THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART

Tuesday started with a major decision. What route should I take? There was a large snowfield on the alpine route I had planned to take. It might be passable, but I wouldn’t know until I got there. I could easily spend a couple of hours getting there, only to find that I couldn’t get through. I’d kill more time backtracking, only to put me back where I started.

I had a couple of other options. I could backtrack a bit and then swing around the south and west sides of Crescent Mountain. That would eventually put me back on track, but it would be roundabout. It would also mean traversing a long stretch of talus, which I had hoped to avoid. My final option was to bushwhack downstream along Crescent Creek until I reached the Crescent Creek Trail. From there I could follow the trail up to the Continental Divide, which would put me back on my route.

I decided to try the bushwhacking route. Chalk it up to spending most of my weekends bushwhacking in the mountains of western North Carolina. Maybe I was just too comfortable with the idea?

I made it out of camp before 9am, which is pretty good for me. I headed down the valley, staying well above Crescent Creek. Almost immediately I stumbled upon a prominent elk trail. I passed through meadows and short stretches of forest while trying to stay on the game path. I lost the trail occasionally, but I would always find it, or another game path.

The only difficulty was frequent gullies. The worst was a gully that the game trail skirted above. It didn’t seem bad at first, but it got worse as I progressed. Then I reached a spot with awkward footing. A slip there would have meant a serious tumble. I thought about turning back, but retreating wasn’t very appealing, either. Eventually I talked myself into pushing on. I hopped across the bad spot, pulled myself up and under a tree, and reached the brink of another gully.

This one was worse. Crossing it wasn’t an option. Instead, I dropped down into it and buttwhacked down. Before long, the gradient of the gully eased and I found another game trail. I followed it, resuming my journey down the valley.

The game trail faded, and I headed down towards the creek. I followed it to the top of a waterfall at the head of a minor canyon. I skirted around until I found a route down through the steep terrain. Then I headed back towards the creek. Unfortunately the waterfall is elusive. It drops into a slot canyon, and I didn’t find a spot where I could see it. I headed down parallel to the canyon, but by the time I could get down to the creek I was a long way downstream from the waterfall.

I pressed on, and before long I reached the optimal point to bushwhack over to the trail, which is on the opposite side of the creek. I waded across Crescent Creek in flip flops and then rock hopped a tributary. After a short, steep climb away from the streams I began to hunt for the trail. I was hopeful that I would be able to find it. I didn’t know anything about it, except that it is shown on the map. Does it even still exist? If so, what kind of condition will it be in?

The trail was right where the map showed it, and it looked well-traveled. I followed it uphill, steeply at times. Before long, views of Crescent Creek canyon that I had descended began to open up. I passed a couple of waterfalls on the tributary and continued to climb.

It was almost noon when I started the final climb to the Continental Divide. The weather looked fine, but there was a good chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I kept an eye out for possible campsites in case I needed to retreat, but I didn’t see much. I passed one heavily wooded spot that might have worked, but I didn’t get a close look at it.

I reached the Continental Divide in gap at treeline. The views are great in every direction here. Somehow I managed to wander off in the wrong direction from the gap, but I quickly realized my mistake. I reoriented myself and started up the Continental Divide. I briefly considered taking an alternate route through the alpine valley to the north, which looked lovely and somewhat less exposed. However, that would have meant missing a really nice alpine lake and a lot of great views.

I reached the top of a minor peak above the previously mentioned lake in time for lunch. I didn’t linger long though, as I had several miles to go, and I didn’t know how long the weather would hold. It turned out to be not very long at all. After climbing over a couple of knolls I dropped steeply down into a gap. A left (south) turn here would take me back through the alpine valley I had eyed earlier. Continuing on the divide from here requires a long, steep climb well above treeline.

I started that way when I noticed dark clouds building back to the southwest. There were a few scattered trees around, so I decided to huddle under a small stand of them and wait. It was a good decision. The storm slowly built behind me, and a few raindrops fell. The storm kept growing, but it seemed to be moving away slowly. It seemed to take forever, but it eventually drifted off.

It was early afternoon, and it looked like more storms would be coming. A recognized my window of opportunity, and took it. I headed up the Continental Divide, bound for the subalpine tarns at the head of Bliss Creek. That’s one of the few sheltered areas for camping near the Continental Divide between Crescent Mountain and Lost Creek.

I followed the divide north. I tried to enjoy the views, but I was more focused on the weather. There were numerous storms building in pretty much every direction. That motivated me to maintain an aggressive pace. Fortunately, the hiking was pretty easy once I finished the initial climb. I passed above several alpine lakes and crossed another knoll before beginning a long descent into the headwaters of Bliss Creek.

I left the divide and worked my way down towards Bliss Creek. I avoided the upper lake, which is exposed. Instead I headed for the lower lake, which has a substantial stand of trees on the east side. I had to avoid a steep snowfield to reach the lake, but that only required a minor detour. Once I reached the east side of the lake I explored the area, looking for a campsite. I didn’t find any established sites, but I did find a nice spot in a small meadow surrounded by stands of small trees. The mosquitoes were pretty bad, but it was a scenic spot a short distance from the lake.

I set up camp around 4pm, shortly before the first storm hit. I sheltered in the tent, but it only rained briefly. I got out, and it started raining again. This pattern repeated several times, but the worst of the storms seemed to be east of me. I eventually took a chance and made dinner, and it rained on me one more time.

The storms cleared that evening, and I was treated to some spectacular alpenglow after sunset. The snowfield beyond the tarn near my campsite provided some incredible reflections for photography.

Continue reading about my trip as I follow the Continental Divide off trail to Lost Creek before continuing on to Ferry Lake.

Back to Wyoming

Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports

Home

Please remember to Leave No Trace!