One of
the ways you can tell a New Yorker from a tourist
is that the tourist calls Sixth Avenue
"Avenue of the Americas," which is its
real name, but no New Yorker would ever say that.Well,
in Montana, if somebody says he's "going
into the Bob" and you look puzzled, it's a
dead giveaway that you're from someplace else.
"The Bob" is the "Bob Marshall
Wilderness," over 1 million acres of land
high in the Rockies, completely undisturbed,
except for some temporary outfitting camps and
the occasional hiker. You're not even allowed to
bring a chainsaw (no motor-driven devices of any
kind). The Bob is accessible only by foot, and,
of course, by horseback. If you're not careful, you can catch a
dangerous disease in the Bob, called Bobitis.
Camping out in the Bob is the quintessential
Montana experience, and we finally did it in
1998, and every year after that, under the guidance and tutelage of
Jack Rich, his family,
and wranglers. Check the pictures
from our 2001 Packtrip.
Jack was the perfect guide (see At
the Trailhead); he knows
everything about pack trips, the mountains, wildlife, plants,
horses, and he kept everyone in
stitches! Jack's sharp sense of humor made Klaus
proclaim him an Honorary Berliner – a
distinction rarely bestowed.
There are lots of pictures of the trip: Getting Ready, Getting There, Our Wranglers, A Fishing Trip (Beate gets
very frustrated!), Camp
Life (lotsa action), Around the Campfire, Top
of the Bob, and pictures of Steve Benedict.
How do I describe the Bob? It's a magical
place, that won't let you go, long after you're
back home. Perhaps some pictures of the views
might help.
