Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Ice, Mud and Snowmelt in the Bitterroot Wilderness

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana

February in Montana and I felt like I was on a spring outing. I headed into the wilderness from the Kootenai Creek trailhead, and as normal it was icy. Enough ice that I broke out the crampons to move safely for the first 2+ miles of the canyon. By far the best way to move over thick ice that I am aware of. For me the most secure way anyhow.
Creek was flowing pretty fast, but after all the rain of the past weekend that was expected. I did not think all the ice bridges would be melted out already. This was my favorite one to cross the creek this year, now there were no safe places to cross for over 6 miles up canyon. There was one log but it was so sketchy that I was not going to try it.
Where the canyon gets wider and the sun gets to the floor, the snow and ice was gone. The trail was visible and the walking was so smooth. This lasted up to about 5 miles up canyon. Along the creek there was still ice but not in the trees. Would have been a perfect area to camp in.
Snow melting from up on the mountains made for lots of little streams to cross. I filled my water bottle at this one…really cold water, but good to drink.
Eventually winter returned to the valley and all along the Idaho/Montana border there is plenty of snow.   The storms have also laid trees over all along the portion of the valley that had burned a few years back. I counted 93 trees that i had to go over, under or around in less than a mile. Figure that will limit the number of people who get to the far reaches of this valley later this year. After I had passed the last of human tracks in the snow I did find one set of wolf tracks and some moose and elk tracks as well. I should have started earlier in the morning so I could have made it back to the mountain.
Returning to the trailhead and my truck the clouds opened up and showed some blue. Photo just doesn't capture the beauty of the views I got to see. My regret today is that I took my snowshoes on a walk, but they stayed on my back the whole day. I could have used them when I was crossing all the downed trees but it was easier to do that part of the trip without putting them on.

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