Dawn in Bozeman

After two weather delays, one in DC and one in Denver I arrived in Bozeman. The wheels touched down at about 1:00 am. I made my way along N7th Ave to Comfort Suites. The business center is nice. Internet access and the smell of a free continental breakfast wafting through the central air system, I can't wait to be away from the trappings of the everyday. First thing on the agenda is to locate a place to store my stuff for a while. I have my computer with me and I don't really feel like lugging it into the mountains. I wonder if I can trick the front desk into holding a bag for me... Probably not. Well, not until the morning shift change anyway. Oh, right. I'm not paying for a room. I've been awake for about 22 hours. It’s about 5:10 am now and I don't see any reason to sleep (edit- upon finishing this entry I am spent. I'm going to have to find somewhere to sleep).
Nevertheless, I need to acclimate. Not that half a day is enough, but some is better than nothing. So, I'll hike out along the Bridger Range later... today. Wow I'm tired.

I won't do the full route tomorrow, but maybe before I leave I'll spend a night at Ross Pass and on up to Blacktail Mountain. WT2 ends on the 5th and I leave on the 9th. I have time to do the whole range and back before my flight. This is going to be a great trip. I am looking forward to learning and increasing my backcountry skill set.

In no time the sun should be creeping up over the mountains and I will have to figure out where I can nap in the sun for a few hours.

Here's a look at the Bridger Range in part, up to Ross Pass

View Bridger Range Traverse in a larger map