I’m Thayne, a Community Manager and forum Admin at GFC! Having grown up in Missoula, I’ve been wanting to do a meetup and followed caravanning as a crew to a local campsite, BLM area, or any fun suggestions you all might have.
Ideally, we meet early at a spot like Black Coffee Rosters to get caffeinated, and coordinate on what we plan here in the forum.This trip is mainly those with a GFC, but we’re happy to show others how fun this community and ownership can be.
Dispersed camping near town or in the Bitterroot sounds ideal to me, but let’s get some fun ideas out there for a trip towards the end of the month! I’m thinking the weekend of 28th- 29th would be best.
I’ll have my dog along for the trip, so where ever we end up, it might be fun to do a quick hike as well.
Here’s my rig, so if you ever see me rollin around, give me a wave or flag me down to talk shop!
@GainzGFC, @Tamaki, and @Eisenheim, thanks for the patience! I’m stoked to get some locations in the mix for next weekend if everyone is still around, and I’m planning to head to town early next week for some quick exploration. The plan is still to meet at Black Coffee or somewhere similar to coordinate and get the caravan movin.
Here are some options I have in mind, but feel free to suggest some others!
As you can see, bit fan of the Bitterroot area this time of year, but most roads higher in elevation such as Gibbson Pass are confirmed as gated until May. Happy to head in other directions as well since part of the fun is just getting out there and seeing where things take us.
Also open to Lost Trail Hot Springs, but this is a proper pay to camp area. We can make a whole adventure out of it and maybe even hit Lolo Pass a quick dip at Jerry Johnson or Weir prior to any of these sites as well. Sometimes tough to park a large group at Weir.
I spoke with the Forest Service office this morning, and it sounds like it should be good to go prior to the gated section of the road. I’ll still go survey, but if you know some spots that are looking good now, let me know what you think.
POSSIBLY POSTPONING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO WEATHER: Saturday and Sunday are looking like very low temps, and this could affect turnout and the safety of our trip. I’ll keep everyone posted by Wednesday.
We’ll meet at Black Coffee Roasters on 525 E Spruce in downtown Missoula this Saturday. We’ll be getting caffeinated from 8:30am until around 11:30am so folks can trickle in, and then we’ll caravan southward to Lost Horse Trailhead to camp for the night.
Safe to assume we’ll get to Lost Horse around 1pm or just after.
I’ve confirmed with the local Ranger station that this is the most ideal spot, and there’s plenty of room for vehicles. There’s a nice trail for those of us looking to stretch out our legs after the quick drive, and feel free to bring your dogs along for the ride.
Bring your own meals and proper gear, but for those who like a little whiskey in their mug, I’ll be making Hot Toddies for the gang. We’ll have a roarin’ fire and share stories to cap off the night, and feel free to bring any games or entertainment you’d like to share with the crew!
Looking forward to seeing those who make it (dogs included), and I’ll be sending an email out to those in the surrounding area this afternoon.
Hey All- Due snowfall and low temps dipping into the negatives overnight, the overnight portion of the trip is cancelled. However, we’re doing a Saturday day trip prospecting at the Lost Horse site and checking out other spots for a meetup in the near future.
We’ll still be meeting at Black Coffee Roasters on 525 E Spruce in downtown Missoula this Saturday from 8:30am until around 11:30am to talk shop and coordinate where we want to do some winter wheelin.
