A Hike that is High!

In July we can finally access hikes with high elevations.  Here is a hike that we enjoy:

Directions. Take the Montana City Exit and turn left.  Turn left at Johns Street on the right.  The street runs into McClellan Creek Road.  Stay on McClellan Creek Road as it runs up over the hill and into the national forest.  Keep on the road until you see Crystal Creek Road on your right.  Turn onto Crystal Creek road and follow it to the Casey Meadows Trailhead No. 343.  Start out on  343 and hike across the log foot bridge over the creek.  Look left for the Jackson Creek trail marker Trail No. 346. Take No. 346.  Ignore any trails that veer off on the right.  Sad experience led us back onto the Casey Meadows trails when we took those trails.   There are some cairns to help hikers stay on the correct trail.  Follow No. 346 down a hill until you come to a creek.

I always bring some sandals because the trail runs through the creek for a 20 yards or so.  Look for a break in the trees on the left the size of a road.  Exit the creek.  You will see a road coming from the left and heading up hill.  Go up hill.  You will see a meadow on your left with a trail.  Ignore it and keep following the road up hill.   Now the trail is up hill , becoming steeper until you reach  Montgomery Park Trail No. 301.  Follow the creek as you hike if the trail becomes faint.  Look for the sign for Montgomery Park Trail No. 301 as it merges with the trail you are on, No. 346.  Where the trails merge, turn right onto the trail, (No. 301) which leads you across a mountain.   There are dead falls galore from the 1988 fire, but there are still few pines along this part of the route. Lots of springs at intervals across the trail make up for little shade.  Follow the trail as you come to another high meadow where you can look down into Casey Meadows.  Here you have to find your route with numerous paths winding in and out.  There are a few cairns.  The route leads down to  Casey Meadows. After reaching Casey Meadows,  cross the creek and find No. 343, Casey Meadows trail and hike down to the Casey Meadows trailhead where you began. 


Tale of the trail.


Probably because of the 1988 burn, it took Gail and I several tries before we found the entire route of this trail.  Over the years, the Forest Service and hikers have made the trail more distinct.  Possibly cows in this area have made some of the offshoot trails that lead nowhere.

One thing I know, cows along this trail have improved my cardiovascular conditioning.  While hiking one July, Kristy and I stopped at the creek to change from boots to sandals for wading through Jackson Creek.  While changing our shoes, we heard the bellowing of unhappy cows.  Just as I pulled on my last sandal and huge bull stampeded into the creek followed by a number of cows.  I could see the whites of the eyes of the bull as he barged through the creek toward us.

Kristy and I jumped to our feet and scooted backwards into the trees.  Because of the burn, the new trees are so thick that there are only inches between them.  We scraped our way through, but so did the bull.  Evidently, he had decided we were the root of all his woes, and he was out for revenge!  Scared doesn't begin to describe our feelings. Just as it seemed certain we were to be tromped by 1000 lbs or more of bull, we heard a guy on a horse shout at the bull.  The brush was so thick that the rider had no idea why his bull was charging into the trees.  He didn't even know his bull was chasing two hikers.  We were too scared to look back and see if the rider was successful at herding the bull back to the trail.  We just prayed and hustled through the brush as fast as we could go.

We wound through the brush back to the creek to find another cowboy crossing it.  Kristy and I told him about our brush with death as calmly as we could, but our white faces probably relayed more information than our words did.  Both parties conferred on directions to make sure our paths wouldn't cross again.  We checked for injuries, which were numerous from running through thick brush in sandals.  One cut took weeks to heal up.  But considering what could have happened, we were lucky.  Still, I wish we didn't have to contend with bulls so often when hiking.  Couldn't they keep them back at the ranch?