explore | Grilled Cheese

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 11:12 PM

Last summer day, 28C dry 10% RH. No wetting 💦 (3mm or more) Red Lodge since 9/19. Dry this month, very warm. VH fire potential Beartooth Front. Fall color has disappeared early not because of cold but blights and dryness as seen our Palisades run. #climate #running #dogs #montana #mountains #gye

big difference from last year, and even then it was muted from previous years. this year, dismal.

Interesting much needed moisture for us coming soon tomorrow nite-Mon. High Resolution Modeling of total precip. (r) and snowfall thru Mon evening. 23cm ❄️ forecast for our coordinates, 33m 💦. since ground is so warm and temps. will not be below -2C probably won't pile up much. this really is good timing, critically dry Beartooth Front.

looking forward to some cool wet weather. 3-5C highs Sun/Mon 👍🏽

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 11:10 PM

Last summer day, 28C dry 10% RH. No wetting 💦 (3mm or more) Red Lodge since 9/19. Dry this month, very warm. VH fire potential Beartooth Front. Fall color has disappeared early not because of cold but blights and dryness as seen our Palisades run. #climate #running #dogs #montana #mountains #gye

looking NE (l) and E (r) from 2050m. town is down in that gulch. more fall color in town since they are watered.

blight in Aspen and Cottonwood (l). these were wind-sheltered. Conifers generally are looking OK (r).

some color in shrubs, these peaked 2 weeks ago.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 11:23 PM

Likely last chance Beartooth Plateau melting ice patch survey. US-212 closes Tue., but ❄️ late Sun/Mon. Both thousands of years old ice patches we visited seem a little further out than last year, but thinner. Tundra freeze-dried, is crunchy. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #montana #mountains #gye

edge of research patch it, new weather station in back.

this is the research patch NE facing, 3050m. it may be extended out a little further. but seems thinner. https://www.montana.edu/news/24228/ice-patches-on-beartooth-plateau-reveal-how-ancient-landscape-differed-from-today-s

looking N from 3300m toward 3800m high points Beartooth/Hellroaring Plateaus bisected by Rock Crk. Canyon. very dry crunchy Tundra. glad some moisture is coming next week.

the large 3150m patch thinner than last year perhaps further out tho. 5-10 years tops for this.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 11:18 PM

Likely last chance Beartooth Plateau melting ice patch survey. US-212 closes Tue., but ❄️ late Sun/Mon. Both thousands of years old ice patches we visited seem a little further out than last year, but thinner. Tundra freeze-dried, crunchy. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #montana #mountains #gye

3100m Christmas Lake from 3230m, so dry.

research ice patch edge, the 6000 year old timber exposed. brief summer warmth then nudged treeline up 200m. we are well past that now, this one may hold out 5-10 yrs. (r). surprised to see relative warmth the past month bring up a few Forget Me Nots other side of ridge from this ice patch (l). wind-sheltered and some heat from the rocks on sunny days.

the large long patch below the swamp Chevy. went a little in that gap. newly exposed ground in there, thousands of years. ooze/mud. the rocks behind Sundance are newly exposed, ice smoothed.

the larger patch not too far from the 1947 swamp Chevrolet. this is a very long patch 150m easy. Ceaseless strong SW-NW winds late OCT-APR sweep whatever ❄️ falls on the plateau, settling lee side of favorable ridges. forming these, this one faces NE, cool slope.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 11:17 PM

12 more days Beartooth Hwy is open. 3100m ice patch survey Line Crk. trail area shows it mostly melted out again this year. Last year first time thousands of years 😒. Striking difference from 2023. 16K hike 3200-2950m all round Line Crk. Plateau area. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #gye #mountains

look at how much was left 06 OCT 2023. but warm dry falls/winters, and warmer drier summers since has taken its toll.

this patch 3000m below the larger patch above melts out from underneath. great tunnel there a month ago.

