Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 28 and co-founder of the Wilderness Society. "Wilderness," means there are only a small scatter of ranger stations and horse bridges. Not a single road spoils this conflation of e Bob, the Scapegoat, and Great Bear wilderness areas. Wildlife include deer, elk, mountain goats and sheep, lions, black and grizzly bears, moose, and wolverines. e K Bar L rises from the forest floor on 40 acres, at the watery intersection of the north and south forks of the cascading Sun River, just before they merge and empty into the Gibson Reservoir, before continuing onto the Missouri River near Great Falls. e Sun is the life-blood of the ranch, feeding everything from its horse stock and fishery to the marvelous ambiance of the old encampment. Our own visit to the ranch was at high-water on the reservoir, which allowed us a speedy seven-mile run on the ranch launch, quickly passing the K Bar L's pack horses and mules, trailing along the same onshore route, carrying supplies as they have done for decades. If it had been a bit later, say mid-July, the Gibson would have been too low for boat passage, and we would have joined the slow trudge on that same trail, guided not by modern convenience, but by the dusty track of decades past. e oddest sensation on the ranch is the absence of time. One rises and sets with the sun, with the only markers the movement of the horse and mule stock, wrangling them to the ranch in the morning, and to green pastures in the evening, far above the 13 guest cabins and the main house, where we gather at the sound of the dinner bell, sharing hearty fare and conversation at breakfast and dinner. Bagged lunches to order are handed to us each morning, as guests are free to wander far and wide by foot or horseback to enjoy the primeval, unspoiled by any other presence or suggestion of human impact. Cutthroat trout seem to be just waiting for our fly lures at Arthritis Point and Freez- eout along the Sun, where we fish waters unspoiled and teeming with life. Our horses graze in a grassy grove riverside, at rest from our ride to the middle-of-nowhere. Our casts bring success time and again, and we return every fish to the river, losing many to our distraction at the cloud-scraping, mountainous vistas in every direction. Wolves howl in the distance. A lone deer drinks upstream. Life here moves at a pace unimagi- nable to those who have not experienced it. We saddle-up with some reluctance, and return without a single fish, but with a creel full of memories which will last a lifetime. After an active day on foot or horseback, guests can treat themselves to a plunge in the Medicine Springs, a welcoming geothermal pool which sits just above the ranch, sited at the same spot where the waters were once enjoyed by Indians, loggers, hunters, and trappers in generations past. A smallish sweat-cave lies close-by, offering another opportunity relief and relaxation. A hot shower awaits you at a small, pleasant shed near your cabin; and remember to fire-up your wood buck stove for the cool evenings and mornings, as frost is quite likely to appear through June. HUNTING SEASON AT THE K BAR L The Bob Marshall is home to the Sun River elk herd, number- ing some 2500 animals. Expert elk hunts from the K Bar L are historic and memorable. You won't be disappointed. HUNTING SEASON at the K Bar L opens on SEPTEMBER 11TH, AND RUNS THROUGH THANKSGIVING DAY. BOW SEASON SEPTEMBER 11TH THROUGH OCTOBER 6TH 2 Hunters: 1 Guide Ratio RIFLE SEASON OCTOBER 22ND THROUGH NOVEMBER 26TH 2 Hunters: 1 Guide Ratio

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