ONWARD AND UPWARD
Originally I planned to take a layover on day 3 (Monday). My primary goal was to dayhike from Bliss Meadows up the Clark Creek Trail to Pierpont Pass and Hidden Pass. My secondary goal was to eat up some food and lighten my pack before climbing up into the alpine country. That would make the ascent a little easier, and it would improve my chances of getting all of my food in the bear cannister before camping above treeline.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast was not cooperating with my plans. The forecast looked good on Monday and Wednesday, but iffy at best on Tuesday and Thursday. The problem is that I would need most of 3 days to reach the headwaters of the S Fork Shoshone River and then follow the Continental Divide north to Lost Creek and eventually Ferry Lake. I planned to spend the first two of those nights above treeline, too. It was going to be difficult to pull that off safely with thunderstorms likely on two of those days.
Reluctantly, I decided to scrap the layover day. That would mean (hopefully) good weather on the first and last days of the traverse. The middle day might be a problem, but I could start early and cover most of the distance in the morning before the afternoon storms rolled in. I would just need to drop off the Continental Divide and find a campsite with some shelter that afternoon.
Bliss Meadows
I broke camp and continued upstream along the Southfork Trail. Initially I enjoyed good views of Bliss Meadows and the surrounding mountains, but before long the trail entered the woods. Although the trail follows the edge of Bliss Meadows for several miles, views are somewhat limited. What I did see of it was mostly a vast sea of willows.
Beautiful rock
Pretty feather. What kind of bird is it from?
The Absarokas above Bliss Meadows
Bliss Meadows
Geraniums
Columbines
Monkeyflowers
Lots of monkeyflowers
Hundreds of them
A long climb followed, and the trees thinned as I neared Shoshone Pass. I hiked through grassy meadows and crossed the infant river before reaching the pass and the boundary of the DuNoir Special Management Area. I thought that there would be a view from the pass, but there were too many trees in the way. Views may open up if you continue down the trail, but I decided against it. I still had a lot of climbing ahead of me.
From the pass I doubled-back to the river and followed it upstream. I was a little uncertain of the route, but I knew that I needed to reach the divide separating the Shoshone River and Crescent Creek. My goal for the night was a small alpine lake at the head of Crescent Creek, southeast of Crescent Mountain. That tarn sits near the edge of the plateau, promising spectacular views.
A short distance upstream I found a two-tiered waterfall. Although the river is just a small stream up this far, the waterfalls were still quite nice.
Waterfall on the South Fork Shoshone River
The trail led up into a beautiful alpine basin that, in hindsight, would have been a great place to camp.
I continued on though, ascending steeply to the crest of the ridge southeast of Crescent Mountain. I lost the trail in the talus there, but the route was obvious. I headed northwest, moving quickly because of dark clouds building to the south. Where did those clouds come from? I thought this was supposed to be the good weather day?
I reached the lake, which wasn’t as enthralling as I had envisioned. It was windy and very exposed, and the building storm was threatening. At a minimum, it would mess up the views. I decided to continue on, in hopes of finding a place to camp with more shelter.
I descended into the Crescent Creek headwaters. I worked my way down through grassy meadows, following the trickling stream. I eyed the route ahead for my hike tomorrow. My intended route was blocked by a large, steep snowfield east of Crescent Mountain. It was a couple of miles away, but it looked like a major obstacle. Would it be too steep to climb? If so, could I get around it? I had my doubts. The map only showed one likely route, and it was a narrow corridor through more challenging terrain.
It was getting late, so I decided to save that decision for the morning. I continued down towards treeline, eager to find a sheltered place to camp. I wandered around in the subalpine meadows, looking for flat terrain in the stands of trees. That proved elusive, so I continued down the valley. I crossed the stream and climbed the steep bank to a thicker stand of trees. There I found a marginal place for a tent. It was very small and not quite flat, but I was no longer feeling picky. I decided to make it work. I set up quickly, and the storm passed. The weather was still unsettled, so I heated a meal, ate my dinner, and headed to bed.