2000m Mystic Lake powerhouse temps. along the Beartooth Front 50km W of Red Lodge has the most robust climate data going back. good for trends in NE GYE/Beartooth Plateau complex. Note that this summer was tiny bit cooler than last. Also the trend, the floor is really rising on the cooler summers. Summer 1993, Pinatubo SO2 cooling! Quite dramatic all thru the Northern Rockies, GYE. Bring it back!

above the un-named lake 3150m. a tiny Sundance is below. still some nice fall colors, but peaked a few weeks ago. dry/warm for at least another 10 days, bummer. prettier when a bit of new snow sets down.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 11:14 PM

12 more days Beartooth Hwy is open. 3100m ice patch survey Line Crk. trail area shows it mostly melted out again this year. Last year first time thousands of years 😒. Striking difference from 2023. 16K hike 3200-2950m all round Line Crk. Plateau area. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #gye #mountains

looking NW from 3250m (l) drying but at least some water. looking SW from 3150m, we took faint game trail (r) Sundance is on there. Line Crk. Elk herd often comes thru here, didn't see them today, just scat.

trouble can be had at the edge of Line Lake here off the Plateau, if you are so inclined. did not see any of our Ursine friends here, this is an active area.

this little pond 3000m fed by melting ice patch gave good relief. that little ice patch melted out fully last year this time, will mostly again.

Line Lake (l) from above. you can just see the low desert beyond after a steep drop. un-named lake 3100m we circled around to later on way back. tundra fall color peaked 1-2 weeks ago.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 10:57 PM

Fall is here generally speaking, but it is obviously in degraded form due to climate chaos. Deep shaded Lakefork Canyon fall colors muted 2nd year in a row. Many Aspen got a blight all around this region, already bare. Our friend Wallace came with 👍🏽. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #mountains #gye

South facing wall this area fall colors better. Otter and Sundance enjoying the cool waters.

this is the same cluster of trees 2400m. I hope they are not dead. the phenomenal scary Mar/Apr warmth followed by freezes after must have weakened them.

there is Wallace, our friend Tony's Akbash/Pyrenees mix. He weighs 6.3 Stone! Sundance weights 5.8. This is what fall should look like here (middle). the Lake Fork of Rock Crk. is quite low now (r).

I am not liking at least 10 warm dry days after today. Moisture is very important for forest health leading into winter. short/long term modeling are all indicating overall warm/dry UFN after today's weak upper trough moves thru.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 11:16 PM

Not quite sublime Lakes District west of Beartooth Pass, but Gardner/Losekamp Lakes close. Starts hi, goes lo. 3270m start on Beartooth Hwy, drops quickly to 3034m Gardner Lake then to Losekamp L. Fall tundra in full display, but not much snow yet. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #mountains #gye

3255m Tibbs Butte back there. Nice fall color. Losekamp Lake where we went is over a pass on right, then down.

such pure waters some decent size trout (r) in Gardner Lake outflow.

8C up top bit warmer down here lite W wind. only 3 more easy weeks up here before US 212 closes.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 11:14 PM

Not quite sublime Lakes District west of Beartooth Pass, but Gardner/Losekamp Lakes close. Starts hi, goes lo. 3270m start on Beartooth Hwy, drops quickly to 3034m Gardner Lake then to Losekamp L. Fall tundra in full display, but not much snow yet. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #mountains #gye

Beartooth Plateau looking out NW from 3300m near the 10 day ski area. looks drier than it is tundra is dormant now. no real cold or snow coming up here until at least next week some time.

start on left quick drop down to 3034m Gardner Lake from 3270m. on return (r) behind Gardner Lake start is way in back right. 3370m Gardner Headwall in back.

Otter takes to the air if you are deemed worthy (l). 2900m Losekamp Lake (r), our low spot. turned back here.

ice patch way back there Beartooth Pass 3335m looks like it could collapse.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 19, 2026, 10:18 PM

Hellroaring Rd. short hike today in the 💦 was not that bad. Just -DZ ocnl -RW/RW so did not get completely soaked 👍🏽. 2400m start up to bridge at 2600m. Fall color more advanced these elevations in here off Rock Crk. Canyon. 7C lite E breeze at start. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #mountains #gye

2600m here near bridge thick fog obsuring Hellroaring Plateau

nice colors on W facing wall of Hellroaring Crk. gulch

heading back down, patchy thick fog. clearly no ❄️ even 3200m top of Beartooth Plateau back there.

2600m here by bridge. didn't go further as fog again higher up.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 10:50 PM

Fall on-going our high plateaus 3100m +. Drying out/brown in the Tundra. 3150m Ice patch survey 4km off Beartooth Highway shows thinner/more melt this summer than last. Thousands years old but will be gone 10 yrs. or less. Lots rain next few days 👍🏽. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #gye #mountains

last year vs. this. definitely looks thinner this year. just a little more newly uncovered area (black shiny rocks) on the edge this year.

3150m Christmas Lake from 3250m, looking S.

did some ridge-traversing on the return, 3300m here. expansive views but need benign weather. can be very hazardous quickly.

