet at 9, and Shawn, the guide was running a little late. He got there at about 10 after. He took a quick look through my stuff. Apparently they usually have people who have never backpacked before, and they remove lots of "extra" things. He wanted me to leave my spare spoon, so I did, but I considered tucking it in my pocket, just in case. Other than that, he decided I was good. Possibly he was afraid of the look on my face when he wanted me to jettison my spoon. I had brought what was on the outfitter's list, and that included a bunch of things I don't usually take. I used a 20* synthetic quilt, instead of my usual 20* down quilt. I had more spare clothes than I usually carry. I think there were a few other bits and bobs, but I don't remember right now.
He gave me a yellow Sea to Summit dry bag with some food in it. It was about the only thing that would fit in my pack with the stupid synthetic quilt. Those synthetic things take up SO MUCH SPACE. Now I had a yellow dry bag. It was stuffed full, in such a way that it wouldn't change shape in any way. It was rather like a bowling ball. I think it weighed 5 pounds. He and I talked about it later, and he thought 2 pounds. Yeah... no. It was a lead collection in an ugly yellow dry bag. He had also given me a baggie with candy (not 5 pounds). He also gave me a baggie with a couple of bags of crackers, cheese, and ham and turkey slices. That was to be our lunch.
I clipped my bag closed and was ready to go. He was still fussing with stuff. There were lots of food bags. I asked if he minded if I walked ahead. Being slow, he'd be able to catch up with me pretty quickly... . I said I'd wait at Lone Star (a geyser that goes off every couple of hours). I headed off, looking over my shoulder every so often, but there was never Shawn. It's two and a half miles to the geyser, so I was confident he'd catch up.
I got to the geyser, and took off my pack. That stupid yellow pack added a lot of weight, I swear. The geyser was going off, and I watched the show.
When it finished, Shawn still hadn't arrived. This seemed curious, but he was a guide, so he would be able to catch up to me. Everyone catches up to me. Then they pass me. I talked to a couple that had set up hammocks, and seemed to be planning to stay for a while. I asked them to look for a guy with a beard, and tell him that I had moved ahead. They said they would.
I headed out. At the intersection with the Howard Eaton Trail, I turned left. Our campsite for the night was the one near the intersection with the Bechler River Trail. I had about 4.5 miles to go. I kept moving along. I stopped and shared a log with a lady (she's in the picture from Lone Star). We talked for a bit and then I moved on.
I was caught by a couple of CDT hikers, going south. I asked if they had seen Shawn, and they said yes, that he was just behind them. But we all looked that way and he wasn't. I told them he was my guide, and then they got a strange look. They said he'd been going the other way, and then turned around. That made no sense to me, but I knew where I was going, so on I went. I got to a marsh, where the previous time I had hiked through, there was a group putting in boardwalks. It was really nice.
Then began the hill.
I poked along. I sat on logs, as they presented themselves. Sometimes, on the logs, I ate some of that candy Shawn had given me. But I didn't break into the crackers and meat and cheese--that was for lunch. That was for US, not me. I got to the top, and enjoyed the flattish ridge. (There are no pictures, because I think I was using my phone at this point. Tomorrow I start having pictures.) I got to the far end of the ridge and started down.
Finally, Shawn caught up. I was about 20 minutes from camp. He had his hands full of food bags. His pack was really heavy, and he had left it about half a mile back. He figured he'd get to camp, hang the food, and go back to get his pack. Well, ok then.
I'd not been to this campsite before. I thought it was either at the intersection or just a touch up the Bechler Trail, but it was just a touch further on the Shoshone Lake Trail. I hung my food and went and found a nice place for my tent. He hung food, and went off to retrieve his pack.
