Pic: Dat grass, doe. Mule deer, Duck Creek Rd, Helena NF, MT
At $28 a night, Lewis & Clark Caverns Campground was my most expensive campsite of the trip[1]. I’m so out of touch with developed camping that I had to (re-)learn a lesson the hard way: just because there are showers and you paid twenty-eight American dollars, it doesn’t mean there are warm showers. At least the math checks out:
Pic: In case you wanted a linear interpolation problem to go with your morning shower, this machine accepts fifteen quarters. Lewis & Clark Caverns Campground, MT.
Lacking any obvious landmarks to fix my path across midwestern Montana, I stopped at the Forest Service office in Townsend. The knowledgeable woman behind the desk pointed me toward remote Duck Creek Road and a 14-mile hike to Hidden Lake. Then, we had a pleasant chat about bears, mountain lions, being from California, and wolves. Her position was lay in between those of my previous conversation partners, and she taught me a rancher saying about dealing with wolves: “Shoot, shovel, shut up.”
After two nights in the awkward middle ground between proper outdoor solitude and a motel room of one’s own, I was happy to have an evening with just me, some grazing deer, and a view of the Missouri River valley:
Pic: Meadow above Canyon Ferry Lake. Duck Creek Rd, Helena NF, MT. Larger image
[1] The effective price was only $22 since it included the $6 park entry fee, but it still edges out Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone and Atlatl Campground in Valley of Fire, both $20 per night.
Danger Beyond This Point 
