Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Tue, 20Aug - Queener Basin, Rainbow Mtn, and Storm Lake

Hiking through Queener Basin and up to the shoulder of Rainbow Mountain where I took a long break to enjoy one of the best views so far in the Anaconda Pintlar Wilderness.  Then, out of the blue, I hear the words, "it's Amazing", as Sycamore and Huck Fin join me on the summit. 

Dropping down to several lakes then up to Goat Flats.  Near Goat Flats I deviated from the CDT to take the Anaconda alternate.  The next section was fantastic!  From Goat Flats the views are outstanding.  Then traversing a long steep drop-off bowl to Storm Lake Pass had me raving about this wonderful section.  

At Storm Lake we had lunch on the shoreline before I pushed on up to the next pass.  Sycamore and Huck Fin met a woman who offered them a ride into Anaconda but I wanted to continue on trail.  Twin Lakes Pass also had great views and I'm glad I took this route.  Dropping down to Twin Lakes the mountains felt like canyon walls as I made my way down the sometimes overgrown and hard to follow route.  A traverse of a huge boulder field marked with occasional cairns came next.

Twin Lakes had many nice campsites and the trail turned into an overgrown and abandoned old jeep trail with lots of blowdowns as I followed the Twin Lakes Creek.  Passed on old log cabin buried in the woods.  The route faded in and out until I reached a more maintained dirt road and a came to the site of the old Twin Lakes Creek water flume and dam.  

Reaching the road walk portion into Anaconda I found a good spot to stealth camp in the woods at Yankee Flats.












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