Beartooth Plateau, Montana and Wyoming
During the late summer of 2012 I explored Yellowstone National Park and spent some time trying to video wolves,
other wildlife and thermal features. I was moderately successful, but it will take me awhile longer
to create something from all this video and still imagery of Yellowstone.
During this trip I ventured up onto the Beartooth Plateau in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness to the NE of Yellowstone.
I was attracted by the great density of alpine lakes and exciting glacially polished terrain,
which I could envision from pouring over topo maps. I put together an interesting 8 day backpacking loop
through the Beartooths, going 5 days off trail and returning 3 by trail. The goal of my backpack was, as usual,
to spend a lot of meditative time walking through and photographing mountain wilderness.
I chose my route in order to visit and walk along the shore of a large number of lakes.
The route finding over beautiful, and sometimes complicated and moderately difficult terrain, was a nice challenge.
I only got lost once.
I also only saw one person on the first 5 days off trail and very few on the trail back.
I left my car at Island Lake just off the Beartooth Scenic Byway to the west of Cooke City
and got a ride a couple of miles to Long Lake where I began my walk.
My route traveled between the following lakes:
Sheepherder, Heart, Wall, Becker, Albino, Jasper, Donelson, Pleiades, Robble, Big Butte,
Desolation, Z, Gallery, Fossil, Skull, Ouzel, Mariane, Otter, Jordan,
Elaine, Wright, Native, Night and back to Island Lake, to name just a few.
Below is a gallery of images from this backpacking trip - not in chronological order.
Lots of lakes, of course. One of my goals in this presentation is to provide a sense of this beautiful country
and perhaps some feel for what it might be like to walk through it.
If so inclined, try to imagine walking beside some of these lakes and through the surrounding terrain.
During the late summer of 2012 I explored Yellowstone National Park and spent some time trying to video wolves,
other wildlife and thermal features. I was moderately successful, but it will take me awhile longer
to create something from all this video and still imagery of Yellowstone.
During this trip I ventured up onto the Beartooth Plateau in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness to the NE of Yellowstone.
I was attracted by the great density of alpine lakes and exciting glacially polished terrain,
which I could envision from pouring over topo maps. I put together an interesting 8 day backpacking loop
through the Beartooths, going 5 days off trail and returning 3 by trail. The goal of my backpack was, as usual,
to spend a lot of meditative time walking through and photographing mountain wilderness.
I chose my route in order to visit and walk along the shore of a large number of lakes.
The route finding over beautiful, and sometimes complicated and moderately difficult terrain, was a nice challenge.
I only got lost once.
I also only saw one person on the first 5 days off trail and very few on the trail back.
I left my car at Island Lake just off the Beartooth Scenic Byway to the west of Cooke City
and got a ride a couple of miles to Long Lake where I began my walk.
My route traveled between the following lakes:
Sheepherder, Heart, Wall, Becker, Albino, Jasper, Donelson, Pleiades, Robble, Big Butte,
Desolation, Z, Gallery, Fossil, Skull, Ouzel, Mariane, Otter, Jordan,
Elaine, Wright, Native, Night and back to Island Lake, to name just a few.
Below is a gallery of images from this backpacking trip - not in chronological order.
Lots of lakes, of course. One of my goals in this presentation is to provide a sense of this beautiful country
and perhaps some feel for what it might be like to walk through it.
If so inclined, try to imagine walking beside some of these lakes and through the surrounding terrain.
