Washboard Reef traverse July 19,2014

We climbed that unnamed 8,200 feet mountain, among others along the traverse

This off-trail 16-mile traverse has become an annual staple of my hiking repertoire.

It begins at the West Fork Teton trailhead (Mount Wright) northwest of Choteau and involves hiking to Teton Pass, getting off trail and walking the Bob Marshall boundary line across the Washboard Reef, climbing a series of small mountains with grand views of the Wrong Ridge directly to the west, and then dropping down to the Olney-Nesbit trail and back.

Much of the hike is in the 2007 Fool Creek burn, but the vegetation is coming back, particularly wildflowers. On this hike beargrass dominated whole drainages.

We chose a pretty tough day for this hike --- sustained winds on top were 50 mph with higher wind gusts, and our vistas were obscured by smoke from fires drifting over from Oregon and Washington.

Click on this link for more photos and hike details: 

Washboard Reef traverse July 19,2014 | Garmin Adventures