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- Dec 23, 2013
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10 days after returning from my Grebe Lake trip, it was time to head back to Yellowstone for my usual September trip, this time to the Specimen Creek drainage in the northwest corner of the park.
I've been doing this trip for years with some of my coworkers or former coworkers, with the usual set up a basecamp and do a couple of day hike routine. Brian, Mark, Danny, Brent, and Brian's son Townson joined me on this one, along with two special guests. This would be Townson's (13 years old) first trip into the Yellowstone backcountry. While all of us except Towson are starting to get long in the tooth, Danny has a bad quad muscle along with a back that gives him trouble, so the last few years this trip has been planned around Danny's ability to reach a backcountry campsite. Last year's site on the Gallatin River was four miles in which turned out to be a little too long. This time we chose campsite WE1 which was 2.1 miles in on Specimen Creek.
Overview map
We started off early from Salt Lake, meeting up at Sill's Cafe in Layton for a 6:30 am breakfast before heading on to West Yellowstone. After reaching West Yellowstone, we picked up our official permit at the Backcountry Office, headed to Ernie's for lunch, and then on to the Specimen Creek Trailhead to get this show on the road.
Self explanatory
Ernie's for lunch. They make a pretty good sandwiches.
Day 1 - Trailhead to campsite WE1 - 2.1 miles
Silliness prevails at the trailhead. (L-R) Mark, Brian, Brent, Townson. Danny had already taken off up the trail when this shot was
taken.
On the trail, heading east towards WE1
Specimen Creek
Thought that we might get a little precipitation before arriving at camp, but while the sky threatened, it never did
Finally catching up to Danny on the trail
Reaching a trail junction just before camp
And reaching our campsite. Maybe after they increase the entrance fees to the park, they can fix this sign?
Silliness continues at WE1
Meldrum Mountain
With some colors changing on the mountainside
Ran into a lot of petrified wood @TractorDoc
The bear pole at WE1. This campsite had a high pole.
And now for the special guests.
This is Squatch Country!
And Lord Business's job was to guard the bear pole overnight. This of course made LB very angry.
The return of the heavy spoon! Squatch is hungry!
Night one's meal. I really like this PEAK meal
Our tent setup, which was located across the main trail (south) from the campsiteitself
View of our tent sites from the main trail, with Specimen Benchmark above
Meldrum Mountain at sunset
Looks like the hill is on fire looking to the west from camp at sunset
Day 2 - Day Hike to Crescent Lake - 11 miles roundtrip
We woke up to 22 degree temperature in the morning with our first day hike being to Crescent Lake. We ate our breakfasts, loaded up our daypacks and took off for Crescent.
My tent at 22
We had a couple of visitors down by our tents while eating breakfast.
The workhorse for this trip, a Canon Rebel T5i - trying to warm it up in the sunshine
Unnamed peak 8338
Fall colors along our way
Chipmunk
Views along the trail to Crescent. The first to the north, and this one to the south towards Specimen Peak
Back on the creek, looking up towards unnamed peak 9805
Horse trotters! These two had their horses going at a full trot for some reason. Notice the pooch with them?
Ran into a few black bear tracks on the way to Crescent
Geranium leaves turning red
Part of the Skyrim up there
Passing by campsite WE4
Break time. Danny stayed at camp for this one
Trail junction for Shelf Lake
The trotters and hound dog returning from Crescent
Small patches of snow as we neared the lake
High Lake Trail
Crescent Lake
This can't go well.
Stuffed!
Now this got Scatman's interest. At first, I thought this might be a trail to a pit toilet for the camp-
site at Crescent, but after following it a ways I determined that this must be the old trail to the lake
with lots of sewn logs along it as it descended down the hill.
Butterfly at Crescent Lake
Group shot at the lake
The other end of that old trail on our way back to camp. The next time I'm at Crescent,
I'll be taking this trail instead of the newer one
More fall colors
The trotters broke this bridge on their way back down.
More black bear track on our way down
Different angle of Meldrum Mountain
Water source for WE1
Tonight's meal
Beaucoup de bonnes paroles around the campfire
Day 3 - Day Hike to Specimen Peak - approximately 6 miles roundtrip
Day three was a challenge for me. I had gotten my custom brace off just two days before this trip, and I could tell that there was still something wrong with my wrist. Today's hike would take us down the Specimen Creek Trail for about a mile and then we would head off-trail heading up Specimen. After fording Specimen Creek, the next mile would be a nasty bushwhack through the forest, that contained a lot of downfall that still had their branches. My right had was pretty much useless for this, so it took me a long time to get through it.
