Sula, MT - Day 5
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
This morning, Andi worked until Noon and Tory, Aden and I did schoolwork. Having the rental cabin this week, along with the RV, has been such a blessing because we all have space to spread out and complete the things we need to do. Janie has been going for walks on the road by the cabin every morning, and today Jim joined her in doing so.
We ate leftovers for lunch and played a few card games until Andi was ready. Then, we all piled into the RV and drove to Painted Rocks State Park south of Darby, MT. The park received its name from the green, yellow and orange lichens which cover the granite rock walls and cliffs in the area. Additionally, there’s a reservoir lake in the park which provides irrigation and domestic use for area residents. The state park is popular for boating, fishing and camping.
I’d imagine the lake is a sight to behold during the summertime as the road weaved through miles and miles of tall rock walls, but in September the reservoir was nearly dried up. Only tree stumps in the bottom of a canyon remained. I assumed there’d be hiking trails or something else to do in the state park beside boating and camping, but that didn’t seem to be the case and we couldn’t get a cell signal to check the maps on our phones. There wasn’t another person around to ask for recommendations either. I guess Andi and I should have done a little more research about the park before we drove all the way there!
Andi, Janie, Tory, Aden and I decided to walk through the campground to stretch our legs a bit while Jim opted to wait inside the RV. The five of us did a quick hot-lap around the paved roadway before loading back into the RV for another adventure.
One major perk about the Bitterroot Valley is that there is recreation galore. There’s practically a trailhead every other mile as you drive down the road. The problem was, we didn’t have any cell signal to check to see what kind of hike it was — we needed something kid/grandparent friendly.
I remembered reading about Baker Lake when I was researching possible hikes to do in the area, so I suggested we hike that trail when we passed a sign for it along West Fork Road. The sign said Baker Lake was 9 miles ahead following the gravel road, but Andi and I weren’t sure if that was correct. We decided to follow it for a while and see where it lead.
The gravel road did, in fact, continue on for 9 miles passing several intersections and switchbacks up the mountain. Keep in mind, we were driving in our 25’ motorhome so it’s not exactly a nimble vehicle! The one-lane road was tight as it weaved up the mountainside, but the views were incredible. Luckily, we only encountered one vehicle coming down the mountain which we carefully maneuvered passed.
To be honest, we’ve driven up/down far scarier roads in our travels! Andi and I weren’t too worried going up the mountain, but I’m not so sure Janie and Jim felt the same level of confidence.
There was a small parking lot at the top and not many cars there, so we easily found a spot for the RV. By now, it was around 4:30pm so we had about 3 hours of daylight left to hike to the lake and back. The trail was short, but strenuous, so we made lots of stops along the way to catch our breath and admire the view. The scenery was breathtaking!
About 3/4 of the way, Tory started to fall apart. She didn’t want to hike any further, and nothing we suggested seemed to change her mind. Aden and I waited with her while she sat down on the trail for a bit and Andi, Janie, and Jim continued on. When Aden tried to step around her, he accidentally knocked her in the head with a can of bear spray leaving quite the bump on Tory’s forehead. That’s all it took to send Tory into full tears. Somehow I convinced Tory to keep walking and we soon caught up to the rest of our group.
We were almost to Baker Lake; just a little further. Andi made a deal with Tory that he’d set a timer for 10 minutes — if we didn’t reach the lake by then, we’d turn around and start heading back to the RV. Fortunately, we made it within that time! The small alpine lake was in view.
We didn’t have much time to hang out at the lake before we needed to head back on the trail. We had about an hour of daylight left. It had taken us a lot longer to reach the lake than we’d expected. Fortunately, going down proved to be much easier and we made it back to the RV just as the sun was going down on the day.
Andi and I were really proud of Janie and Jim for tackling such a strenuous hike. They both did great! Aden was a rockstar hiker, too — he never complained and insisted on carrying our backpack full of snacks and drinks the entire walk up and down the mountain.
It was dark by the time we descended the mountain on the switchback drive, but it didn’t matter much. Andi took it slow, and we didn’t meet any other cars on the way down. We did see several mule deer and a bull elk crossing the roadway which was neat to encounter!
Once we got back to the rental cabin, we were all tuckered out so we warmed up leftover pot roast, carrots and potatoes for dinner. What a fun, adventurous day in Darby. We all went to sleep with a big sense of accomplishment.
