It really is the easiest and most direct route to Sky Pilot Lake from Beartooth Hwy No. So SPHP got rid of the water in the tiny house and put things in order. It poured rain and hailed again, but the hail was so tiny it didn’t do anything. The lake was like a perfect mirror of the cliffs and shale walls surrounding the lake, it was an unreal sight that I will remember forever. Lupe and SPHP got up over the ridge S of Jasper Lake and started heading for Albino Lake. June 28th, 2017 Beartooth Mountains Red Lodge, Montana The 28th: It can’t be said enough, thank you, Kat! ), there were more storm clouds. Slight chance of snow Showers late in the morning. Some dramatic towering jagged mountains including Sky Pilot Mountain (12,047 ft.) were in view beyond High Pass Lake. The Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains loom above the north side from Mission Creek. Mick was originally from England, but had married an American. 2017 Wind River Range of Wyoming & Select Peaks in Montana, 2014 Canadian Rockies & Beartooth Mountains of Montana, 2013 Beartooth Mountains of Montana & Canadian Rockies, Black Hills, SD Expedition No. Later that morning before lunch we would stop by Little Lightning Lake. Lupe made it back to the G6 back at the Island Lake trailhead at 11:42 PM. It shimmered with a gorgeous blue-green color when the sun shone on it. Lupe rested and had some Taste of the Wild and water. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, fishing, and backpacking and is best used from June until October. Receive notifications of new Lupe adventures by email. SPHP thought Lupe was too far W for it to be the right one, but although steep, it looked relatively easy to climb. Since the familiar Island Lake campground and trailhead were only a few miles farther E on Beartooth Hwy No. At the Island Lake campground, SPHP got water and Lupe was ready to go. Lupe needed to lose elevation as fast as possible. Since Pat Marcuson began surveying these lakes in ... Dryad Lake, Incisor Lake, Lightning Lake, Little Lightning Lake, Sunken Rock Lake Rainbow Trout Cimmerian Lake, Diaphanous Lake, Sioux Charley … Our planned route would involve a 17-mile hike up to the Beartooth Plateau and then a 5-mile off-trail traverse over an 11,000-foot peak to our target lake. SPHP hoped to see Sky Pilot Lake from this ridge, but was disappointed when it was not visible from there. Whitetail Peak (12,551 ft.) is shrouded by clouds to the N. Sky Pilot Lake was a very beautiful lake! We started up the mountain, climbing over dead fall and every other obstacle you could imagine, every step the 80 pounds on my back got heavier and heavier, there was some parts that were so steep if you stood up straight you would fall backwards. This large fish was trapped, stripped of eggs and released in Lightning Lake in 1975 by the author. There, nearby, but hundreds of feet below Lupe, was Sky Pilot Lake! My mom would point out helicopters flying over the lake, dipping down to load their buckets, and heading up toward the fire. 2018 Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming & Beyond! He said he has had a tremendously fun life. There Lupe waited for the storm to pass. In Lightning Lake, emergence took 52 days at a mean temperature of 46° F. Fish were 1.2 inches when their yolk sacs were absorbed in September. Lupe and SPHP climbed NNW up the big ridge beyond Triskele Lake. Lupe and SPHP headed N past High Pass Lake up to a small ridge. It was so nice catching up with her. SPHP intended to start the trek Beartooth Lake campground, so Lupe and SPHP went there first. SPHP still had it in mind that Lupe ought to at least try to reach Sky Pilot Lake before leaving the Beartooths. We had a few fish rise and saw some big bruisers cruising the banks so we threw everything we had at them, scuds, nymphs, streamers, and even some dry flies but they didn't want to take anything we were offering. Lupe and SPHP headed a bit further to the NNE up to the end of the ridge. This 12,799 located in the Beartooth Mountain Range of Montana in the Rockies is one of the harder state highpoints to get due to the distance technical challenge of the last 200 feet of the summit block. For many this is a bucket list item. Relatively close by and most dramatic was Lonesome Mountain (11,399 ft.) back to the S.  Nearby and for the first time, Lupe and SPHP could now see Donelson and Maryott Lakes below to the WNW. Lupe got to spend the whole evening in there “roughing it” in the lap of luxury. Once up on the ridge, SPHP had expected it to be relatively easy to find High Pass where Lupe needed to go to get to Sky Pilot Lake, but even with the topo map it was hard to figure out exactly which way to go. Since it was taking so long to traverse the endless boulder fields, SPHP didn’t want to go to the E to check out the other possibilities. Lupe left the Island Lake trailhead at around 8:15 AM. There were many high mountains in view. Fellow Angler: This booklet is intended to pass on information collected over many years about the fishery of the Absaroka-Beartooth high country lakes. We were literally climbing up the mountain at some points! It’s a stunning sight and we chose to drop packs and make our lunch. Every other cast we would catch fish on little lightning using dry flies and streamers. Eventually the rain diminished to become just a light sprinkle. Lupe and SPHP worked on down the other side of the ridge into High Pass. Soon there was hail, too. Sky Pilot Lake was a very beautiful lake! Mutt Lake. When Lupe finally reached the top of the ridge, there was a grand view from the SE to the