Hey, you can stay here - you can even hire a horsey ride in, and it's five miles to the nearest road. Packtrains bring in supplies, you can buy a cold soda outta the propane powered fridge in the lodge. Pretty neat.. and if you can't carry a pack or can't walk too far, it's a way to get a semi-backcountry experience in - and a gorgeous spot, too.
But, not being jet-setters, we camped in the campground down the hill, just stuck our head in the door to see the place and see how the fancy people live. Pretty neat building(s), worth peeking at.
And then off we went starting off the day by climbing up to the top of Swiftcurrent, to the lookout. We'd been looking at it for days, and this day dawned clear and crisp, helping motivate us to head up the hill. When we came puffing and steaming up to the top of the hill, we found a crew of volunteers working to restore the really neat lookout building at the top. And what views all around!
Looking over the North side - pretty sheer drop off! -- and East down the string of lakes, to the trailhead and showers and hot dinner and...
And of course, we shot - I think we shot two or three sets of pictures all around. Here's one set stitched together. Another one that needs some time in photoshop, mostly to clean up the blot of something that was on my lens. (grumble).
This one came out around 550k I believe. The swiftcurrent lookout panorama.
Well, we had a bite, caught our breath, soaked up all the view we could, and headed down the hill.
Down and down, indeed. This shot looking down is taken right from the trail - pretty darn exposed trail! Really neat switchbacking down across the cliff, turning about at the waterfalls, views of the different colored lakes going down the valley.
The walk out the rest of the valley did seem to go on all the rest of the day, though. I'll admit to wondering where the heck the trailhead was by the time we got to it. And as we got further and further out, the odd experience of running into mobs of tourists walking up to the falls.. and rushing off into the brush by a lake because moose had been sighted there! I guess with all the grizzly bear warnings, no one was warned that moose can be dangerous? Or do they have bullwinkle in mind? I'd like to see a moose, up close even.. but not by bumping into it in the brushy verge of a lake!
We made it.. to fresh salad and pizza and cold beer, and bless the First Lady for making reservations, hot showers and clean sheets at the motel right there at the trailhead. Fine accomodations indeed! As they say, 'hunger is the best cook..'
This was a great itinerary. You could make nice fast trips through the area - we saw people at Fifty Mountain who looked like they must be doing a minimum 30 mile or so dayhike.. they were moving fast and light and didnt' slow down. OK, so they got to see it.. but I hate the idea of heading down the section of Highline Trail we did without seeing the overlooks. And if that crew had time to check out the overlooks, they're very very studly. So get your reservation applications in early, or show up with time and energy to be flexible about itineraries when you make your reservations.
Report on the rest of the trip still coming, including our three day trip across Gunsight Pass, the hard way... (progress as of 17 Dec)
back to beginning of this trip report