In October 2008 six of us set out to traverse the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness from Cooke City to Pine Creek with minimal gear and minimal maps. Â Our intent was to locate the most elegant route along what is a straight-line distance of 46 miles. Â A major snow storm re-directed us from our final finish point to a point much farther north near McLeod, MT and our final traveled distance ended up being 70 miles. Â Our route can be seen here.