Wilderness Trekking III ~ October 2007

Photo documentary of Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking III Course, October 9-15, 2007 Montana & Wyoming.

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Weaving our way through avalanche slopes and talus fields, we intersected a bear track (sloping down, left to right) en route to finding a campsite with wood for cooking.
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A reminder that we were traveling high in winter conditions.
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And to think we actually considered leaving snowshoes behind. That would have proved disastrous and severel limited our route options to low elevation bushwhacking.
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In deep winter, when lakes are frozen solid and covered in snow, traveling down drainages is easy. However, in spite of their frozen surface, lakes were difficult to manage. The ice was too thin to safely travel across and many were rimmed with talus that threatened our footing with every step - a disconcerting situation when the light is fading, temperatures are dropping, and no wood is in sight.
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The complexit of the Beartooths begins to unfold - in stark contrast to the simple navigation of following a plateau ridge, as we did for most of the early part of the day.
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We encountered all sorts of terrain that is easily navigable in the winter, but "spooky" with only a thin cover of snow (and sometimes, verglas), such as this steep granite slab, which we descended in snowshoes.
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Pilot Peak announces sunset, as we finally descend enough to discover a tiny stand of subalpine fir that would suppl us with enough dead wood to fuel our Caldera Cones for hot drinks and dinner.
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Our group selected the GoLite Shangri-La 8, a six pound haven of protection from spindrift and wind that erected rapidly and became a haven of cameraderie at night as we discussed navigation options for the next day.
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We used prototype titanium 2L Caldera Cone kits for wood fire cooking. With dry wood, we were able to have 8 liters of water boiled for drinks and meals within the span of 45 minutes, using two kits. Fire pans and a remarkably efficient system meant that our environmental impact would be all but unnoticeable, even at high elevations where wood is sparse.
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Jorgen learns the art of cooking in the Caldera Cone system on our first night.
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Jorgen and Don fire up stickfires built in titanium 2L Caldera Cones as the morning dawns with blazing color.
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Waking up in these surroundings - with this light - it's almost ... indescribable.
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Jorgen enjoys a hot cereal breakfast out of an O.P. Sak on Day 2 while staying warm wrapped up in his Cocoon Hoody and Pants.
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Jorgen's carbon fiber nordic walking pole suffered catastrophic failure on Day 1 that was unrepairable in the field. We tested ultralight gear to the limits: poles, snowshoes, and clothing all suffered breaks, rips, and bends.
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Mike Clelland negotiates a steep pitch to the crest of a granite dome.
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Traveling high in the Beartooths feels like it should be duochromatic - rock and snow - but Beartooth granite has a warm feel to it, offering its feldspar intrusions and tundra pockets as part of a landscape that appears more inviting than what the map alone can show.
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Mike checks the thickness of the ice while navigating a pond shore at 11,000 feet.
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Traveling efficiently in the Beartooths requires the abilit to pick routes across domes, peaks, plateaus, and shelves, keeping a careful eye on the elevation loss - and subsequent gain - while traveling between those high points. Here, Mike drops into a spectacular ravine that would take us directly towards Pilot Peak (background).
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Pilot Peak welcomes more unknown terrain (what drops off the horizon line in the foreground?).
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Go right, over the dome, or down, where we can see the route? By this point, we were interested in routes that were as flat as possible. The prospect of dropping into the trees and bushwhacking was not attractive.
Photos: Ryan Jordan / Olympus E-400 / Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5