foray into the crazies
Wolverine Whisperer planned a jaw-dropping-views kind of hike on the way to a night out with another friend, which is precisely the type of adventure I like to squeeze in too. We ended up looping an easy hike closer to the dinner and concert venues, allowing time for a quick shower, but we finalized the deal on our way back home. 24-hours of shenanigans to remind me how good it is to be alive.
Although I didn’t take pictures of the first hike or the picturesque dinner location overlooking the Yellowstone River or even of the quirky, fun outdoor concert venue, I relished every moment. I would use the term coruscation if forced to define the entire trip. A term I learned from a random daily word email that appeared one day as if by fate, coruscation is a noun that means a flash or sparkle of light.
The friend that suggested the trip exudes this term and I felt lucky to spend time around her since I needed a spark to ease my grieving soul. Or, at least distract it. Overwhelmed, I almost backed out. Wolverine Whisperer bravely bought a ticket to the show despite our lack of secured lodging, so I stepped up and purchased one too. Last minute glamping reservations heading into Labor Day weekend in a very popular destination…how did we score so big? It was meant to be.
In a quaint setting, dinner and drinks satiated us while we caught up on how each person’s summer flew by us. Then, we took advantage of the patio by sitting around the fire and observing the bald eagle swoop over the river. On to the concert in the woods! The light show matched the music poetically. Lifting my chin to the dark sky, I admired the reflection of the disco ball dots shimmering across the evergreens. Swaying to the music outside of the excited crowd felt healing in an out of body way I fail to describe.
Lightning threatened a massive summer storm and even teased us with intermittent raindrops throughout the show. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the three musketeers escaped the downpour that rounded out the show ten minutes early. Heading south down the valley, we slept in cozy beds under a thick, canvas tent. When I awoke early and ran to the trailer of bathrooms, the starkness of the stars and milky way stilled the breath in my throat. I choked on tears that emerged in the understanding of the vastness. The stars that we are made of and return to.
Coffee and sunrise over the Absarokas. Conversation and cozy vibes on the porch of our yurt. The warm sun on my face and the sensation of friends surrounding me is a sweet reminder that today is a good day to feel wildly alive. With so much to be grateful for, a difficult loss only proves how deeply loved I am. Then, the moment arrives for each to separate into our next adventures, hiking and hot springs. Enough about the whirlwind of events though. You’re here for the views, right?
The Crazies, an iconic shaped mountain range, sits north of I-90 between Livingston and Big Timber within the interior of the Treasure State. They contain a robust history. Few trails zigzag across the range due to limited access as large swaths of private land are held in and around the range. It’s a long, arduous road to Halfmoon Campground and worth the headache of traversing the rutted out road. Once parked, hiking Big Timber Creek trail leads directly to Twin Lakes with a couple of offshoots, including a trail to view a massive waterfall and towards other scenic lakes. However, today we kept “the pass” in our sights.
Roughly 14 miles roundtrip, we knew the switchbacks leaving Twin Lakes would be the most time consuming section. The carousel of images below outlines the experience of the uphill surge. The trail to Twin Lakes is rocky and only slightly uphill, which felt like an easy four miles to conquer. We lucked out with a bluebird day and enjoyed crossing over cascades via bridges and meandering along Big Timber creek for this quick section. Once we gained elevation above the treeline, we enjoyed the rugged peaks and pondered how much it looked reminiscent of the Rockies in Colorado.
Twin Lakes
When the lakes came into view, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a plethora of pictures. The dramatic setting is certainly why there were too many campers for the lake to hold for the night. We pushed past barking dogs, started up the switchbacks, and stopped for a quick snack to fuel the calf burning trail ahead. I mentioned pass in quotation marks because it’s really more of a saddle next to Conical Peak that we aimed for since we didn’t quite have the time to drop down the other side to Glacier Lake before turning around. (Possibly with a lack of energy to climb back out in addition to the burn of just getting to the saddle summit?)
Here is were we congratulate ourselves for passing the pack of boy scouts. Maybe it was simply the need to keep moving so the wind didn’t cool our sweat enough to make us shiver. Did I mention the Crazies are known for the wind rolling down their sides and pushing tractor trailers off I-90 like toys? Anyway, we now see the weather station on the left (west) side of the summit and I muster all of the caffeine I drained earlier to propel me up the final push. Upon “summiting” we snapped pictures quickly and admired the views before I fingers froze in the wind. The views lingered for the reverse trek and the fondness I felt for the wild space we walked lightly through swelled in my heart.
Looking over the backside of the summit saddle
I’ll leave you with a video of the summit saddle experience. Enjoy!