Leaving cell phones, schedule, work and almost everything else behind, we left Dubois, Wyoming and went about 28 mile into the mountains to the trailhead. There the outfitter and his guides unloaded the horses and mules. We then rode about 1/12 hours further into the mountains and arrived at the meadow where we set up camp. The west fork of the De Noir river flows nearby and the snow covered mountain peaks gave a beautiful background setting.
Brian Lewis from Big Bull Outfitters and his two guides, Dustin and Matt assisted us for this four day adventure. They cooked meals and showed us around. Good food, new and deeper friendships are established in this laid back atmosphere.
Fishing was challenging in the river as recent rains caused the river to rise. We hiked to and fished two different mountain lakes.
All or some members of our group saw elk, a black bear, and a pine martin. A moose decided to walk through our camp on the last evening. We saw and heard lots of different birds and the country flowers are gorgeous.
Elk sign was everywhere as about 800 elk stay in this valley until the snow gets deep. We also saw the “migration trail” of elk that come from Yellowstone.
Between 1200-1500 hundred more elk come to this area later fall.
Twice we heard wolves howling nearby as we were sitting around our campfire. We were always on alert for grizzlies, but did not have any unpleasant encounters.
This setting provides a good atmosphere for God to work in our lives. One man said it wasn’t recreation; it was “re-create” or a renewed life. Another man found God’s forgiveness and grace become real in his life. We all found this experience to be refreshing.