TR: Bear Creek, Montana

**RootSkier** · 05-06-2006, 05:32 PM

Wednesday night, I got the call. Finally...someone can come paddle Bear and it is probably running. So we met up at noon and did it three hours, trailhead to trailhead.

Bear Creek, which emerges from the Bitterroots just north of Hamilton, MT, requires an approximately 2.5 mile hike in, then the run is about a mile, which leaves a 1.5 mile hike out at the end.

I had my camera settings all wrong until the last rapid, Brave Bear, so there are no shots of Tijuana Crack Whore or any of the rapids above it.

Ira getting in.

Here is a shot of me at the top of Brave Bear followed by me demonstrating terrible form below the first ledge (I also lost a contact here) and then fighting my way around the pillow at the bottom of the slide. The drop goes something like slide to ledge to slide to pillow to a series of ledges to slide.

After fighting through the pillow, there is a series of ledges.

Ira boofs the first one.

Ben working his way down.

And emerging from the last ledge leading into the final slide.

At this point, we decided to try and forge down through the manky, wood filled boulder gardens instead of hiking out. Many people have started this mission, few have finished it. We made it about 50 yards before Ben had an end to end broach in a slot. Ira and I got him out but we had had enough.

**Conundrum** · 05-07-2006, 07:28 PM

Nice!

.....

**Yonder_River** · 05-07-2006, 09:42 PM

mmmm, slides..

**eastvailhucker** · 05-08-2006, 07:54 AM

looks like a blast

**garuda** · 05-09-2006, 11:38 AM

Nice TR!

How long does Bear run?

I am considering coming up to MT to run Big Timber and some of the Clark's Fork area stuff around the 4th of July this year. Do you think this creek would still have water then, or is it more of an early season run?

**snowsprite** · 05-09-2006, 12:58 PM

Wow! Just...wow!

Sprite

**MarsB** · 05-09-2006, 02:32 PM

Way to get it! That looks like some sweet steep gnar snowmelt action!

**RootSkier** · 05-09-2006, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by garuda

Nice TR!

How long does Bear run?

It might make it to July this year. There is a TON of snow up high. It all depends on temperature for the next 6 weeks.

It sounds like that could maybe even be early for the Clark's Fork this year. I have never paddled there...definitely planning on it this summer. There is a serious snowpack pretty much everywhere in MT right now.