Electric Peak, #4 in the Project

[posted by Chris Bangs]

Making the most out of winter, Paradise Valley, MT.
Awesome campsite on the Yellowstone River.

Captain Hard-Hat on duty Sir!

Celebrating the end of winter and the power of manhood. Sounds like a nice thing to do, with a bit of a catchy title, eh!
That's what I thought as I looked at the weather forecast before getting on my bike for the long ride to Gardner. Don't worry though, I spilt up the 90 mile ride into two days with a long stop-over at Chico Hot Springs.
No use being in hurry, and missing out on all the fun.  Sure this is work, peddling around on a bicycle and soaking in hot springs. But it is all in the training manual; How To Be A Human-Powered Mountaineer.

Step One: Pack everything you own on a bike. √ check.
Step Two: Ignore the weather forecast. √ check.
Step Three: Kiss the Misses goodbye and lie about how many days the trip will take. √ check.
Step Four: Plan route to the nearest hot springs. √ check.
Step Five: Stay at the hot springs and tell everyone you climbed a mountain. √ check.
Steps Six and Seven have something to do with drinking beer and camping on someone's front lawn.

As you can see, the manual is an Idiots Guide to Ruffing It, and comes with a 5 page disclaimer covering personal injury claims and trespassing. But this is the cost of freedom, and the rights to manhood.

After riding for two days, these Antelope wanted to race across La Playa.

I love Bison!
Have you ever looked a Bison in the eye?
What did you see?

Me little tent is down there somewhere.
The Peak of Electric is up there, somewhere.

Add caption

The insides of Bison are less attractive and not
nearly as majestic as the real thing.
Let the Bison run free!

Bison are not allowed to roam free out of Yellowstone NP. and this is what happens to them when they do. A major bummer for them and a little eye-opening for me on this trip. I knew that this has been happening for over a hundred years, but until you meet a Bison and camp with them for multiple days, and say hi to them, and ride a bike past them, and tell them that you love them, and then come down from the mountain to see their gut piles and back-bones,,, well it's hard to imagine why? Why would 'civilized' people do such a thing?

The science and the politics behind why Bison are not allowed to roam free (like deer or elk or moose) is as false and smelly as a giant gut pile!!!!  Puke!

9,000 feet and alone. John Muir would be proud.

Wet avalanche from a few days before.

Olie the River Otter on the rocks.
Sounds like a new drink from Cancun.

Go meet Dale Sexton at Timber Trails.
Great Sale Going On Now.