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.
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.
I
passed a number of campsites at the upper end of the
meadows. The crossings of Bliss Creek
and Crescent Creek required wading, but the fords were easy
and I was able to do them in flip flops.
My boots had mostly dried overnight, and I was hoping to keep them that
way. I had lunch at Crescent Creek,
which is a pleasant but underwhelming spot.
The highlight of the hike from Bliss Meadows to Shoshone Pass was the
spectacular wildflowers. Blue
Columbines, Monkeyflowers, Lupine, and Paintbrush were blooming
everywhere.
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.
A bit farther upstream, I was surprised to stumble upon a distinct
trail. It was heading up the valley,
roughly parallel to the river. That is
where I wanted to go, so I followed it.
I lost it a couple of times, but on each occasion
I just headed where I wanted to go and I relocated it.
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.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!