Glacier Mountaineering Week begins with Matahpi

Paul Cogswell on top Matahpi

A view of the conquered peak above us on the way down

Another spectacular Glacier Mountaineering Society week has come and gone and I’m very satisfied with the results.
I helped lead Matahpi (elevation: 9,365 feet), led the Skyline Traverse of Wynn, Cracker and Siyeh mountains and walked the 23.4 miles long Cutbank Creek to St. Mary’s via the Triple Divide Pass and Red Eagle Valley.
Mataphi was the warmup for the rest of the week. We had 10 climbers that did the standard route up from Siyeh Bend to the saddle between Matahpi and Going to the Sun Mountain. It was an easy 3,500 feet scramble up through some small ledges and cliffs to the top. We negotiated the major cliffs on the way up by taking a grassy ramp from the north.
It had rained the previous night and the clouds covered the summit part of the way up, breaking up to reveal spectacular views in all directions.
On the way down the skies cleared.
From the top I tried to catch glimpses of Siyeh, anticipating that climb on Friday, but could get no clear look at the gullies before we had to start down.