It's been quite a while since I've been on a trip with Monte @Blackdawg, and I haven't been on a trip that included both Monte and Ben @m3bassman since my very first TacomaWorld trip - The De-Tour - back in 2017.
It hasn't been for lack of trying. Rather, as these young dudes have grown up, they've focused on the same things many of us focus on at their age - jobs, families, and home maintenance - all things that make finding a window to get out and explore harder and harder.
But this year, the stars seemed to align, and somehow, we got almost everyone from the original De-Tour to commit to a week-long trip in southwest Montana during the last week in July. There, we'd wind our way through the flanks of the Pioneer Mountains in an attempt to visit a series of lakes and ridges.
As usual, little would go as planned - narrow roads, trail repairs, forest fires and mosquitoes all conspiring against us - and yet somehow the comradery of it all would be what we'd all remember.
And hopefully - after a bit of an interVANtion - it would be the last trip Ben would bring his van.
Late Arrival | InterVANtion #1 - Have you felt it? You know, the feeling that the universe is a little "off" recently? As far as I can tell, it's the only explanation, really, for how this trip got underway. No other phenomenon would explain Monte @Blackdawg showing up before me to kick off an adventure. I say this because Monte is notorious for showing up late. Even on The De-Tour - the first trip I ever attended with this group of guys I now call good friends - Monte's was the last truck to pull into the parking lot at our meet-up point. The Re-Tour was…
The InterVANtion, After Being Turned Around Twice | InterVANtion #2 - I spent an extremely pleasant - if a little windy at times - night on the ridge. Luckily, years of ignoring my parents' advice to use hearing protection when woodworking, preceded by the fact that I was once - a very long time ago - a youngster who listened to music with the volume turned to teenager, relieved me of the worst of it. Oh, and the earplugs I had handy in the tent probably helped a bit too. At any rate, I slept through all of the noise with no problem, waking only once - about half an hour…
Quartet of Lakes | InterVANtion #3 - For being a fallback location - and but for some flies the previous afternoon - our night at Long Branch Lake was hard to beat. Overnight, temperatures dropped down into a pleasant range for sleeping, and our sheltered location along the edge of the glassy lake meant that we didn't descend our ladders until nearly an hour after sunrise. Good morning, mountains. In fact, a few of us had awoken earlier - when it sounded like one of the dogs was out playing in the lake - but only Ben's van was positioned to witness a cow Moose slosh across…
Two Flats and a Fire | InterVANtion #4 - It rained on and off regularly during our night at Pear Lake, with gusty winds buffeting the tent and making me glad that I'd tied down the ladder to keep the entire contraption from folding up on me while I slept. With earplugs in and knowing that the tent would have plenty of time to dry out in the morning, I slept well, the patter of rain on the roof a soothing - rather than worrying - sound. There were still a few clouds in the sky when I awoke for the first time, about 40 minutes before sunrise. When…
Ajax Ascent | InterVANtion #5 - After climbing into our tents under smoky skies, we awoke to a morning that was much brighter - and much bluer - than I think any of us expected. No one mentioned it - we're all too superstitious for that - but I'm sure this raised our spirits dramatically, as it meant that we wouldn't be going home until the next morning. One of the camera-shy marmots I've ever encountered. For now though, our focus was elsewhere. Today, Mike was one of the first out of his tent, the potatoes that he contributes to the group breakfast requiring more prep…