That night, we ate mashed potatoes with gravy with chicken. I like mashed potatoes, so I liked the meal. (Scatman, I had forgotten that we had mashed potatoes that first night.) We talked and got to know each other, and watched a small trickle of CDT hikers go by. He discovered that he had forgotten the needed fuel canisters, and started to make plans to hiked back to the car in the morning, grab the canisters he had forgotten, and scamper back. Then we could go up to the next campsite. I should say that the official itinerary said we would get to the campsite we were at, set up, and dayhike over to the Shoshone Geyser Basin, through it, and come back. I knew that wasn't going to work for me, so I didn't care that he was editing the hike. But, I figured I'd mosey on up the trail in the morning instead of waiting for his return. We did talk about whether he really needed that fuel. If he hiked back for it, it would mean about 14 miles. Maybe we could get by? No, everything required cooking. He didn't really mind, he said, if he didn't have on his pack, he'd be fast and comfortable. I asked if maybe he couldn't take back some of the food. He seemed to be carrying a lot. No, two people require a lot of food. Well, ok.
After eating, I was tired and headed to bed. He was soon done with his chores, and set up his tent.
He said he was going to start hiking at about 6. I usually wake at about 5:30, so when I did, I hollered over to see if he was up. I wasn't sure if he was or not, but he started stirring. We both got out, and he prepped some hot water for coffee. I had been afraid that if I didn't get coffee, I'd get a head ache. It was probably good that he was going back for fuel, as we ran out of gas just as the coffee water was hot. I don't remember exactly what we ate for breakfast, but I think it might have centered around granola bars and Cuties. I do like Cuties. Mmmm.
He handed me some treat options, which included granola bars, fruit thingies, and some other stuff. I took an assortment of things. Then he hung the food, and trotted off.
I packed my stuff, and started up the hill. The Continental Divide Campsite was our goal for the night. I think it was 4 miles away. It was the biggest hill of the hike.
I had read about this hike. One thing that one book mentioned was that this was probably the only longer trail in Yellowstone that had few burned areas. I had liked the previous day's hike, and I knew from previous experience that I liked this portion. I like green. I miss the eastern forests that I used to hike in. There were some meadows, like this, but there were also lots of stands of big, living, green trees.
I enjoyed the occasional openings with meadows like this. I just enjoyed hiking. I didn't enjoy the hill so much, but that's the way things go.
The overall day went up, but there were a couple of steeper ups, and a couple of slam dunk downs.
I used the day to look, and to think. I felt sorry for Shawn. But I also recognized that he had made his own mess. I am a checklist sort (librarians do things like checklists). It's rare to just miss something. But, this was his first trip as "the" guide. He didn't have experience with making all the decisions. I'll tell a little about our experience, but I'm not going to go too into the guided trip experience. I had never taken a guided backpacking trip because I always envisioned a line of ducklings following the mama duck, and I figured I'd never be able to keep up. As it played out, I wouldn't have kept up, but I usually didn't need to.
Shawn was always willing to help, and take care of things. For the most part, I took advantage of his cooking, and the food that he carried, and that he would always get water. I rather liked having a water fetcher!
I hadn't gone too far, and there was a little stream. Since I got my new knee, I have worried about my balance, so while there was an awkward looking log, I sloshed through. It was chilly but ok. On up the hill I went. I was never fast, but slowly steady. There were few folks hiking, but after a while, I came to some folks on horseback. I asked how far to the next campsite. Three people answered simultaneously... the first said he didn't know, the second said 3-4 miles (um, no, it might have been a mile and a half) and the third said it was about 20 minutes back. I would have done just as well talking to the horses. There was another horse rider, but he didn't even hear the question. We exchanged goodbyes, and I stood there and waited for the dust to clear. It was pretty dry, and dust was everywhere, and I really did wait for it to clear.
I did run into a couple of hikers. I had been told that a log had been washed away during the flood a few years ago, and that I'd have to ford a creek or a stream that previously had a log over it. I'd also been told that the water was swift, and that the rock underneath was at an angle, and... I was scared. I asked the hikers going the other way how bad it had been. One set said that they had hiked over and back, and not gotten their feet wet. Hmmm. Another set said there had been a log across most of it, and then a couple more logs near the other end. Another hmmm.
