ChoteauCam Trip to Bowman Lake and Vicinity
October 22-24, 2007
Copyright Notice

I left home around noon on Monday. North of Badger Creek the winds were blowing so hard my pick-up had to settle on 60 mph. Could go no faster. A camper had been blown up by the wind north of Two Medicine River and its insulation was everywhere. Many new prayer flags adorned the barb wire fences.

As Marias Pass there was slush on the road and it was raining hard. That nice wind driven rain everyone loves.

This is the view I got near Essex. It looked promising so I continued on.
You might say this is the entrance to heaven. The Polebridge Ranger Station. The road to Polebridge was a mudfest. But I kept going, arriving at Polebridge around 4:30 PM. It didn't look at all like this because it was dark and drizzly.

I drove 3 miles south an walked the trail to Hidden Meadow. Then returned and drove to Bowman Lake - 6 more miles of mud.
Bud joined me that evening and we sat around the campfire hoping for better weather the next day.

When we left Bowman Lake around 9 the next morning it was still overcast but a few sucker holes hinted at better weather.

A walk of a little over 3 miles bring one to Lower Quartz Lake. The sky was clearing and things were shaping up.
Larches reflected in Lower Quartz Lake.
We were on the bleeding edge of fall colors. Bleeding in a sense that the aspen leaves were mostly brown and the larch needles were snowing down.
The trail to Lower Quartz Lake is partially through fairly open forests (left) and partially through some of the Red Bench burn from 1988. There are also stretches of dense old growth forest as well. The 1988 burn is being taken over by "dog hair," more commonly known as lodge pole pine. You can see in the right photo it is now tall enough to tower over Bud Iszler.
Another view of Lower Quartz Lake. Light breezes this and the next day provided some nice reflections.
Bud's crossing the well constructed bridge at the outlet of Lower Quartz Lake.
After a short luncheon we walked another 3+ miles past Middle Quartz Lake to Quartz Lake.

Quartz Lake afforded some fantastic views of Logging Mountain and the three summits of Vulture Peak.
A closer look at Vulture Peak. Only 11 people have signed the register on the South Summit of Vulture Peak, the summit at the far right. Will you be number 12?
A look toward the outlet of Quartz Lake.
The loop trail then ascends the Cerulean Ridge and goes a little over 6 miles back to Bowman Lake.

The ascent of Cerulean Ridge is through the old Red Bench burn of 1988. The dog hair is beginning to obscure the view but we could still look down at Middle Quartz Lake -

- and in the distance see Lower Quartz Lake.
Just before reaching the crest of Cerulean Ridge we got our last view of Vulture Peak.
One we crested the ridge we entered a fairly dense forest with minimal views.

We reached the foot of Bowman Lake and were treated grandly with some outstanding evening light on Rainbow Peak and Square Peak.
Looking up the lake all the way toward Brown Pass we could see the very white Mount Chapman.
Bud and I stood mesmerized by the view. Then a loon called from up the lake.
The sun continued getting lower. The colors intensified. Finally shadows crept over the lake and we headed back to camp.
The following morning I was treated to another marvelous display of nature colors as the sun rose behind the Cerulean Ridge.
Bud headed home after our Quartz Lake hike. To entertain myself on my last day I decided to hike 3,000 feet in 5.7 miles to the Numa Lookout.

I was rewarded with more wonderful views. This is Square Peak and Cerulean Ridge above Bowman Lake.
The trail sort of idled along until passing that little pond. It then began a steady climb to the lookout.
The higher I got the better the views became.
When at the lookout I was rewarded with a view of two old friends: Reuter Peak and the East 9430 Peak.
Looking the other direction across Bowman Lake I saw two more old friends: Square Peak on the right and Rainbow Peak in the center. I hope to meet Mount Carter (left) sometime next summer.