One of our major goals and
hopes for this trip was to see and photograph mountain goats on Beartooth Pass.
We drove the pass last year and other times in the past when we had spotted
some goats in the distance, but this time we wanted to get much closer.
As we ascended the
11,000-foot mountain we kept a keen eye out for white spots on the mountain
side. A few miles before the summit we spotted what we were looking for. They
were a long way away, but we could see that the road Likely passed “close” to
where they were, so we made our way up as quickly as possible.
Luckily, there was a
pullout near where the goats were, so we quickly started hiking toward our goal
- which we estimated was about a mile away. Valerie make it part of the way,
but the terrain got too dangerous with the hike turning into hopping between
boulders. Dean continued - finally spotting the goats on a small patch of snow
on the mountain slope.
He slowly approached -
getting to within about 25 feet of the small herd of 5 with a baby. They were
not the least bit concerned and continued to lay on the snow chewing their cud.
After recovering from a
hike at 11,000-feet we continued up the mountain. It was our lucky day, as we
spotted two more goats nearer the road. This time Valerie was able to hike over
to them, and once again there was a baby with mom - which was special. As with
the first group, they completely ignored us and went about their business. What
an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Trip Log:
Day 11 (177 miles) – July 19, 2020 – To Red Lodge, MT
Day 12 (53 miles) – July 20, 2020 – Bear Tooth Pass Loop
Day 14 (59 miles) – July 22, 2020 – To Columbus, MT
Note: There is a nice free city campsite in Columbus right on the banks of the Yellowstone River.
