Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Backpack, August, 2006

One of the Rainbow Lakes on the Lake Plateau.

I had taken the week of August 6th off from work back in March not knowing why, but figured it would have something to do with a backpacking trip either solo, with the boys or a friend. As fate would have it, Yumi was planning a trip back to her native Japan for that week, leaving me with the freedom to do pretty much whatever I wanted. Sweeeeeeeet.

I'd read a lot about the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness over the years but had never been there aside from a few trips over the Beartooth highway coming and going from Yellowstone National Park and was somewhat eager to give them a try. But I had plenty of other options as well and really had no idea where I'd go.

I have to admit towards leaning a little to the A-B evenwhen driving back from our Wind River trip after we opted to come home via the Chief Joseph Highway instead of the Beartooth Highway. I guess I felt I missed out on something by not taking the former.

This trip was also significant in another way. About a year earlier I had bailed on a solo trip to the Cloud Peak wilderness after one night: I had to prove to myself I could do a longer solo trip. While this hike was only three nights, I could have easily done the full five that I had planned had I not run out of trail. Seems that I can put down a lot of miles by myself and underestimated the type of mileage I could do solo. Lesson learned. Enjoy the trip report.

Screw the trip report! Take me to the photos