I stopped and sat on logs, when good sitting logs presented themselves. I had candy and granola bars and those fruit thingies I mentioned. I drank lots of water. I got to the campsite.
It was probably a little after noon. I hung my food, and set up my tent. I ate some more of my treats. I took a nap. It was a pretty place and I was enjoying just being there. I grew hungry. I remembered that Shawn had said, the evening before that he was really hungry, and after we ate the chicken and mashed potatoes, he was going to eat crackers and meat and cheese. The crackers and meat and cheese that I had carried.
I like crackers. Those crackers looked like Ritz crackers. And there were little circles of ham. I like ham. I wasn't that excited about the turkey or the cheeses, but did I mention I was hungry? It was probably about 4 when I broke open the crackers and ham and cheese. Mmmmm. Excellent. I ate to my hearts delight. There was still plenty left for Shawn, but I was now full and happy. Burp.
View attachment 144240
I set up my chair so I could watch down the trail. I think it was about 5:20 when Shawn came down the trail, again, carrying food bags. He got to camp, dropped the bags near me, and headed back to get his pack. He was back in a bit. He hadn't been in camp long, when it looked like rain, and he put up a tarp. The guy knew his knots. He had it up nicely in short order, and to honor his work, it began to rain. He liked the idea of the crackers and meat and cheese, and went at it. I think I had some more, but it's been a few days, so I don't remember. Either way, I got crackers and honey ham and was happy. I don't think he cooked that night. But we sat under the tarp, ate what we wanted, and talked. He'd gotten to the parking lot and back by noon (4 hours). Then, he had to pack and hike up the hill to the site. That had taken a while. But we were reunited, and that was good. He took care of chores, and after talking some, including my newfound knowledge about a log over that creek, I headed off to my tent.
We started at the Lone Star Trailhead. We were to meet at 9, and Shawn, the guide was running a little late. He got there at about 10 after. He took a quick look through my stuff. Apparently they usually have people who have never backpacked before, and they remove lots of "extra" things. He wanted me to leave my spare spoon, so I did, but I considered tucking it in my pocket, just in case. Other than that, he decided I was good. Possibly he was afraid of the look on my face when he wanted me to jettison my spoon. I had brought what was on the outfitter's list, and that included a bunch of things I don't usually take. I used a 20* synthetic quilt, instead of my usual 20* down quilt. I had more spare clothes than I usually carry. I think there were a few other bits and bobs, but I don't remember right now.
He gave me a yellow Sea to Summit dry bag with some food in it. It was about the only thing that would fit in my pack with the stupid synthetic quilt. Those synthetic things take up SO MUCH SPACE. Now I had a yellow dry bag. It was stuffed full, in such a way that it wouldn't change shape in any way. It was rather like a bowling ball. I think it weighed 5 pounds. He and I talked about it later, and he thought 2 pounds. Yeah... no. It was a lead collection in an ugly yellow dry bag. He had also given me a baggie with candy (not 5 pounds). He also gave me a baggie with a couple of bags of crackers, cheese, and ham and turkey slices. That was to be our lunch.
I clipped my bag closed and was ready to go. He was still fussing with stuff. There were lots of food bags. I asked if he minded if I walked ahead. Being slow, he'd be able to catch up with me pretty quickly... . I said I'd wait at Lone Star (a geyser that goes off every couple of hours). I headed off, looking over my shoulder every so often, but there was never Shawn. It's two and a half miles to the geyser, so I was confident he'd catch up.
I got to the geyser, and took off my pack. That stupid yellow pack added a lot of weight, I swear. The geyser was going off, and I watched the show.