SW all the way around to the NW. Required fields are marked *. The boulder fields really slowed progress down. There was room for SPHP’s head under there too, but that was it. So Lupe went down to the lower ridge. She took us in for three nights, fed us, and entertained us. After 10 or 15 minutes, the rain let up quite a bit. The Beartooth Mountains are the highest peaks in the wilderness area. After much consulting of the maps and gazing at the terrain to the N, SPHP could see 3 possible ways that might lead to High Pass. Becker Lake- Beartooth Mountains. This cairn lies right around the middle of Fossil Lake, a massive lake that sits at high in the alpine of the Beartooths. The backpack-ing portion of the trip lasts 6 nights, 7 days. The peaks nearby and the gigantic canyon to the NE below Sky Pilot Lake were most impressive too. The closest one was the westernmost. Massive granite plateaus that are found well above timberline define the Beartooth Mountains, along with numerous small, alpine lakes. (Photo by Rick and Susie Graetz) ... Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains, this lofty terrain is scoured by wind and at times ferocious wea ther. SPHP realized there wasn’t a lot of time to dawdle. Sometime around 1:00 AM, Lupe and SPHP sacked out in the tiny house. SPHP decided Lupe would just climb this closest big ridge, which was directly N of the ridge Lupe was on. Despite the need to hurry, it was slow going. Getting there would be a very long day hike. 255: Missouri Buttes & A Visit With Dave Covill, Lead Director of the Highpointers Foundation (5-27-20), Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 212, SPHP quickly gave up on a start from Beartooth Lake. In the morning, SPHP spent some time looking at maps to consider possible alternate routes. Lake Mountain rises in the background. Becker Lake- Beartooth Mountains. Beartooth Mountains−Martin Lake Basin 1 Another fabulous trip to the Beartooths, every bit the equal of our last trip along the “Beaten Path.” This one takes us to the High Lakes Region of the Beartooths—specifically, Martin Lake basin. It was all wonderful! You’ll pass Emerald Lake on the way, and just beyond Mystic Lake is Island Lake, and beyond that Silver Lake. We started up the mountain, climbing over dead fall and every other obstacle you could imagine, every step the 80 pounds on my back got heavier and heavier, there was some parts that were so steep if you stood up straight you would fall backwards. Echo Lake does offer something that these other two lakes don’t: the chance for solitude. But don’t worry, it’s not the last we’ll see of her. Your email address will not be published. Length: 19.4 mi • Est. Trail: Emerald and Moon Lakes, Weminuche Wilderness, CO. On the other side of the ridge was a series of little lakes and ponds scattered among the rocks and grassy areas. 260 – Moonshine Gulch, Peak 6205 & Minnesota Ridge (12-8-20), Little Bald Mountain & Bear Rocks, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming (8-6-20), Black Hills, SD Expedition No. Soon Lupe and SPHP reached Jasper Lake. I mostly just laughed about it, but I was … The highpoint of Montana over an amazing climb. The next morning we woke up and caught a few more fish on Little Lightning Lake, packed up camp, and headed back down to the trail. It was an amazing view. It rained, but not hard. This time though, the lightning was now close. He had been many places and had lots of stories to tell. Following it, you head toward Mutt and Jeff Lakes. Mick knows lots of famous people from the music industry. It took a while to get up there, but Lupe and SPHP finally got to the top. I was going home in the morning. We were literally climbing up the mountain at some points! The hike there is easy enough, the trail is well … Lupe Is Back In Action, Thanks to Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Erin Brown! The range runs east to west covering nearly one million acres of granite and forest. For hours, Lupe continued to see lightning in the darkness far to the SE. At first, Lupe and SPHP made very good time. In the evening, Mick invited SPHP and Lupe in for a tour of his motor home. Lupe and SPHP kept climbing along the ridgeline heading N and scrambling around the boulder fields trying to figure out which way was the easiest way to High Pass. This last ridge was as far as SPHP was willing to go. The trip to Lightning Lake is a difficult off-trail backpacking adventure to a high mountain lake in the Beartooth Mountains and one of the only lakes in Montana hosting beautiful golden trout. While Echo Lake is located only a mile from this popular trail, hundreds of hikers pass by it on the way to nearby Duggan Lake, or Big Park Lake. Lupe had fun exploring. SPHP wished it hadn’t taken so long to get here, because it would have been great to go down to the shore of the lake and see it from there. Don’t let this fool you; the hike is fantastic and feels incredibly remote. Turning right here, the trail immediately leads to a lightning scarred tree, and then becomes just as well worn as the main trail. High Pass is 10,800+ feet and Lupe had climbed several hundred feet higher than that. Lonesome Mountain is seen in the distance on the R. Lupe explores the forest near the trail. Many glaciers are also located in the Beartooth Mountains. Zephyr, a chocolate Lab, hikes along a trail near Diaphanous Lake on the Lake Plateau in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness on Aug. 31. By now the storm clouds to the W & N looked closer. At times it quit entirely. 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