Spring break was coming up quickly, and I was determined to get out for the week together. I thought it would be fun and new for us to go back-country backpacking together. I had extensive experience with backpacking, and Javier had also spent a lot of time in the woods, but we had never gone out together in that manner.
We began preparing. It was a long time since I had gone out into the Wilderness. We discussed where we would go. I suggested Bass Creek, a beautiful valley in the Bitterroot I often visited when I was a teenager.
It was spring, but we knew the valley would have deep snow. Our packing was centered around this fact. We needed snowshoes and plenty of warm clothes for the five days we were planning. After years of winter camping, I was accustomed to packing for this kind of trip, but it was pretty new for Javier.
Our plan was to try and get to the lake 8 miles back in the valley. Without deep snow this is easy to do in one day, but we knew it would take longer. We started out on the trail mid-morning. For the first couple of miles the trail was dry, but then for a few miles after that we had to deal with melting water and submerged trail. It was sunny and unseasonably warm. We hopped between rocks and grassy islands, doing our best to keep our boots dry. We were glad to pass the runoff and start trekking through snow.
We put on our snow shoes and did our best to navigate the trail. There was no worn path, but we could find our way by the branch stripped stems of the trees. At about five miles we started to notice there had been many avalanches over the previous days. It was clear that the warm sunny weather had loosened the packed winter snow from the rocks above. We began to move cautiously forward. We made it about 6.5 miles before it started to get dark. We set up camp for the night.
The next day was another extremely beautiful day. We packed up our stuff and began the final mile and a half to the lake. This last trek took much longer than expected. The going was slow. The snow was very deep and there was no way to know where the trail was. We wound our way through scree and open slopes, falling through holes between rocks. It was a relief when we finally crossed over the last hill and could see the lake.
The base of Bass Lake is very windy. To try and get some shelter from the gusting wind, we camped in the shelter of the dam. There was plenty of firewood in the area, and we spent most evenings huddled by the fire. During the day we walked around the lake. The snow was so warm and slushy that we had trouble navigating the shore.
We spent three nights at the lake before we decided to head out one day early. With the heavy wet snow, it was hard to explore the lake area. There was very little left for us to do. The hike back to the trail head was quick; we made it back before mid-afternoon. It was nice to go home, shed our wet clothes, and have a nice meal.