When it finished, Shawn still hadn't arrived. This seemed curious, but he was a guide, so he would be able to catch up to me. Everyone catches up to me. Then they pass me. I talked to a couple that had set up hammocks, and seemed to be planning to stay for a while. I asked them to look for a guy with a beard, and tell him that I had moved ahead. They said they would.
I headed out. At the intersection with the Howard Eaton Trail, I turned left. Our campsite for the night was the one near the intersection with the Bechler River Trail. I had about 4.5 miles to go. I kept moving along. I stopped and shared a log with a lady (she's in the picture from Lone Star). We talked for a bit and then I moved on.
I was caught by a couple of CDT hikers, going south. I asked if they had seen Shawn, and they said yes, that he was just behind them. But we all looked that way and he wasn't. I told them he was my guide, and then they got a strange look. They said he'd been going the other way, and then turned around. That made no sense to me, but I knew where I was going, so on I went. I got to a marsh, where the previous time I had hiked through, there was a group putting in boardwalks. It was really nice.
Then began the hill.
I poked along. I sat on logs, as they presented themselves. Sometimes, on the logs, I ate some of that candy Shawn had given me. But I didn't break into the crackers and meat and cheese--that was for lunch. That was for US, not me. I got to the top, and enjoyed the flattish ridge. (There are no pictures, because I think I was using my phone at this point. Tomorrow I start having pictures.) I got to the far end of the ridge and started down.
Finally, Shawn caught up. I was about 20 minutes from camp. He had his hands full of food bags. His pack was really heavy, and he had left it about half a mile back. He figured he'd get to camp, hang the food, and go back to get his pack. Well, ok then.
I'd not been to this campsite before. I thought it was either at the intersection or just a touch up the Bechler Trail, but it was just a touch further on the Shoshone Lake Trail. I hung my food and went and found a nice place for my tent. He hung food, and went off to retrieve his pack.
That night, we ate mashed potatoes with gravy with chicken. I like mashed potatoes, so I liked the meal. (Scatman, I had forgotten that we had mashed potatoes that first night.) We talked and got to know each other, and watched a small trickle of CDT hikers go by. He discovered that he had forgotten the needed fuel canisters, and started to make plans to hiked back to the car in the morning, grab the canisters he had forgotten, and scamper back. Then we could go up to the next campsite. I should say that the official itinerary said we would get to the campsite we were at, set up, and dayhike over to the Shoshone Geyser Basin, through it, and come back. I knew that wasn't going to work for me, so I didn't care that he was editing the hike. But, I figured I'd mosey on up the trail in the morning instead of waiting for his return. We did talk about whether he really needed that fuel. If he hiked back for it, it would mean about 14 miles. Maybe we could get by? No, everything required cooking. He didn't really mind, he said, if he didn't have on his pack, he'd be fast and comfortable. I asked if maybe he couldn't take back some of the food. He seemed to be carrying a lot. No, two people require a lot of food. Well, ok.
After eating, I was tired and headed to bed. He was soon done with his chores, and set up his tent.
He said he was going to start hiking at about 6. I usually wake at about 5:30, so when I did, I hollered over to see if he was up. I wasn't sure if he was or not, but he started stirring. We both got out, and he prepped some hot water for coffee. I had been afraid that if I didn't get coffee, I'd get a head ache. It was probably good that he was going back for fuel, as we ran out of gas just as the coffee water was hot. I don't remember exactly what we ate for breakfast, but I think it might have centered around granola bars and Cuties. I do like Cuties. Mmmm.
He handed me some treat options, which included granola bars, fruit thingies, and some other stuff. I took an assortment of things. Then he hung the food, and trotted off.
I packed my stuff, and started up the hill. The Continental Divide Campsite was our goal for the night. I think it was 4 miles away. It was the biggest hill of the hike.
I had read about this hike. One thing that one book mentioned was that this was probably the only longer trail in Yellowstone that had few burned areas. I had liked the previous day's hike, and I knew from previous experience that I liked this portion. I like green. I miss the eastern forests that I used to hike in. There were some meadows, like this, but there were also lots of stands of big, living, green trees.
