Big Timber to Absarokee , Montana, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
I hadn’t thought of it before, but with my parents gone and being the oldest child, I guess I’m the pater familias. Anyway, today I got the most wonderful Father’s Day gift. Hour-long conversations with my children, one while I was being blown down the Yellowstone River, 15 mph with almost no effort, allowing me to talk in normal tones. All three are doing well and happy, and it warmed my heart.
At Columbus, I got one last sweeping view of the Yellowstone
before turning the corner, into the wind and uphill, back towards the Rockies. Specifically the Beartooth Range, home of Granite Peak, the highest in Montana. It’s hard to pick out the peak in this picture, but it’s quite formidable when you get close to it.
Long day tomorrow, 70 miles, hilly, lots of gravel, as I try to make it to the trailhead. Getting to bed early to leave at the crack of dawn. Hope to rendezvous with a couple of friends, the first familiar faces in over a month.
Distance 56 miles, 1,941 total. Time 7 hours with stops. Elevation gain 1,361 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 