BeckerHead gathering may 15 to may 18th. Darby Montana

FAL'ER

FAL'ER

Joined
Mar 31, 2010
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5,513
Yep, you read it right.
Over the next couple days I'll get some directions posted up. Maybe a photo or two.
The quick and dirty of it is. There's bathrooms and showers. Plenty of room. It's approx 12 miles southeast of darby Montana.
There's a theme on this one, make a hand held tool made of wood to launch rocks.

Directions….

From Missoula

Take US 93 south toward Hamilton and continue on 93 to Darby. From the Conoco in Darby (which is your last place to get fuel and stuff) continue south 4.1miles to MT 473 (Signage West Fork Road, Trapper Creek Job Corps) on right. At bout 14 miles in, just past the West Fork Ranger Station turn right on Nez Perce Road(toward Magruder Ranger station) you will find the site on the left in 3.1 miles…

From Salmon Idaho, Lost Trail Pass

Take US 93 North to just past the 23 mile marker and turn left towards Conner. In 1mile turn left toward Painted Rocks State Park.Continue on West Fork Road (MT473) until you pass the West Fork Ranger Station and turn right on the Nez Perce Road and in 3.1 miles you will find the site on your left

If you come from Wisdom toward Lost Trail pass Fetty’s at the Crossing in Wisdom has wonderful burgers (local beef and home baked buns) and damned decent pies.

Some things of note

If you are coming thru Darby be damned sure you pay attention to the speed limit. It is a tourist town on a federal hi way and the town marshal gave Dave Letterman a ticket for two miles over the limit…He is fair he gives the locals no quarter either(ask me how I know)…Darby is the last stop for food, drinks, gas and other comestibles….The Harvest Market next to the The Farmers State Bank bank on the right has meat and produce and etc. The Darby Liquor Store on the right has a decent selection of wines… We are very lucky to be rattlesnake free but we do have some serious road hazards in the form of Elk, deer and the very occasional moose and mountain goats…..Elk will make a mess of your vehicle so be vigilant.

Safe journey
 
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oh WOOOOOW.....
Are you no longer in Oregon, or is this just "close" for y'all out there?

The Sawtooths were AMAZING 2 summers ago. Can you expect dry weather up there this time of year?
 
I was talking to Ethan a bit at the Oregon Knife Show today and he mentioned the sling stick project. I believe the fellow in the video below is who he recommended we look up.

To answer your question, 1066vik 1066vik , pretty sure it needs cordage to be used as a sort of sling. Should be good.

Looking forward to seeing folks again next month and maybe meeting some new (to me) faces.

 
I plan on attending once again along with 'Lil Jonny. We both had a wonderful time last year!

I have added Ethan's directions to FALER's original post.

Here is a copy of Ethan’s invitation from last year:

“We have a lovely place to camp which is literally a very short stone’s throw from the Nez Perce Branch of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River…

The area is quite scenic and is rife with historical interest…..Lewis and Clark spent a lot of time in the area and if you drive down US93 from Missoula(I 90) or north from Salmon Idaho you will pass by several of their camps….The most important of these is the one You will pass on MT473 at mile marker 3 on the west side of the road…They overwintered at the conjunction of the East and West Fork of the Bitterroot…..The site is interesting as it gets the morning light, is
somewhat protected from the wind, plenty of firewood and water and hunting would have been decent….Those two were the ULTIMATE, APEX campers. I urge you to read either the Lewis and Clark Journals or the much easier to digest
UNDAUNTED COURAGE by Stephen Ambrose as The Corps of Discovery is one of the most instructive and incredible stories of our history…..Whether you think of their lesson as one of , Advanced bushcraft, pure wilderness survival or above all, leadership it should stir your outdoorsy blood…

The campsite has running water, showers and a cook shack….lots of level ground and parking galore. There will be somewhat limited hammocking close to the center of camp…I am tarping and cotting. Tents are probably the best option….There is no cell or internet…Cell service starts and ends at Job Corps… I will be cooking dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday….. As usual you are responsible for your own snacks, lunches and drinks…Please bring something to contribute to breakfast…we should have plenty eggs from the ranch as the girls have been pretty productive…..Bacon, bacon, bacon… I have a good bread source in Missoula…It ain’t Ken’s but it is quite tasty….

There are some guidelines that we need to be following….The number one item is fire …..We live in a tinderbox-literally…..I am getting us a fire ring grill thingy. If you still smoke be damn careful…smash em out, field strip em and grind them in the dust…and piss on the remains….Just across the river from our site is a conflagration waiting to happen….Our host is the recently retired fire chief and fighting wildland fires is high on his list of things he would rather not do….EVER AGAIN…

I am going to insist that no clear alcoholic fluids be present and by that I mean specifically and especially high proof Moon and similar trouble inducing booze…For all of our sakes please keep the intake judicious….

If you are a fly fisherman, the Nez Perce Branch is supposed to be great…three miles away you can try the West Fork…Three are fly shops in Hamilton and Darby which will be happy to sell you a short term license..

Please let me know as soon as you can if you are coming and when….Please post here….

I am really excited that I am going to be with some of the best people on this planet …It is going to be an epic weekend as this is the first time that there will be a mingling of the West
coasters and the Eastern tribe….Be safe getting here …

Directions….


From Missoula

Take US 93 south toward Hamilton and continue on 93 to Darby. From the Conoco in Darby (which is your last place to get fuel and stuff) continue south 4.1miles to MT 473 (Signage West Fork Road, Trapper Creek Job Corps) on right. At bout 14 miles in, just past the West Fork Ranger Station turn right on Nez Perce Road(toward Magruder Ranger station) you will find the site on the left in 3.1 miles…


From Salmon Idaho, Lost Trail Pass

Take US 93 North to just past the 23 mile marker and turn left towards Conner. In 1mile turn left toward Painted Rocks State Park.Continue on West Fork Road (MT473) until you pass the West Fork Ranger Station and turn right on the Nez Perce Road and in 3.1 miles you will find the site on your left

If you come from Wisdom toward Lost Trail pass Fetty’s at the Crossing in Wisdom has wonderful burgers (local beef and home baked buns) and damned decent pies.

Some things of note

If you are coming thru Darby be damned sure you pay attention to the speed limit. It is a tourist town on a federal hi way and the town marshal gave Dave Letterman a ticket for two miles over the limit…He is fair he gives the locals no quarter either(ask me how I know)…Darby is the last stop for food, drinks, gas and other comestibles….The Harvest Market next to the The Farmers State Bank bank on the right has meat and produce and etc. The Darby Liquor Store on the right has a decent selection of wines…

We are very lucky to be rattlesnake free but we do have some serious road hazards in the form
of Elk, deer and the very occasional moose and mountain goats…..Elk will make a mess of your vehicle so be vigilant.”
 
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it's a long drive for me - with any luck, I'll be there by noon or so on the 15th, depending on when I have to stop and sleep
 
I’m planning on an early arrival on the 15th. But I’m not pushing anything for a specific time. Still haven’t decided if I’m driving a straight shot or taking a little more time on the travel and spend a night somewhere. Got plenty of time off so no stress 😎
 
Bill Siegle said:
I’m planning on an early arrival on the 15th. But I’m not pushing anything for a specific time. Still haven’t decided if I’m driving a straight shot or taking a little more time on the travel and spend a night somewhere. Got plenty of time off so no stress 😎
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Is Billy making the trip this year?
 
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