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| Backpack | 33.88 Miles |
8,118 AEG |
| | Backpack | 33.88 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 8,118 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I have been waiting along time to get into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Bob is said to be perhaps one of the most wild places left in the lower 48 and that along with its sheer size of 1.5 million acres has always intrigued me. This introductory backpack into the massive wilderness could not have went any better in my opinion and it really left me pining to get back up to this wilderness and explore it even more and get even deeper into its backcountry.
We started our backpack at the gorgeous Lake Holland. We got a little later start than what we normally would have liked but we had to do our packing at the trailhead and we did not arrive to the area until about midnight the night/morning before. The hike up to Upper Holland Lake was simply spectacular. First it was the big views of the Mission Mountain Wilderness and then it was a series of one impressive waterfall after the next and I mean waterfalls, not just quaint cascades, but nice scenic large waterfalls. Upper Holland Lake was a nice destination, but we made our stay short and just passed by as at that point our main goal was the climb up Gordon Pass. At Gordon Pass the hike got real special for me. First, we finally passed over into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and secondly some amazing views began to appear of the surrounding jagged mountains and then across the Lick Creek drainage all the way up to the beautiful teal turquoise, but unnamed snow fed lake that was feeding the robust little creek.
From Gordon Pass, it was the drop down to the Doctor and Koessler Lakes Trail intersection and the final leg of our hike to camp. The descent was a little warm at times and seemed to drag on a bit, but luckily the trail was in excellent shape and far more maintained than most of the trails we had hiked in the Bitterroots. Although, it should be noted that one of the reasons the trail was in such good shape is because it is a popular route for the outfitting companies and they most likely play a hand in its great condition, as they move their stock up and down it regularly. In fact, we passed three trains of several mules and horse. The Doc Lake Trail was a little more primitive than the trails we had taken previously in the day, but it was still a solid single track tread that was in pretty good shape with only a few deadfall obstacles. We chose Koessler Lake for our campsite, as we had heard it was the better of the two lakes and easier to reach. The final climb to the lake was short, but a tad steep and as with most mountain lake destinations of our trip, we were very happy to finally have arrived. The lake was absolutely gorgeous, but the direct sunlight in our faces kind of killed most opportunities for any real great pictures. Similarly, there was not much of a shoreline to hang out on as the forest kind of just ran into the lake and deadfall littered the bottom of the lake near the shore. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the picturesque lake and the fact that we had it to ourselves.
Shortly after our arrival, I set up a national park quality bear camp for us, complete with a nice kitchen area where we were able to utilize a pulley and rope someone had hung high in the tree for the purpose of hanging food. We were also sure to only carry bedding and clothing back to our sleeping area which was probably 75-100 feet from our kitchen area. I will admit, grizzlys (the Bob has the highest concentration of grizzlys in the state) were one of the reasons I was a little intimidated about going into the Bob solo, but having CJ and the up there eased all worries for me. However, I can't say the same for Carrie who was experiencing her first real night in grizzly country. The several signs warning of the exploded mule carcass and the danger it posed as an attractant to grizzlys in the area did not help! Despite being a little more on guard, we still slept well and the only wildlife we experienced were more tame deer. Seriously what is with these deer? They don't even run when you yell at them! My theory is that all the hunting is focused on moose and elk and in the deer's eyes its better to take their chances hanging around a human's camp than hanging out in the forest with the wolves and grizzlys.
After an earlier start, we were on our way back to the trailhead. However, for our return we would incorporate the Upper Holland Lake Loop into our route and stop by the Sapphire Lake on our way out. The climb back up to Gordon Pass was not too bad, however, the climb out of Upper Holland Lake to Sapphire Lake got our attention a little. Sapphire Lake was a gem, but we were not expecting the little climb out of there and it kind of took us by surprise, as did the amount of snow on it and the absence of a trail in a few spots due to the deep snow. After finally reaching the high point of our two day backpack, it was the never ending drop down to lower Holland Lake and the trailhead. The views were amazing at first, but the redundancy of the switchbacks and constant downhill got to both of us a little and we were very happy to be finished. A tremendous first overnight trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and definitely not my last!
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