Lost Trail Pass started as THE SPOT I wanted to get to.
As this trip unwound, all of the 'other' places emerged and competed quite well for my small mind and its capacity. Lost Trail offered the requisite hot springs (which I had never visited), the history, and the book relevance.
While the spring is piped up and concrete-lined, the resort fit what my 'mind's eye' had imagined, so I was happy. I wandered the grounds and enjoyed being at a ground zero spot from my book River and Ranch. It is rustic. It is nice. It is simple. The way it should be. I do not know what the pandemic has done to it in the time since my visit, but the spring is not going anywhere. The owners might be in turmoil (I hope not), but it does seem reasonable to see how life as a resort owner could be difficult in this neck of the woods.
This is a spot I would buy, if my own set of minimal conditions were to ever be met. I digress.
The history, on the surface, is Lewis and Clark. Yet again, this pair is top of the list because they were aware of what they were doing and so kept journals and awareness of location and surround. As usual, it's not just the 'winners' that write history, it's the people with paper, pen and ink, and an alphabet, or a knowledge of writing. So much of this place is layered with simple events and footprints that no one will ever know about, simply because these events were never recognized as 'worthy' of recording and the original 'occupants' lacked the recording necessities. Importantly, they likely did not view themselves as occupants, rather they were 'passers through' and this was just another hot springs en route to where they were going.....
I like it. I like everything about it. Go check it out. It is a neat place inthe midst of a great setting.
