The only reason I can think of as to why it has taken me
9 whole days to write a blog post about my trip to the Bighorns with John and Finn is that is was far too phenomenal to accurately convey it with words and snapped photos. I will try of course, though!
The logical place to start is with the horrendous, boulderific road we had to drive up to get to the trailhead. John joked during his first trip to the Bighorns the week before that the road had taken his car's virginity. The road was incredibly steep and loaded with monsterous boulders. You know that feeling when you are ascending a rollercoaster and you are trudging upwards and you know that a steep drop that rattles your entire body is coming up? Well, this road felt like that. At times I closed my eyes tightly shut and other times I grasped my knee caps, probably to make sure they were still intact. John actually had to get out and examine how he was going to maneuver around certain boulders. When we finally reached a peaceful, flat meadow I said, "Wow, that would take a car's virginity." John said, "Can I quote you on that?" Absolutely.
Palette of the Wilderness
All summer long, during our various hikes John and I have tried to find my favorite colors, turquoise and purple mixed with his favorite color, green. We have found several purple flowers but turquoise seemed to be impossible. Until I got to the Bighorns.
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| Turquoise and Outdoorsy! |
I could write a post on the colors alone. Blues were bluer and greens were greener. Even the gray of the mountains was striking. These colors can't be found in a Crayola box. In fact the crayon, "Forest Green" is highly inaccurate and dull in comparison to what we saw. The lakes were the clearest I have ever seen.
We also experienced 'Alpine Glow.' We don't actually know if that is the correct term for it but it worked. Alpine Glow is the light that spreads across the tops of the mountain during a sunset. It is pretty Alpine-Glowtastic! I wish I could bottle it up and put it on my windowsill.
Fine Dining
John prepared excellent meals for us and they were well worth the extra weight we carted in our packs. The first night for supper we had pasta with basil sauce and fresh zucchini, onions, and tomatoes with feta cheese and pine nuts. The next day we accidentally skipped lunch because I was too busy swimming in a lake so for supper we made up for it with wraps filled with homemade hummus that we cooled off by putting the bag in the rushing creek and fresh onions and tomatoes and shredded cheese. We also had what accidentally turned out to be refried bean soup. The beans didn't cool but the soup version was delicious and was topped with fresh veggies, seasoned chips and cheese. The next day we had lunch at what I referred to as a "Holy Shit" Lunch Spot. We ate wraps made with peanut butter and banana and mango slices as we stared at the mountain that loomed before us. That night for supper we had pasta with tomato sauce and fresh veggies. For breakfast every morning we had granola with warm powdered milk topped with fresh and dehydrated fruits including bananas, strawberries, cherries, raisins, cranberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Hot tea was part of every meal and turned out to be the perfect backpacking beverage, other than water of course.
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"Holy Shit" Lunch Spot
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| Sitting by a mountain |
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| Hot tea and Finn |
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| Pinkies up! |
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| Love this photo! The cup is reflecting the ground and the tea is reflecting the trees and the sky! |
The first day we hiked to Lake 1 of Seven Brother's Lakes and set up our camp just up the hill from the lake. The seven lakes of Seven Brother's Lakes are all fairly close together and are distinguished only by number. I was slightly disturbed by this and thought they should be named after actual brothers. Not having an actual brother myself I dubbed it Carl. He is basically my brother!
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| Lake Carl |
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| Lake Carl |
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| Lake Carl |
Also on the first night I noticed this cloud. It made me think of Birdie and I knew without a doubt she was watching me from Dog Heaven.
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| The Birdie Cloud |
Little Tent in the Woods
This summer has been full of accomplishments. Setting up my own tent made the list during this trip! This summer has also been filled with bells. Several years ago when a store in Deadwood was closing John bought these garlands of bells with the intent of hanging them in a campsite. That is exactly what we did!
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| Finn was supervising |
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| Masterpiece |
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| Bells hanging from a tree! |
Morning Yoga
The first morning I woke up really early and took a stroll along the lake (Lake Carl). I traipsed across some rocks until I made the leap to a giant flat rock that turned out to be perfect for some early morning yoga. Yoga in the woods is sublime!
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| Downward Dog and Finn! |
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| Warrior and Finn! |
A Swim in an Alpine Lake
The second day we hiked to all seven of the Seven Brother's Lakes. I love lakes and especially lakes perfectly clear that reflect snow-capped mountains and have minnows that swim right up to my toes. The seventh lake had a nice sandy beach and I swam in in fully clothed in my hiking gear. Finn joined me but I ventured out further than he did. It was the coldest water I have ever swam in but it was totally worth it!
Moose
Moose became my new favorite animal! After the very first river crossing the first day we were sitting putting our hiking boots back on when a huge moose galloped in front of us about twenty feet away. The moose then ran to a meadow and we were able to see it eat through the trees. The third day we were walking to Deer Lake when John thought he saw the head of a moose. I thought it was just a stump until the stump's ears moved. We then watched the moose swim across the entire lake. Then when we were leaving after going down the road from hell we saw a moose eating not too far off the trail. We were able to drive up and get very close. We didn't stay too long because eventually I noticed the moose's baby eating alongside her.
I always thought it was funny that so many people decorate their homes with moose. I understand it now and in my future home I will have one moose-embellished room among all the turquoise.
River Crossing
We had to do multiple river crossing during the trip. Luckily my feet are the length of an average MAN'S foot so I was able to use John's Keens. On the day that we hiked through rain and what I deemed corn kernel sized hail we encountered a crossing that had a huge tree perfect for humans to trek across. Finn wasn't so keen on the idea and John had to brave the horrifically cold water for his dog.
The entire trip was truly an amazing experience. When John and I were getting ready for this trip he kept saying that it was like being in a postcard. That description turned out to be so true. Life is simply more beautiful out there and I can't wait to go on my next backpacking trip!
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| Shut up... |
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| What John described as, "fucking vast" |
There is more to the Great Outdoors than shopping at the Great Outdoors Store.
I have new favorite things about eleven times a day but here are some of them that I discovered during the trip...
Seeing fish jump in a lake. Also, I think fish jumping is similar to lightning. They never strike the same place twice.
Lakes reflecting mountains.
Alpine Glow.
Alpine Glow reflected in mountains
Moose
Seeing moose swim in a lake
Wildflowers growing near snow.
Waterfalls on a mountain.
