#tobaccorootmountains

[j-appleseed]

The #tobaccoroots . . #montana #mtbigskyseries #bigskycountry #tobaccorootmountains #monochrome #landscape #monochromatic #landscapephotography #landscape_lovers #landscape_captures #mtbigskyseries #bigskycountry #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography

[cdt2015]

July 22: Ennis, MT

507 miles of hiking are behind me. At this point, I have the lungs of Jupiter and the legs of Mercury.

More than the PCT and the AT, the CDT offers seemingly countless alternative routes. Some alternates are more scenic than the official CDT. Others alternates are necessary for water and resupply. Following a lower-elevation alternate can be prudent when thunderstorms appear. Given the matrix of possibilities, it seems unlikely that any two thru-hikers follow exactly the same route. Perhaps this is one reason the CDT community has not established a thru-hiking speed record.

I am currently in the middle of an alternate route called the Big Sky Cutoff. Whereas the geographic divide goes west through the Anaconda-Pintler and Centennial Mountains, the Big Sky route goes east across the Tobacco Root Mountains, the Spanish Peaks, and the Gallatin Skyline, to rejoin the continental divide in Yellowstone National Park. The Big Sky route is about 150 miles shorter than the official CDT. It's arguably a non-canonical alternate, but it’s still many miles over rough terrain.

Crossing the Tobacco Root Mountains was a welcome change from the dry hills around Helena and Butte. The Tobacco Roots are relatively small in area, but they rise high with 43 peaks over 10,000 feet. This place is a “sky island” apart from the surrounding world.

Although zero percent of the Tobacco Roots are designated as federal wilderness, the interior of the range nonetheless feels wild and remote. After hiking through the mountain hamlet of Mammoth, I saw no other people during my crossing until I eventually descended to the lowland ranches near McAllister. I am unsure why these mountains are not more popular: the high peaks are mostly non-technical scrambles, the alpine meadows are ideal for backcountry camping, and the trailheads can be accessed by well-engineered gravel roads. The South Willow Creek, in particular, has scenic car camping sites that rival anything I’ve seen on the west coast. Strangely, all the sites were vacant. Maybe the Tobacco Roots are simply overshadowed in popularity by nearby Yellowstone NP and Big Sky. Whatever the reason, let’s keep this place our secret.

[countynd]

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