Packing in the Bighorn Crags (Part 3 of 4)

The trails out there aren’t for the faint of heart. I trained closely to what I do for my Boundary Waters Solo Trips. But since this was a hiking trip instead of canoeing, the emphasis was focused on the legs and core than the arms. Unfortunately getting fit is the best that I and the other ‘Sota Boys on the trip could do.

Elevation was the doozy. No doubt, it can hamper, if not cripple, someone who isn’t used to it. So unless you live in the mountains, take each step you take in stride and don’t be ashamed of taking breaks – even if it brings you to taking them after each pass along the switchback.

It’s hiking, so you’ll obviously need a hiking pack. Don’t just go borrow one from a friend or get a random one at the store. You need one that fits you. Otherwise you’re in for some nasty blisters along your torso. Do your back and body a favor. You wouldn’t just borrow or buy hiking boots that don’t fit (at least I hope not!). Neither should you with a hiking pack.

Speaking of hiking boots, make sure you have a solid, yet light pair. More importantly, make sure they’re broken in. Eventually you’re going to get blisters. It’s better to get them a few days into the trip than the first few hours.

An item not necessary, but recommended, are some trekking poles. Although they seem dorky, they come in quite handy with the steep terrain of rugged granite, loose sand, and slippery mud you’ll be hiking through.

Aside from these essentials for the trail, the rest you’ll need to determine based on versatility. You can glean some inspiration (especially with bugs and comfort) from a post I wrote about on packing: Inspect What you Expect. Packing is determined based on the climate, which, in the summer, is mostly dry. However, the temperature fluctuates significantly with just a cloud; out in the sun it can feel like summer, but have a passing cloud block it out and the temps will drop 15 to 20 degrees. They also change with elevation and wind for obvious reasons. The bottom line: although the climate is dry, we went through a couple rain and hail storms, so prepare for the worst and savor the best.

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Clothing

Due to this, clothing is essential. Pack light. Be versatile enough to be warm in the cold mornings and evenings but comfortable in whatever the day brings. When you’re on the trail, make sure that rain gear and warm clothes are easily accessible – that’s packing 101.  Speaking of packing, I went about it almost exactly like how I do for the Boundary Waters.  My clothing list was as follows:

-2 pairs of light or medium weight wool socks
-2 pairs of wool or quick drying boxer briefs
-Long Underwear
-Fishing Shirt
-Long-sleeved Flannel (not cotton)
-Fleece hoodie/jacket
-Convertible pants
-Rain gear
-Hat
-Polarized Sunglasses

This list can keep you cozy for weeks. If you’re concerned about your clothes getting grimy and dirty, enter the wonders of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile soap that’s organic and biodegradable. The stuff not only can masterfully clean your clothes, but you can use it for bathing and washing dishes; I packed in about 6 oz of it and used it with these compressed bamboo towels (also organic and biodegradable). The peppermint actually feels refreshing on the skin (maybe a little too tingly fresh for any of you with man parts) and smells pretty great for your clothes (which peppermint doubles as a bug deterrent). Forget your toothpaste? Yep, you can use it for that in a pinch! As with any soap, though, it is advised to use it away from water – regardless if it’s organic and biodegradable.

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Food

Another aspect is food. Once you figure out the fish bites, you most definitely could live off of eating trout for every meal. But, considering the lakes out there are pretty much the size of a pond and, though they seem to hold a host of fish, it’s best to wise up and put on your good steward badge; I HIGHLY recommend catch and release. The waters are pristine and hold native trout – both rarities in this day in age. By all means, plan on designating a dinner where a trout or two can be passed around with the group as an hor d’oeuvres.

Having set the table straight, all our main meals were freeze dried. Before snarling your nose in disgust, they’re actually really good – some better than what your neighborhood grill can produce and for a fraction of the price! The meals weigh next to nothing, require only to add water, take just 10 minutes to cook/rehydrate, and you can eat right from the plastic bag so there’s zero cleanup and impact on the land.

The brand I went with was Mountain House. You can find a host of flavors on Backcountry.com, REI, Amazon, and at your local outdoors store.  My favorite flavors for breakfast were: biscuits and gravy with a second place vote to their breakfast skillet. Lunch and dinner choices?  My all time favorites are chicken a la king and their beef stroganoff.  You really can’t go wrong with any of their meals, though, except for their pastas that have red sauce, like lasagna and also the chili mac. The reasoning is the cheese in them sticks to your eating utensil like gum – which gets fairly annoying. Additionally, don’t forget to pack some snacks for the trail. You’ll be hiking quite a bit, so keeping fueled is essential.  My favorites are just about anything from Honey Stinger.

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Fishing Gear

As far as fishing is concerned, it’s all based on what you want to do. My primary goal was to catch each of the three trout species the area offers (goldens, rainbows, and cutthroats) on my fly rod. Due to being limited to fishing from tree covered shores that offered minimal wading opportunities, it’s best to also bring an ultralight casting rod with a reel spooled or, at minimum, has a leader of 4-pound fluorocarbon. No doubt each lake will have little slivers of shore to toss a fly, but your best bet is a casting rod. In the end, it comes down to what you’re willing to lug on your back.

I elected to burden the extra weight and bring both – going on the rationale that it’s best to have a backup rod in case one breaks. The flies we had most success with were as follows:

Goldens: Elk Hair Caddis & Parachute Hair’s Ear
Rainbows: Wooly Bugger & Bead Head Pheasant Tail
Cutthroats: Dave’s Hopper & Mini Chernobyl

For the casting rod, look no further than #1, #2, and #4 sized Panther Martins. The best colors for all species were spotted black and spotted yellow black (seen HERE). It makes no sense why, but they were unbelievable. I’d make sure to have a few of each in those colors and then a couple others just in case. Salmon eggs on a float was also extremely successful but ran the risk of the trout swallowing the hook, so I’d only recommend this only when you’re intending to harvest a couple to compliment a meal.

If you’re a planner, the experts I leveraged were the guys over at Yellowstone Angler. Give them the list I provided earlier. They’re extremely knowledgeable about rods, reels, and gear, so don’t hesitate to pick their brain; they’ll get you all set up.

If you’re not a planner and like to pack your bags and gear along the way (aka Matt), there’s a friendly bait shop on the far edge of a town called Salmon where you can get your license and ask what the fish are hitting (where we thankfully picked up some Dave’s Hoppers that the fish found absolutely irresistible). Their prices are unrivaled, so make sure to stop in if they’re open.

Lastly is getting a map. They had some paper printouts at the trailhead, but, if they get wet, your going to be going mostly blind. Trails and lakes are fairly well marked, but I wouldn’t base your trip off of that. MyTopo is about the only site online, at the time, that puts out a great product. Search Bighorn Crags and then give them a call to tell them which lakes and mountains you want in scope on the map and they’ll dial it in for you.

Above all, make sure you stop to refuel the vehicle in Salmon as it’s the closest piece of civilization to The Crags. I repeat, make sure to top off the gas tank in Salmon; after it, you’ll be driving for 4 hours on dirt roads (that’s 8 hours roundtrip!) to reach them.

Now that you’re packed up, let’s journey to the tale of a King Golden I was in search for: Gold Rush!