There wasn’t a lot of trail work to do around the Chamberlain Airstrip so the Crew Boss gave the team the day off. To start the day off, of course I made some coffee and headed up to the airstrip and shot the sunrise.
The now distant fire which has been named the Elkhorn Fire is starting to pour some general smoke in the area so that makes for nice sunrise images.
With the day off, I was in dire need of some peak therapy. John and I have had this peak on our radar for about 3 years and circumstances never worked out to get it bagged. Today was the day and the job was now up to me. Come hell or high water, I was headed to the top. It will be good for my struggling mental state. Normally on ITA trips nobody is allowed to hike alone but I had my Garmin InReach and the entire route was in sight of the airstrip….. Luckily, Mary stepped up and I wasn’t required to break any rules…
Job one, cross Chamberlain Creek.
After searching for little bit, we found a nice crossing. Although I was looking forward to a little alone time with Lodgepole Peak, Mary turned out to be an awesome climbing partner and she patiently listened as I worked though my issues.
As we worked our way up the shoulder of Lodgepole Mountain, we started getting great views of the Chamberlain Airstrip.
I had been concerned that the climb might be a steeplechase over downfall but as it turned out, the past fire here had burned so hot that the entire hillside had almost no downfall. It had just left these eerie stump statues which were dotted along the hillside.
Up over the ridge and we were looking down the Chamberlain Creek drainage.
Near the top, cool clouds and dead snags.
Summit!
Thanks to the past fires, Lodgepole Mountain was mostly clear of timber and the views were quite nice. Mary and I enjoyed a quiet snack on top. The Peak Therapy was working like it always does!
In ture John form, we decided to make a loop and head over to the Moose Meadows Trail which the crew will be using tomorrow to head out to the next work area.
After a little bushwhacking and downfall dancing, we arrived on the trail.
It was a nice mellow stroll back down to the airstrip. Mary stops for a moment to enjoy the views.
Back down to cross Chamberlain Creek, this time with a bridge.
I returned back to camp with a whole new attitude and it turns out the day off had been great for the entire crew, there were smiles all around! Tomorrow we had two new crew members flying in along with our week three resupply, it will be time to get back to work. I remain grateful to Mary for helping me get away and reset for the week to come! This group had really started to gel, it was going to be an interesting exercise to throw a couple new people into what has become a well oiled trail clearing machine! Stay tuned!!!
davefaitlemonde.com 