Cooke City Chronicle: September 2012

9/28/12

Mt. Zimmer Yurt

Check out the new Mt. Zimmer Yurt page!

(The site is a work in progress. More info in the weeks to come ;)

Almost there!

Bill from Kansas. (knew he was cool from 400m away)

Big shin-dig at the General this evening as well.

They just closed for the winter. All the free beer you could drink. ;)

But more importantly, good company. Interesting conversation with Rick. Learned of how he shot a bighorn ram earlier in the week on Woody Ridge. Also got the play by play on a viscous dog fight between two wolves and a coyote (a rolling ball of fir, with piecing sound effects), that he watched on the way to Silver Gate today. Great story. Awesome hospitality.
classic Cooke City.

9/27/12

Woody Ridge, high traverse

Made the high T of Woody Ridge today. North to south. Love it when it's partly cloudy! My first time to the summit too.! I'd estimate that Woody Ridge proper only sees about one ascent per year, even though it's only a half day hike from town, and a delightful scramble. (low 5th class)

In other news: the Chamber of Commerce put out some pumpkins today (which turned out to be fake!), someone has been golfing the upper Soda Butte, and that one guy just finished another XL jar of Adams. Must be Fall.

9/26/12

roofing

Finally feels like Autumn up here.

Had a fair bit of rain around Cooke City the last couple days (snow up high ;). The deciduous shrubs are loosing their leaves, and we have a bison (from Roberts) on the way.

9/24/12

buy the ticket, take the ride

Just purchased a plane ticket to New Zealand. ;)

9/23/12

Had a good look at the Taj Mahal today.

Didn't summit, but it sure was an awesome outing.

curiosity and the cat

9/22/12

The road between Tower and Canyon in Yellowstone Park is now closed for the season.

As of 8 am this morning. So if you had any inclination of visiting Mount Washburn, Dunraven Pass or rendezvousing with your buddy for some trout fishing at the fabled Sevenmile Hole, think again.

9/21/12

All good up the Soda Butte. The annual Cooke City Frisbee golf tournament was last weekend. The Dude has been splitting firewood. We've been scribing rafters and painting windows (buttoned up next week?!). The weather has been splitter. Or as the Kiwis say, Fine. Indian summer for sure. Still quite a few tourists around. Shoulder season fast approaching though. Stop by the Hoosiers while you can! Stack paper. Go fishing.! The snow will be falling soon.

9/18/12

Southern Gallatin Range Traverse

Encountered en route: Thick fog, fresh snow(!), a coyote, a bull moose, three bison, two goats-on a summit, legions of bear and wolf tracks, scores of scat, bugling elk, obsidian flakes, a Slog (quickly forgotten when I found the picnic basket filled with ice cold beer, at the shuttle rig)…. to name a few.

Quintessential YNP.

9/16/12

Amethyst

Specimen Ridge went Sublime yesterday.

Ran with a steady tail-wind, an abundance of Pronghorn,

and a large heard of Bighorn Sheep off the top.

Sean Jones, swimming the Soda Butte. The smell of Sulfur was pungent underwater, but not above.

9/15/12

kicking it with Crandall

Stellar afternoon out East. Brookies, Rainbows and Cutthroats. Plenty to explore over there.

Hooked into one Cut that was Monster!

(snapped my line)

Pretty nice fish here though.

9/13/12

Amphitheater Mtn.

What makes Cooke City/ Silver Gate so special?

Well today, I worked in the office until about 1pm, then hopped on my bike and pedaled down the street to the North Absaroka Wilderness. Three hours later I was fully absorbed in a volcanic spine at 10,700', cresting one of the more spectacular and wild summits in Yellowstone Park.

Looking back at the south (true) summit. Which went.!

My thoughts were of a dragon's lair.

9/12/12

the Woody Creek Cabin

All well with WCC project south of town.

Interesting to note, that not a single local had been up there all summer, until today.

(the Woody/ Hayden Creek trail is one of only a couple trails that leave right from Cooke City)

Just started putting a video piece together about the place. Plan to have it out next week.

9/9/12

9/8/12

the Bridgers: a breathing contest

hint: it's not a contest

Ran the classic Ridge route today with Allen. From Fairy Lake to the M.

Always appreciate spending time in the Bridgers. The range is so simple, yet crazy cool.

followed by a few laps at the Bozeman Beach.

9/7/12

yesterday afternoon on Crow Mtn.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Was up the Main Boulder the last couple days.

Specifically for an ABWF volunteer gig, to help FWP behind the scenes, with their efforts of removing non-native Rainbows (via gill nets and rotenone) from the Fourmile and Meatrack tributaries. As to re-introduce Yellowstone Cutthroats.