Lots of frost inside my tent at 16 degrees this morning.
Frozen thistle by my tent
Of course, I had to get a bikini pose in for @Rockskipper .
Danny's got the right idea at 16 F.
Specimen Creek - on our way back down the trail before cutting off after one mile
A look up towards the Skyrim
View down the trail
Fording Specimen Creek
Fungi as we begin our off-trail portion of the hike
The right hand looks pretty useless doesn't it?
One mile of this nastiness
Breaking out of the trees
We'd end up eating our lunch on the above rock outcrop. We called it Schneller's Knob, because Mark didn't go on this day hike.
We actually called it something else, but it can't be repeated on this family site.
Views from the top were tremendous. The Skyrim to the north
Views from the top
Somebody is hungry! Trust me, you don't want to see Squatch hangry!
Scatman catches a groove!
We followed an elk trail off the top and it took us down about 600 feet without too
many obstacles, but eventually we were back to this.
Scatman down! Notice the useless right hand.
Will this ever end?
Finally back to the creek
A look at Schneller's Knob from the trail
Mark went up the ridge behind camp while we were gone and found these.
Day three's meal
Brian is worn out, and Schneller has yet to be told that we named an outcrop after him.
Day 4 - Back to the Specimen Creek Trailhead - 2.1 miles
Heading out on day four
Brent and Danny
View from the trail
Back at the Sube.
We made it! Great trip.
Don't get between a Squatch and its pizza! We stopped at Ponds in Island Park for some pizza and a beer
At least Squatch picked up the tab.
It was then onto Idaho Falls and Reed's Dairy
My kind of Nation!
Mud Pie milkshake.
So back to my wrist. After returning to Salt Lake, I made an appointment with the orthopedic specialist who looked at my wrist after I broke it. Of course, I couldn't get into see him for two weeks. I told him that my wrist has pain on the outside of the wrist, and it feels week, and it really hurts to try and twist it. Also, I can't pick up anything that is more than three pounds without pain. He told me that the wrist bone has completely healed from the break, but that I have torn the TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex). I had never heard of the TFCC before, but I guess it is crucial in stabilizing one's wrist. So now I'm going though at least six week of PT to see if that helps. If not, then I may need surgery which could mean another cast/brace for 8-12 more weeks.
The End.
I've been doing this trip for years with some of my coworkers or former coworkers, with the usual set up a basecamp and do a couple of day hike routine. Brian, Mark, Danny, Brent, and Brian's son Townson joined me on this one, along with two special guests. This would be Townson's (13 years old) first trip into the Yellowstone backcountry. While all of us except Towson are starting to get long in the tooth, Danny has a bad quad muscle along with a back that gives him trouble, so the last few years this trip has been planned around Danny's ability to reach a backcountry campsite. Last year's site on the Gallatin River was four miles in which turned out to be a little too long. This time we chose campsite WE1 which was 2.1 miles in on Specimen Creek.
Overview map
We started off early from Salt Lake, meeting up at Sill's Cafe in Layton for a 6:30 am breakfast before heading on to West Yellowstone. After reaching West Yellowstone, we picked up our official permit at the Backcountry Office, headed to Ernie's for lunch, and then on to the Specimen Creek Trailhead to get this show on the road.
Self explanatory
Ernie's for lunch. They make a pretty good sandwiches.
Day 1 - Trailhead to campsite WE1 - 2.1 miles
Silliness prevails at the trailhead. (L-R) Mark, Brian, Brent, Townson. Danny had already taken off up the trail when this shot was
taken.
On the trail, heading east towards WE1
Specimen Creek
Thought that we might get a little precipitation before arriving at camp, but while the sky threatened, it never did
Finally catching up to Danny on the trail
Reaching a trail junction just before camp
And reaching our campsite. Maybe after they increase the entrance fees to the park, they can fix this sign?
Silliness continues at WE1
Meldrum Mountain
With some colors changing on the mountainside
Ran into a lot of petrified wood @TractorDoc
The bear pole at WE1. This campsite had a high pole.
And now for the special guests.
This is Squatch Country!
And Lord Business's job was to guard the bear pole overnight. This of course made LB very angry.
The return of the heavy spoon! Squatch is hungry!
