Yellowstone's Thorofare, Headwaters of Thorofare Creek, Majo Pass, Younts Peak, Bob's Canyon, and Cub Creek - August 9, 2023 - Days 1 through 6

[scoags]

We still need to follow it to give it a proper assessment.

Thanks for the great TRs Scat. Never knew it was called Majo pass.

In 2019, went the opposite way you guys did. We lost the trail about where you found it, we followed a nasty shoulder downhill to the creek. I'm sorry it was a tough slog up, but its good to hear we weren't the only ones losing the tread up there! I was very tempted to camp up where you all did, and it looks like we missed out!

Wonderful photos, thanks!

 

[scatman]

Thanks for the great TRs Scat. Never knew it was called Majo pass.

In 2019, went the opposite way you guys did. We lost the trail about where you found it, we followed a nasty shoulder downhill to the creek. I'm sorry it was a tough slog up, but its good to hear we weren't the only ones losing the tread up there! I was very tempted to camp up where you all did, and it looks like we missed out!

Wonderful photos, thanks!

The Majo Pass came from an outfitter who guides people through the wilderness. One of his packages included heading over Majo Pass, which joined the headwaters of Thorofare Creek with the North Fork of the Yellowstone. I emailed the outfitter with a map of the area and marked on the map what I thought he was describing as Majo Pass. He responded that that was indeed the pass that he called Majo, so I adopted the name from him.

I wish you had been able to follow the trail further down the draw. I guess I'm just going to have to get back in there and map it properly.

What about coming up the tributary to the North Fork to reach the pass? Did you take the outfitter's trail up the tributary? The old trail would have been on the east side of the tributary.

 

[scoags]

The Majo Pass came from an outfitter who guides people through the wilderness. One of his packages included heading over Majo Pass, which joined the headwaters of Thorofare Creek with the North Fork of the Yellowstone. I emailed the outfitter with a map of the area and marked on the map what I thought he was describing as Majo Pass. He responded that that was indeed the pass that he called Majo, so I adopted the name from him.

I wish you had been able to follow the trail further down the draw. I guess I'm just going to have to get back in there and map it properly.

What about coming up the tributary to the North Fork to reach the pass? Did you take the outfitter's trail up the tributary? The old trail would have been on the east side of the tributary.

Majo it is then!

We found the outfitter trail up the tributary near the bottom. There was actually an old rusted grill and some other junk there if i remember right. But we lost the trail not too far up the hill, but that makes sense since we stayed on the west side of the creek, and you say it would have been on the east. Oh well.

Getting up near the top the trail became basically obvious again, but it went in and out of grass in parts. Once we started heading down into the Thorofare side of things, we started contouring to the north a little i believe, i guess following some game trail or something. We ran out of room on the rock, and were forced down. I remember thinking up there that nothing looked good, so we just went for it.

Getting back there and finding it for real would be a treat. So would exploring the head of that tributary!

 

[Kmatjhwy]

Now as for this route over Majo Pass. Now first never have heard of it called by Majo Pass. But have heard that the mountain basin at the base on the Thorofare Creek side referred to as Matson's Basin. As for myself learned about this route way back in the early 80s ('81 or '82) when a outfitting guide I knew then drew on my topo maps all of these little outfitter routes that was up in this country. I still have these maps to this day. Years ago when in here in places there was a decent route up from the North Fork of the Yellowstone in that sub drainage. But coming down there was a little route or game trail on the north or left side in looking down the Drainage, right below some cliffs. Remember coming down the route and here right above the cliffs nearby were like a half dozen Bighorn Sheep. It was soooo cool! Also many years ago some old maps shoow a trail up the North Fork of the Yellowstone which when in here found remnents of it still existing. Then in the meadows and trees when came out to near Thorofare Creek was all this stuff left behind from some outfitter in years gone by. In the trees nearby was like a three foot pile of old bottles left behind. Would love to be back in here and see this pile of bottles again. Now there has been outfitters all over this country for awhile, with the mountain men and various explorers before them. Just what other old artifacts might still be found back in here from those days gone by. But the land here is the main big treat ... still remaining wild and nice as the country should be with the Lord Grizzly still roaming about! Gosh, just thinking of that country, so have to get back into that wild and great country again sometime. Again happy to see all the photos and such from there and good going you guys in doing this hike this past summer.

