Muchwater CG; Diamond & Cliff Lakes: On Sunday the 26th, Kathy and I took the trailer over to Muchwater CG in Montana. We knew it was going to be hot but we went anyway. On Monday we headed up Dry Creek outside of Superior and drove to Diamond Lake. Diamond Lake is one of the few lakes along the stateline that you can drive to. We hiked the mile up to Cliff Lake, had lunch and then wandered back down to Diamond Lake. It was a bit smokey and the bugs were non-existent.
Mary Lake: On Tuesday, I headed up to the Ward Peak area along the state line to visit Mary Lake. Kathy and Skye had enough hiking from the day before so they stayed at the trailer. I ended up running into Joelle Gallaugher on the trail. She is the Stewardship Manager and backcountry ranger for the GBCA. It was still morning and she had already visited both Ward Peak and Mary Lakes; both are steep cross country ventures. I took an easier route that has a trail all the way to the lake, but parts are primitive. I had lunch and took a few pictures. I decided to ditch the trail on the way out and headed up the hill to the ridge and game trail that connects with the trail to Ward Peak. I have been in & out by this cross country route a couple times but it probably wasn't the best with my recently pulled hamstring. Anyway, I survived the climb out without damaging the hamstring too much. It was a bit smokey and hotter than the day before.
Ward Peak Lake: On Friday, Larry Bauer and I managed to finally sync our available time & location and got a long awaited hike along the stateline in. Larry had never been into Ward Peak Lake near (of course) Ward Peak, so that was the destination for the day. Larry is a long time friend (>40 yrs). The trail into the lake was in good shape with no major blowdowns; a rare feat it seems this year after the historic winter storms. All in all a fun day.