Night one's meal. I really like this PEAK meal
Our tent setup, which was located across the main trail (south) from the campsiteitself
View of our tent sites from the main trail, with Specimen Benchmark above
Meldrum Mountain at sunset
Looks like the hill is on fire looking to the west from camp at sunset
Day 2 - Day Hike to Crescent Lake - 11 miles roundtrip
We woke up to 22 degree temperature in the morning with our first day hike being to Crescent Lake. We ate our breakfasts, loaded up our daypacks and took off for Crescent.
My tent at 22
We had a couple of visitors down by our tents while eating breakfast.
The workhorse for this trip, a Canon Rebel T5i - trying to warm it up in the sunshine
Unnamed peak 8338
Fall colors along our way
Chipmunk
Views along the trail to Crescent. The first to the north, and this one to the south towards Specimen Peak
Back on the creek, looking up towards unnamed peak 9805
Horse trotters! These two had their horses going at a full trot for some reason. Notice the pooch with them?
Ran into a few black bear tracks on the way to Crescent
Geranium leaves turning red
Part of the Skyrim up there
Passing by campsite WE4
Break time. Danny stayed at camp for this one
Trail junction for Shelf Lake
The trotters and hound dog returning from Crescent
Small patches of snow as we neared the lake
High Lake Trail
Crescent Lake
This can't go well.
Stuffed!
Now this got Scatman's interest. At first, I thought this might be a trail to a pit toilet for the camp-
site at Crescent, but after following it a ways I determined that this must be the old trail to the lake
with lots of sewn logs along it as it descended down the hill.
Butterfly at Crescent Lake
Group shot at the lake
The other end of that old trail on our way back to camp. The next time I'm at Crescent,
I'll be taking this trail instead of the newer one
More fall colors
The trotters broke this bridge on their way back down.
More black bear track on our way down
Different angle of Meldrum Mountain
Water source for WE1
Tonight's meal
Beaucoup de bonnes paroles around the campfire
Day 3 - Day Hike to Specimen Peak - approximately 6 miles roundtrip
Day three was a challenge for me. I had gotten my custom brace off just two days before this trip, and I could tell that there was still something wrong with my wrist. Today's hike would take us down the Specimen Creek Trail for about a mile and then we would head off-trail heading up Specimen. After fording Specimen Creek, the next mile would be a nasty bushwhack through the forest, that contained a lot of downfall that still had their branches. My right had was pretty much useless for this, so it took me a long time to get through it.
Lots of frost inside my tent at 16 degrees this morning.
Frozen thistle by my tent
Of course, I had to get a bikini pose in for @Rockskipper .
Danny's got the right idea at 16 F.
Specimen Creek - on our way back down the trail before cutting off after one mile
A look up towards the Skyrim
View down the trail
Fording Specimen Creek
Fungi as we begin our off-trail portion of the hike
The right hand looks pretty useless doesn't it?
One mile of this nastiness
Breaking out of the trees
We'd end up eating our lunch on the above rock outcrop. We called it Schneller's Knob, because Mark didn't go on this day hike.
We actually called it something else, but it can't be repeated on this family site.
Views from the top were tremendous. The Skyrim to the north
Views from the top
Somebody is hungry! Trust me, you don't want to see Squatch hangry!
Scatman catches a groove!
We followed an elk trail off the top and it took us down about 600 feet without too
many obstacles, but eventually we were back to this.
Scatman down! Notice the useless right hand.
Will this ever end?
Finally back to the creek
A look at Schneller's Knob from the trail
Mark went up the ridge behind camp while we were gone and found these.
Day three's meal
Brian is worn out, and Schneller has yet to be told that we named an outcrop after him.
Day 4 - Back to the Specimen Creek Trailhead - 2.1 miles
Heading out on day four
Brent and Danny
View from the trail
Back at the Sube.
We made it! Great trip.
Don't get between a Squatch and its pizza! We stopped at Ponds in Island Park for some pizza and a beer
At least Squatch picked up the tab.
It was then onto Idaho Falls and Reed's Dairy
My kind of Nation!
Mud Pie milkshake.
So back to my wrist. After returning to Salt Lake, I made an appointment with the orthopedic specialist who looked at my wrist after I broke it. Of course, I couldn't get into see him for two weeks. I told him that my wrist has pain on the outside of the wrist, and it feels week, and it really hurts to try and twist it. Also, I can't pick up anything that is more than three pounds without pain. He told me that the wrist bone has completely healed from the break, but that I have torn the TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex). I had never heard of the TFCC before, but I guess it is crucial in stabilizing one's wrist. So now I'm going though at least six week of PT to see if that helps. If not, then I may need surgery which could mean another cast/brace for 8-12 more weeks.
The End.