I made sure to check slope stability, slowly. all good.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 10:47 PM

Fall on-going our high plateaus 3100m +. Drying out/brown in the Tundra. 3150m Ice patch survey 4km off Beartooth Highway shows thinner/more melt this summer than last. Thousands years old but will be gone 10 yrs. or less. Lots rain next few days 👍🏽. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #gye #mountains

I made sure Otter went slow/careful, she came right back. interesting layers/structure.

the little patch just below the highway 3325m almost completely gone. not horribly crunchy but drying out. glad rain/snow coming up here next few days.

from just below 3335m Beartooth Pass, looking NW into Rock Crk. Canyon, Beartooth Plateau becomes Hellroaring Plateau way back there. snow/ice patches tiny. fall color starting in the canyon 👍🏽

lots of dirt/algae on the ice patch. which seems a lot thinner than last year. that is usually how it works, in the 2013 movie Chasing Ice glaciers/ice patches all over the World deflate like balloons in time lapse.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 11:26 PM

Beartrack Trail goes up Silver Run Plateau from either Rock Crk. or W-fork canyons. Used W-fork approach w 2350m start. First 6K are in 8000 ha 2008 Cascade Burn. Cool fall day, ice on trail above 2600m. 28K hike by ascending to 3230m pass, then around/up ridge. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #gye

2 stream crossings on Beartrack trail below here formidable for me. always get my feet wet just can't find easy dry routes, and only ever do this late Aug. or Sept. Forget about June/July, the stream crossings really bad then. Gotta keep my boots on, because slippery rocks, more grip than being barefoot. Means my feet are damp on the Plateau, so can't be below -2C. We usually only do this once a season 😁.

3350m on Silver Run Plateau a cruel harsh place. you can see how it ramps up back there to 3824m Silver Run Pk. don't even think about being up here unless you know benign weather will hold. deadly ⚡️ strong winds, shredding snow/hail, thick fog all can occur all summer.

i had to have 3 torso layers on here 3350m 3C w that stiff breeze. but quite nice really, and my feet had mostly dried by then 👍🏽

you can see the back extent of the 2008 burn back there in this gulch off the main W-fork Canyon. 2900m here last pond before descending from Subalpine, back into the burn. Stream crossings about 1km down from here.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 11:24 PM

Beartrack Trail goes up Silver Run Plateau from either Rock Crk. or W-fork canyons. Used W-fork approach w 2350m start. First 6K are in 8000 ha 2008 Cascade Burn. Cool fall day, ice on trail above 2600m. 28K hike by ascending to 3230m pass, then around/up ridge. #climate #hiking #dogs #montana #gye

4C here 3250m but he still has to bathe 👍🏽. you can see how the plateau ramps up.

first 3K from start (l) are very steep rocky, have to be very careful on the descent. good recovery here from the 2008 burn. soil wasn't vaporised totally. another steep rocky section (r) 3040m. treeline 3050m here, just up the way.

looking east from the 3250m pass. trail goes off to left, we went right. Bighorns way in back there.

the big snags in the burn area are interesting. a few slopes the soil washed away, but overall better recovery here than in the 2017 burn in Pintlers we went thru last week.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 14, 2026, 10:53 PM

Subtle fall hints in Lakefork Canyon behind town during run today 2200m start to 2450m then back. 10-13C, not too dry. Lots Aspen all thru Beartooth Front/higher terrain behind have some kind of disease. Likely the early spring warmth then May ❄️ weakened them. #climate #running #dogs #montana #gye

when you look closely at these aspen leaves they are half black and brittle. maybe some fungal thing? sad to see. Sign of the times w collapsing climate. Sundance only needed to bath once today 😁

these S-facing warm dry canyon wall Aspen always start to turn first.

Lake Fork of Rock Creek has much lower flow now than a few weeks ago.

love this time of year with the cooling, gentler sun.

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 5, 2026, 11:04 PM

Needed some focused Gaia Ch'i/healing, who doesn't? Just 3km off Beartooth Hwy at 3150m odd quartz outcrop in the tundra great place seek that out. Melting ice patch survey after nice layabout on white boulders. Tundra drying but moisture late tmrw 👍🏽. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #gye #mountains

@beartoothskier.bsky.social Sep 5, 2026, 11:02 PM

Needed some focused Gaia Ch'i/healing, who doesn't? Just 3km off Beartooth Hwy at 3150m odd quartz outcrop in the tundra great place seek that out. Melting ice patch survey after nice layabout on white boulders. Tundra drying but moisture late tmrw 👍🏽. #climate #hiking #dogs #wyoming #gye #mountains