I enjoyed the occasional openings with meadows like this. I just enjoyed hiking. I didn't enjoy the hill so much, but that's the way things go.
The overall day went up, but there were a couple of steeper ups, and a couple of slam dunk downs.
I used the day to look, and to think. I felt sorry for Shawn. But I also recognized that he had made his own mess. I am a checklist sort (librarians do things like checklists). It's rare to just miss something. But, this was his first trip as "the" guide. He didn't have experience with making all the decisions. I'll tell a little about our experience, but I'm not going to go too into the guided trip experience. I had never taken a guided backpacking trip because I always envisioned a line of ducklings following the mama duck, and I figured I'd never be able to keep up. As it played out, I wouldn't have kept up, but I usually didn't need to.
Shawn was always willing to help, and take care of things. For the most part, I took advantage of his cooking, and the food that he carried, and that he would always get water. I rather liked having a water fetcher! I hadn't gone too far, and there was a little stream. Since I got my new knee, I have worried about my balance, so while there was an awkward looking log, I sloshed through. It was chilly but ok. On up the hill I went. I was never fast, but slowly steady. There were few folks hiking, but after a while, I came to some folks on horseback. I asked how far to the next campsite. Three people answered simultaneously... the first said he didn't know, the second said 3-4 miles (um, no, it might have been a mile and a half) and the third said it was about 20 minutes back. I would have done just as well talking to the horses. There was another horse rider, but he didn't even hear the question. We exchanged goodbyes, and I stood there and waited for the dust to clear. It was pretty dry, and dust was everywhere, and I really did wait for it to clear.
I did run into a couple of hikers. I had been told that a log had been washed away during the flood a few years ago, and that I'd have to ford a creek or a stream that previously had a log over it. I'd also been told that the water was swift, and that the rock underneath was at an angle, and... I was scared. I asked the hikers going the other way how bad it had been. One set said that they had hiked over and back, and not gotten their feet wet. Hmmm. Another set said there had been a log across most of it, and then a couple more logs near the other end. Another hmmm.
I stopped and sat on logs, when good sitting logs presented themselves. I had candy and granola bars and those fruit thingies I mentioned. I drank lots of water. I got to the campsite.
It was probably a little after noon. I hung my food, and set up my tent. I ate some more of my treats. I took a nap. It was a pretty place and I was enjoying just being there. I grew hungry. I remembered that Shawn had said, the evening before that he was really hungry, and after we ate the chicken and mashed potatoes, he was going to eat crackers and meat and cheese. The crackers and meat and cheese that I had carried.
I like crackers. Those crackers looked like Ritz crackers. And there were little circles of ham. I like ham. I wasn't that excited about the turkey or the cheeses, but did I mention I was hungry? It was probably about 4 when I broke open the crackers and ham and cheese. Mmmmm. Excellent. I ate to my hearts delight. There was still plenty left for Shawn, but I was now full and happy. Burp.
View attachment 144240
I set up my chair so I could watch down the trail. I think it was about 5:20 when Shawn came down the trail, again, carrying food bags. He got to camp, dropped the bags near me, and headed back to get his pack. He was back in a bit. He hadn't been in camp long, when it looked like rain, and he put up a tarp. The guy knew his knots. He had it up nicely in short order, and to honor his work, it began to rain. He liked the idea of the crackers and meat and cheese, and went at it. I think I had some more, but it's been a few days, so I don't remember. Either way, I got crackers and honey ham and was happy. I don't think he cooked that night. But we sat under the tarp, ate what we wanted, and talked. He'd gotten to the parking lot and back by noon (4 hours). Then, he had to pack and hike up the hill to the site. That had taken a while. But we were reunited, and that was good. He took care of chores, and after talking some, including my newfound knowledge about a log over that creek, I headed off to my tent.
