Cedar Lakes Loop Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Montana

All right, we are back in the Cabinet Mountains. Not quite in the wilderness yet. Looks like it's a couple miles up. Going up to Sky Lakes today. Then, gonna cut across and go, I think, to the Upper Cedar Lake. Three days, two nights. Looking forward to it. I was invited on this trip by Jesse from Hi-Oh Woo. I met Jesse last year at Wandless Lake, but on that trip, I didn't get a chance to hike or camp with him. But that was all gonna change this time. Hucks everywhere. Getting pretty close to the Sky Lakes turnoff. Now, stopping off some meat there. Trail's been good. We've been climbing the whole time, but it's well-graded. Really enjoying this. Well, I've made it to the junction here. Little bit ahead of the guys. I think we're gonna head that way to Sky Lakes today, and tomorrow, we'll come back down this and head up this way. Nice trail. Making our final push up to Sky Lakes. It is steep and a little brushy. We made it up to Sky Lakes with enough time left in the day that we could settle in and enjoy the lake. All right, start of day two. We're on the move. Heading out of Sky Lakes right now. We've got to drop a ways, connect with the other trail, and then we'll start climbing up towards the Divide. I think the views will be amazing. Look at that saddle somewhere. Really enjoying this trail so far. Really pretty. Not much, but it's nice. On the TV screen, but walking through it, it's just green and lush. Beautiful. Well, made it back to the junction here. Now we start climbing. There's a spot up here we should be able to get water one more time before we get up on the Divide. I'm banking on it. I didn't fill up completely just to make this climb a little easier. There's not water running there. I could be pushing my luck. A few days before we started this trip, the Forest Service had posted a notice that a grizzly had been spotted near Miner Lake. It was feeding off a moose carcass that was about a quarter mile from the trail junction that we'd be going by. Take a little break there. Our last water source until we get to Cedar Lakes. Still got to climb up to the ridge. We got some ridge walking, all dry. The views are getting better. Well, we've made it to the junction where just down the trail there, there's a moose carcass and grizzlies have been spotted by multiple people. Not going that way. We made it through the area without seeing any bears and I didn't really see any sign either. So we kept pushing on, climbing up towards the Divide. Well, it's past two o'clock right now. We've been on trail for like three and a half hours. Still got a long ways to go. And at this pace, I don't know. We have to pick up the pace if we're going to make it before dark. Almost up to the Divide here. Post up and wait for them there. It was a tough climb and it was taking us a while to make it up there, but that didn't dampen our mood at all. ♪ I'm trying not to say I'm going crazy. ♪ We crested the Divide and the mountain views were there to greet us. Now it was time to walk the Cabinet Divide. As the day wore on, we were wearing down. We crested a hill and then there it was. We could even see Libby in the distance. I was hiking with my head down, just focused on trying to make it to Cedar Lakes when something stopped me dead in my tracks. I want no part of this. Get me on this side. Keep in mind that I am not a fan of heights. And I've never walked on a cliff with that kind of drop before. Right, well, Roy and I have made it to Upper Cedar. Well, both Cedars, really. We're right in between the two lakes. Waiting for the other boys to come on down off the hill. Major descent getting down here. Tough hike today. Beautiful, though. Yeah. Well, good morning. Here from Upper Cedar Lake, Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. Day three, going home today. Too bad, this is just spectacular. Need to eat and pack up and get out of here. I got a good walk ahead of me and a fair drive, too. I love these mountains. Well, I just left everybody at the camp there. This last hike, I'm doing solo because I'm going back to where we started. And the other guys have a car waiting at the bottom of this drainage. So I got eight plus miles, I'm gonna say. And I'm going back into the drainage where the moose carcass is. And the grizzly was spotted. But not really close to the lake. We were a lot closer to it yesterday. But same drainage. So I gotta be aware and try to make as much time as I can. Just made it to the top of the pass. Not too bad. Gonna drop into the Parmenter Creek drainage now. That's where I just came from. Boy, this trail has been steep. Steepest stuff we have done. Just saw my first bear scat back there, too. First bear scat I've seen all trip. But almost out of the wilderness, too. I don't wanna leave it. Getting down into the drainage now. Man, that was steep. I haven't been able to make good time. About three miles in. All right, I just filled up my water. Going full three. I'm going through it. But it seems really hot. Here's a junction. Sad to leave it every time. Cabinet mountains do not disappoint. I've said that every time I've been here, I think. I'll be back. But that's not the end of the hike. We still got a long ways to go. We're just not in the wilderness anymore. Let's get to it. I'm in almost five and a half miles for the day. Got a couple miles to the junction with Trail 15, which will take me back over to Flower Creek Trailhead. All right, just hit the junction. Couple more miles back to the car. It is a lot warmer down here. This last mile is a grind. All uphill. Ready to take the pack off. Get a cold one. Well, that does it for this one. Time to head into Libby and find a burger.