ground squirrel

Absaroka-Beartooths - 2002


Introduction:

Our plan for this trip is to do three separate hikes, in three very different areas of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. We’ll go in for a few days of backpacking, come out to resupply and get cleaned up, drive to a different area and start over again. The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness is huge – a million acres or more, so this will give us a chance to see what it is like on the east, south and north sides. My research told me that the Beartooth Mountains on the east side are higher (9-12,000’), most of the trails are above treeline, and they get a lot of use, while the west side Absaroka Range is lower and covered with trees, and gets little use, so has more wildlife. We’ll see.

Jim: What we did was to spend most of 17 days in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (that's pronounced Ab-sohr-ka). This particular wilderness area consists of nearly a million acres of high plateau, lakes and glaciers. Yup – I said glaciers. I’m not entirely sure about this, but I think there may be more glaciers in this area than in Glacier NP. The Absaroka abuts Yellowstone National Park to the north and east and the western section of the area reportedly abounds in wildlife, particularly grizzly, wolf, elk and moose.



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Created: 09 Oct 2004
Revised: 30 Sept 2016
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