running under the BigSky
This is a 20-ish loop in the Crazy Mountains I came up with when I was a game warden to check fisherman in the high lakes. The vast majority is trails, but to hook up Cottonwood Lake to Glacier Lake, involves some Class 3-ish climbing. Had been a couple of years since I'd been in the Crazies, so Grant and I thought we'd give it a go. It's a pretty good grind up to Cottonwood Lake, but the real grind is after you leave the lake. When we finally made it up and over, there was a steep wall of snow that would have been very hazardous w/o an ice axe, fortunately the snow had receded a couple of feet from the mountain, giving us just enough room to sneak in behind it. Was pretty neat traveling behind the long snow field. It's only two miles between the two lakes, but it took us nearly two hours to go those two miles!
Headed up Cottonwood Creek
Getting near the lake
Cottonwood Lake
Grant starting the long climb up
Glacier Lake and the South Fork of Sweetgrass Ck and the long climb down
sneaking behind the snow
had to climb a steep snow field to get around Glacier Lake to meet up w/ the trail
Moose Lake, we soaked in the lake up to our waists for about 15 minutes, was great!
Campfire Lake
finally our way back home down Trespass Ck
2023 goal 2023 miles √
2022 goal- 2022 miles √
2021 goal- 2021 miles √
Tim
Looks like a great day with a friend! Thanks for sharing snow pictures with all of us sweating our asses off on our runs today. What was the temperature of the Moose Lake?
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Those lakes look amazing. I presume you're fishing some type of trout in them?
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
Awesome pics, Warden. Green with jealousy here.
January , 2022 Yankee Springs Winter Challenge 25k
AT- very coooold! 40-45 maybe, but if felt so damn good
Birdwell- no fishing yesterday, just running (and climbing)- I have fished all of those lakes in the past, all have cutthroat in them
Amazing scenery!!! Now I know why so many people love Montana back country. What camera do you use for your pictures. I'm sure you've said in the past but I don't remember.
Occasional Runner
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Danke
Daydreamer- it's a tiny Olympus FE-360, smaller than a pack of cigarettes and weighs 4 oz, going strong now for five years!
Wow. That is awesome looking stuff.
LB2
Driven by those Crazy Woman mountains a number of times and always let my mind wander imagining scenes just like you showed. That looks like an epic run. To think you used to get paid to work that area. No, I'm not TOO jealous.
Sue
Thanks for sharing...what a great day and so beautiful!
05/13/23 Traverse City Trail Festival 25K
08/19/23 Marquette 50 dns 🙄
thanks
NH- if you drive by again, you'll have to make a detour (give me a shout first) I definitely had no complaints w/ my former job; my first Captain told me I'd never get rich monetarily being a game warden, but would be rewarded many times over in other ways- he was spot on
Le professeur de trail
Wow. Simply amazing scenery. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
Amazing scenery and run!
SheCan
Stunning and challenging! How long did the whole loop take?
Cherie
"We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. " ---- Shasta Nelson