 

[scatman]

Getting back there and finding it for real would be a treat. So would exploring the head of that tributary!

Yeah, exploring the head of the tributary would be neat.

 

[scatman]

Now as for this route over Majo Pass. Now first never have heard of it called by Majo Pass. But have heard that the mountain basin at the base on the Thorofare Creek side referred to as Matson's Basin. As for myself learned about this route way back in the early 80s ('81 or '82) when a outfitting guide I knew then drew on my topo maps all of these little outfitter routes that was up in this country. I still have these maps to this day. Years ago when in here in places there was a decent route up from the North Fork of the Yellowstone in that sub drainage. But coming down there was a little route or game trail on the north or left side in looking down the Drainage, right below some cliffs. Remember coming down the route and here right above the cliffs nearby were like a half dozen Bighorn Sheep. It was soooo cool! Also many years ago some old maps shoow a trail up the North Fork of the Yellowstone which when in here found remnents of it still existing. Then in the meadows and trees when came out to near Thorofare Creek was all this stuff left behind from some outfitter in years gone by. In the trees nearby was like a three foot pile of old bottles left behind. Would love to be back in here and see this pile of bottles again. Now there has been outfitters all over this country for awhile, with the mountain men and various explorers before them. Just what other old artifacts might still be found back in here from those days gone by. But the land here is the main big treat ... still remaining wild and nice as the country should be with the Lord Grizzly still roaming about! Gosh, just thinking of that country, so have to get back into that wild and great country again sometime. Again happy to see all the photos and such from there and good going you guys in doing this hike this past summer.

I wonder if that pile of bottles is still there? You're just wetting my appetite to go back.

 

[Bob]

Another 8 nite trip?

Can go over hidden and go back via Majo from the west.... If you want more punishment

 

[scatman]

Another 8 nite trip?

Can go over hidden and go back via Majo from the west.... If you want more punishment

Would eight nights put us at six miles a day? Asking for a broken down old man.

 

[TractorDoc]

Would eight nights put us at six miles a day? Asking for a broken down old man.

I don't know what qualifies as a long trip, but eight nights seems long to me.

I knew you had at least one more left in you!

 

[Bob]

Would eight nights put us at six miles a day? Asking for a broken down old man.

Let the old man plan the mileage .... me

 

[scatman]

Let the old man plan the mileage .... me

Just make sure you're six or under.

 

[ImNotDedYet]

Glad the gang got their bear on!

Looks like a lot fun and high morale!

 

[scatman]

Glad the gang got their bear on!

Looks like a lot fun and high morale!

You're going to have to join us on one of these in the future.

 

[ImNotDedYet]

You're going to have to join us on one of these in the future.

I would love to!

 

[tburritt]

The insect you saw at the beginning of day 2 is a diurnal moth, sometimes called the police-car moth, Gnophaela vermiculata.
Any idea how Majo Pass got its name?

 

[scatman]

The insect you saw at the beginning of day 2 is a diurnal moth, sometimes called the police-car moth, Gnophaela vermiculata.
Any idea how Majo Pass got its name?

Thanks for the identification of the moth.

Majo pass comes from an outfitter. I was watching some YouTube videos of an outfitter, and when I went to their website, they had a package to take people into the backcountry that went from the North Fork of the Yellowstone to the headwaters of Thorofare Creek over Majo Pass. I emailed the outfitter a map with a location marked where I thought Majo Pass would be. He responded that that was indeed Majo Pass. I think the outfitter owns Majo Ranch that borders on the Washakie Wilderness.

 

[Bob]

And he doesnt know where the Pass is.... no horse with 'dudes' could make the part of supposed trail I saw.