An Off Grid Weekend
A quick escape, a one tank adventure, an off grid weekend. I guess it doesn’t really matter what you call it, if in the end you come home with some new inside jokes, big smiles and perhaps a few bug bites, you know it’s a great weekend trip.
Friday afternoon we packed up the Meadow and Lark and headed south of Bozeman to one of our favorite places, the Taylor Fork. Bordered on the east side by the spectacular mountains of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, Taylor Creek is a fast moving creek that rolls through beautiful meadows and forests. With a pretty long dirt drive into the limited camping and absolutely no cell coverage, the crowds are mainly elk, deer and grizzly bears. It’s just the way we like it.
Friday evening we rolled into camp, leveled the Meadow and Lark and ate a quick dinner. And then we watched as a huge thunderstorm rolled over the mountains and into the valley where were camped. We watched lightning strike the mountains as rain pelted the Lark’s windows. The storm was fast moving and within just a few minutes the sky cleared as the alpenglow touched summits to the south and west. While we watched the sunset, we glassed for wildlife. Two young bull elk grazed through the meadow across the creek.
The evening was fresh and cool - perfect for sleeping under the thick blankets. And when Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp we were up and making our traditional weekend breakfast. Bacon sizzled in the skillet. We beat eggs and buttermilk with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda and butter along with blueberries for our favorite buttermilk pancakes.
After breakfast we loaded our hydration packs with snacks, water and bear spray. Then we unloaded our bikes from the bike rack and rode up a trail on an abandoned logging road littered with elk prints and bear scat. We took our time climbing up the trail, stopping to scan the meadows for wildlife and gawk at wildflowers, and calling “Yo Bear!” loudly and frequently. We flushed several grouse through the spruce forests. Near the top of the trail, Brandon stopped and renewed his bear calls, as he saw a bear heading down the trail toward us. While it scampered away up the trail, it was too fast to determine whether it was a black bear or grizzly bear. After a fast downhill ride to the car, made some tacos for lunch.
Saturday afternoon was much of the same, with another fast moving thunderstorm rolling through camp. A full rainbow greeted us after the rain cleared and we were able to get a small campfire going while two deer strolled nearby.
Sunday morning warmed up quickly so we drove downstream to the trailhead for the Little Wapiti Trail. We snuck in a second mountain bike ride before the next thunderstorm rolled in. The Little Wapiti Trail winds through a meadow filled with my favorite wildlflowers: sticky geranium, lupine and larkspur. Frozen popsicles from Lark’s freezer were the perfect post ride treat.
And then, just like that we were back on the pavement and home. Two bike rides, three elk, three deer, one bear, lots of wildflowers, three thunderstorms, on less than a tank of gas, and no cell phone calls. Pretty much the perfect tally to the weekend.