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| The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area proved
to be as rugged as it was beautiful. |
After our Glacier trip was blown
a mere 6 hours in, I spent the remainder of Wednesday in
a massive funk. Thursday morning was no better. I was at
work when it hit me: I'm going to Cloud Peak, dammit! I
still had the vacation time to burn and didn't want to burn
it in Wisconsin, that much I knew. I told the boss I would
leave Friday after work and just do it.
I wasn't real sure how Cloud Peak
would measure up to Glacier. I recall driving over Powder
River Pass with the family on vacation when I was 13 and
thought the Bighorns were the coolest mountains on the earth.
Then two summers ago we came back from Yellowstone on 14
and I was amazed at how dry and arid the region looked.
I suspected what I would find would lay somewhere in between:
Nice, but nothing spectacular.
I didn't have any real planning
to do as I had researched the area fairly well this spring
when it seemed like Yumi and I wouldn't be able to get out
to Glacier (Guess I was right about that). I had the map
and guide book in my possession. All I had to do was get
out there and hike.
I made a quick call to Rob Davison
in Buffalo who had helped me with some questions about the
area via e-mail. He told me conditions were great and to
come on out. He would be in the Seven Brothers lakes area
until Tuesday doing a bare ground survey for the NFS and
I had hoped to meet up with him if time would allow. I was
planning on spending 5 or 6 nights in the wilderness so
I thought we might be able to meet up.
The trip never came off as I intended
it to, and though short, got me the mountain fix at Glacier
I had been cheated out of only a few days prior. Let's go...
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