For the spring equinox we headed east to the Boise National Forest to a yurt we rented a while back. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation runs a system of yurts and in the winter grooms cross country ski and snowshoe trails leading to them. They keep them well stocked with wood and supplies. We backpacked in with our food and clothes and stayed for two nights.
We finished up the Smith River and had the boat on the trailer by about noon. It was Thursday so there was time to take the slow road home. We headed over the continental divide to the Blackfoot river. After lunch at Trixi’s in Ovando we checked out the river access for a float the next day. There are a few questionable boat launches on the Blackfoot but the ones we scouted were great, so we had a plan for the next day. All we needed was a camp for the night. That part proved trickier than I anticipated, but after lots of driving and several camps and fishing access points we found our spot and watched the sun go down over a stream originally named for Meriweather Lewis’ dog Seaman, but is now named Monture Creek. Kudos to Montana for all the fishing access sites with camps that give you a discount for having a fishing license. Reason #101 that Montana is awesome. The next morning we called Ovando shuttles with our barely passable service (note to self: next time save the wifi password for Trixi’s) and with that bit of logistics out of the way we headed to the river. Just before reaching the launch we happened across a little tan bear who turned tail and ran before we could get a good look at him. Mostly we just saw ears as he galloped through the sage. He headed right towards the campground at the launch and disappeared into the timber. I’m sure he wasn’t headed for trouble.
Following day 2, we were up on the morning of day 3 on the road to the sound of songbirds. We lingered over some coffee and then headed south along the byway. We had a hike we really wanted to get to way upstream on the Owyhee. I wasn’t to sure about fitting it in since it was so far out, but after reviewing the maps we ran across the road past Crutcher Crossing then up the other side of the Owyhee would get us there. Or so I thought. We had an entire day of exploration to get to where we might take off for a hike. Plenty of time even if the road was slow going. It started out beautiful, full of wildflowers and absent of people.
