Pic: Then why did I bring my snowmobile?! Hidden Lake Trail, Helena NF, MT
The trip to Hidden Lake had kind of an odd profile. The Forest Service write-up was descriptive, if prosaic:
From Duck Creek Pass the trail climbs steadily, gaining 1100 feet in the 3.1 miles to an overview of Birch Creek Basin. From the overview the trail drops very gradually, 13 switchbacks to the junction with Trail #150. The last two miles … are nearly level.[1]
Anyhoo:
Pic: Rewards. Hidden Lake, Helena NF, MT. Larger image
[1] Source: a packet of photocopies I received at the Forest Service office. Its terse, smudgy, invaluable contents do not appear to exist on the internet.
Danger Beyond This Point 
