2020 Bob Marshall Wilderness Open

Looks deep. Where did you guys go in? Looks great, cold but great.  I’ve got some long weekends now so was gonna do an overnight or two

Hey y’all, long time lurker but planning on this being my first BMWO.  Considering snowpack is still quite high, and in reading previous trip reports it seems like snowshoes will be smart.  Is the consensus that the MSR Shift’s are the best option for moving quick on consolidated snowpack?

Will B,

There are 3 people in our group coming in from Texas. We are all interested in some sort of ride share – we’re flying in and renting a car in Missoula.

No one in our group has a concern about masks, ride sharing or anything else.

Looking forward to it,

– Patrick

Glad to see everyone is thinking and having the discussion about travel for the Open.  I cancelled the mass start to make sure that exactly this would be happening.

Hi Patrick,

It’s a little hard to tell if you’re a troll or not, as this is your only post on BPL, but as a Montanan and a member of a volunteer SAR team, people with your attitude are not welcome here.

I’m not an epidemiologist so I’m not going to debate infection rates etc, but Montana put stay at home orders in place early and that has helped prevent our limited healthcare resources from being overwhelmed.  The town’s you’ll be stopping through (Augusta, for example) don’t have any hospitals.  Shelby, MT (pop. ~3,000) is an example of the damage just one person stopping through a small town can do.  The economies of small towns in Montana were hanging by a thread before coronavirus, and the only way we’re going to keep functioning is to continue preventing the spread.

Additionally, if you do choose to do the BMWO this year, treat it as a no-rescue situation.  In fact, leave your InReaches at home.  If I get a callout for a rescue of some folks in the Bob on Memorial Day weekend, I’m hanging up the phone and spending time with my family.

If you choose to come here from out of state and put people at risk and need a rescue, tough shit.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Ok, since I can’t know your “intent” what did I miss?

“No one in our group has a concern about masks, ride sharing or anything else.”

You’re coming here from a state that has a high infection rate to attempt an off trail shoulder season backcountry trip, and your comment expresses no regard for basic safety precautions.  Unless your actual attitude is dramatically different than what your comments present, I stand by my assertion that people with your attitude aren’t welcome here.

For me the questions around travel to the woods and mountains are right up there as the most thorny brought up by the current pandemic.  I imagine most everyone reading this is in the same boat.

First of all; it seems certain that the 14 day travel quarantine will still be in place in a month.  Our governor has made it clear that highway patrol won’t be pulling over anyone with out of state plates to check, though there might still be national guard at the airports.  Individual decision on this one.

I’m profoundly uncomfortable with the extreme localism which has become so pervasive  in the last month about public land access.  For me much of that rhetoric has been about the individual or communities fear, rather than substance.  That being said, a big percentage of the COVID-19 cases in Montana have been due to folks coming back from out of state or overseas.  In theory a few individuals being disciplined shouldn’t pose any increased risk.  How far can that principle be expanded before human nature and fallibility does increase risk?  No concrete answer there, but I think most people in Montana are rather nervous about what happens when tourist seasons ramps up.

The more direct concern Patrick and anyone else not yet familiar with the Open is the logistics of transport and bailing.  Shuttling around has always been and will always be a pain.  So to has been the inevitable unplanned exits to remote trailheads with no cell service and little traffic.  Both in the Open and on other trips I’ve relied on the kindness of strangers when things went sideways.  For obvious reasons I’d be hesitant to do so now.  Folks new to the Open have, historically, had a higher likelihood of having to alter their trip plans, and that is something which is more fraught at the moment.  Again, individual decision.

For my own part, I won’t be showing up at the planned start Saturday morning.  I may or may not do a trip across the Bob that weekend.  My fitness, and more significantly, my mindset have all suffered over the past six weeks.  If I’ve learned nothing else over the past decade of doing these kinds of trips this time of year it is that stress in other parts of your life have a big impact, and that not having your mental game totally set is asking for big trouble.

The whole thing encapsulates how much the world has changed so quickly.  Hopefully we can all have a big party Friday night in 2021.

Dave,

I preface this question with the fact that I am on the fence about this year. Your last paragraph sums the open up very well. Your fitness and your mental game absolutely must be on point to finish and/or get out of the Bob safely.

What is the plan for the start then? We all just keep our distance or is there a specific idea you had in mind?

I would also say that there is no shame in cancelling or postponing the event. I personally have had to cancel a large event I was hosting this month.  Hard decision but the right one in my circumstance.

I will be eagerly watching the snow pack and weather as the date gets closer.

I am still planning on coming out again, unless anything changes drastically between now and then.  This year will feel very different though … and does makes me question making the long drive and time taken off work … but it will be different because I will truly miss the opportunity to see the same people again as well as meet new people.  Really, that is a huge part of the fun.  Also, the “not a” race component also seems to help make it worth it!

I know Dave hit on it already, but seeing that the Montana stay at home order is being phased out, the only thing that would impact me is the quarantine.  I am planning on traveling with my wife and dogs and only stopping as necessary, staying in a tent, and adhering to other public safety guidelines.  As far as bailouts go, my wife is available to pick me up, so that concern shouldn’t be an issue.

I do hope that anyone new to this doesn’t take advice from above and leave their Inreach at home.  JB, I understand this this is a trying time for everyone and emotions are high, opinions strong, etc, but there is a gentler way to be emphatic about an opinion.  I can’t imagine turning down the opportunity to help anyone.  I have literally spent YEARS “on call” 24/7/365 (minus vacations!) responding to high risk calls for service to individuals in need of help, regardless of my opinion of whether they deserved it and regardless of what I was doing at the time … sleeping, with family, inclement weather, etc.  That being said, I (like most of the Open participants that I have met) plan on being truly self sufficient and engaging in appropriate wilderness behavior, as always.

I hope that everyone going has a safe and satisfying adventure!  I look forward to the 2021 party!!

Nathan,

Feel free to share, routes are not a secret to most on here. There are obvious routes, creative routes, and risk vs reward routes for those experienced enough.  I as do some will usually share a tentative route and garmin device track info for people to follow anyway a few days before it starts. I personally am a conservative route guy, and for the record; 0-2 at the Bob.

Snowshoes are tough decision. depends on snowpack density and how the next few weeks weather goes. I’d hike a local area near you and see what it’s like over 7000ft for starters.

I would say, that if you have never been in the Bob or backcountry more than a few miles, this is not the time of year or place to start.