Out there with Tom

2012-01-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

It may have been in the 50s in Great Falls, but there was plenty of great snow just west of the Divide on Sunday.

2012-01-29T16:58:00.001-07:00

Lots of bright green moss on the spruce.

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The rock in the area is a bright red. You can see the snow depth.

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Here I am at the head of Third Gulch. You can see the wonderful open slopes behind me.

Pocket of snow west of Rogers Pass

2012-01-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Third Gulch (in blue) in relation to Cadotte Creek.

Temperatures were in the 50s in Great Falls, and 40 degrees on Rogers Pass on the Continental Divide Sunday.
The highway was wet from a rain shower.
The wind was honking on the east side at more than 50 mph.
Not exactly the kind of day you'd pick to ski, right?
Wrong!
We found great slopes just west of Rogers in an a draw just west of Cadotte Creek.
Mark Hertenstein called the snow on these slopes "hero" snow, a soft corn where you couldn't make a mistake.
I was returning from about 10 days fighting off an upper respiratory infection that locked my chest down, so I was looking for something short and sweet.
It didn't take too much to reach open slopes.
We packed just beyond the Cadotte Creek turnout on Highway 200 and started up an old logging road on a draw called Third Gulch.
The area is an old clearcut, but in great shape on both sides of the gulch.
We skied on the west side of the gulch and hit the high point, more than 1,000 feet above the valley floor, spending time to tele turn in the clearcuts before gaining the top and skiing back down a broad ridge that led to the gulch bottom.
As we found on Cadotte Creek, there are plenty of open slopes with plenty of shelter from the wind and sun and holding good snow.
We skied for about 4 and a half hours, just enough for this recuperating ski bum!

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Once we reached the ridge we could see massive Red Mountain in the Scapegoat Wilderness, the highest point in the Bob Marshall complex.

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Only one way to go and that's up!

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Looking at the old clearcut we chose for our telemark destination.

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An old farm building up a gulch west of the Cox Ranch holding.

2012-01-15T12:56:00.001-07:00

Mark Hertenstein multi-tasks as we practice with our avalanche beacons and he takes a break to learn his new GPS.

West of the Divide: Cadotte Creek turns

2012-01-15T12:55:00.001-07:00

It's been dry and the wind has been blowing pretty steadily, but we found some great powder and linked some of the longest turns of the season Saturday just west of the Continental Divide on Cadotte Creek.
Cadotte Creek is accessed about five miles west of the Rogers Pass on Highway 200.
We skied up the road to the Cox Ranch property and then hooked up a west fork of the creek, climbing to a high divide some 1,200 feet above the valley floor that offered tremendous views of the Rogers Pass area and the Flesher-Rogers stretch of the Continental Divide Trail. To the west, the big hulk of Red Mountain the highest peak in the Scapegoat Wilderness and Bob Marshall complex.
I was a tad skeptical that we'd reach ski-able snow given the low elevation of this area (starting at 5,200 feet) and the lack of recent snowfall.
However, this area held good pockets of powder sheltered from the sun and wind.
There were about 4-5 inches of powder atop more than a foot of hard-pack base.
This is clear-cut country, but quite beautiful. Mark Hertenstein ribbed me about saying that, but there is no denying how pretty this country is despite the clear-cuts. New and diverse trees have grown back, but there are plenty of open patches to accommodate our skiing. The area is large enough that there will be plenty of reasons to return.
It was pretty mild, with temperatures around 32 degrees. We took advantage of this to practice our search and discover practice with our avalanche beacons.

Skiing with the kids from Sac

Kids lined up to ride the Showdown 'bunny' slopes on Friday.

I had a ran opportunity to help students from Sacajawea School on their Friday trip to Showdown Ski Area.

About 100 students hit the slopes, most of them for the first time.

Showdown instructors did a great job processing the kids, passing out equipment and giving instructions.

2012-01-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

Although Teton Pass Ski Area is closed this year it is possible to reach it by backcountry skis and enjoy its slopes with some solitude.

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Climbing to the top of ski run with a gorgeous backdrop to distract.

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Empty chairs at Teton Pass Ski Area swing in the wind at the closed ski hill.

2012-01-01T19:31:00.001-07:00

The window says "Closed" at the Teton Pass Ski Area that failed to open this winter.

Teton Pass Ski Area closed this year but it doesn't matter to backountry skiers

2012-01-01T19:29:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year!
We started the year off right with a great backcountry ski trip that took us to Teton Pass Ski Area northwest of Choteau.
The biggest obstacle is getting close enough to the area by car to reach it by skis.
The ski area did not open this year because of difficulties getting insurance.
That means the county doesn't plow the road to the area and it's a crapshoot driving there. You go as far as the snow lets you.
We got within a couple of miles of the area Sunday, not far from where the bridge crosses the North Fork Teton where it joins Waldron Creek.
I was quite surprised that the snow in this area was good. We've had only spotty snow and the wind has been cranking non-stop blowing the Front's peaks snow-free.
We found great caches of snow in gullies the wind and sun didn't reach.
It was sad to see this scenic ski area a ghost town of drifted buildings, "closed" signs, and empty chairs on motion-less lifts.
We skinned up and climbed to an area above the highest lift shack and on a second run came down the lift tower clearing.
The snow was a tad heavy but it felt like butter as we cut our turns.
There was good cover, but I still managed to find a couple of rocks that sent me sprawling.
The sky cleared around noon and made for a perfect day of skiing on the first day of the year.
About the only downside of backcountry skiing to this area is that the snowmobiles have found it too and churned up the slopes. Fortunately, there was plenty of untouched snow.
We were also surprised by the newly paved Teton County Road, resurfaced last summer and this fall from U.S. 89 to the Lewis and Clark National Forest boundary. This might be one of the nicest highways in the state; certainly one of the most gorgeous as it works its way to the towering mountains of the Front.

That's right, Little League baseball on Dec. 24 in Loomis, CA, in the Sierra foothills where we spent Christmas.

Folsom Lake, a California State Park and the area I hiked daily on my Christmas Break.

A California Christmas break

We spent Christmas at Katie's parents' place in the Sierra foothills near Auburn, CA. We had wonderful weather and drove from Montana, spending four days there.

I hiked daily in the foothills on a National Recreation Trail within the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.

We had gorgeous weather, in the 60s during the day and in the 30s at night.

As has been the case in most of the West, there is little snow in the High Sierras. Donner Pass was free of snow and the only ski area in sight was making snow in the absence of the natural white stuff.

The coldest weather we encountered was in northern Nevada where temperatures were minus 8, but so clear of snow it looked like summer outside.

We had hauled along our winter play gear like snowshoes, but we had no use for them.

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Coming up from the bottom was tons of work.

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My view from the bottom of the tele slope on Deadman.

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Thank goodness for this type of signage.

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Obscured by moisture on my lens, this is a pretty good view of the area of new bowls my buddies discovered and shared with me Saturday.

A new area, great skiing

2011-12-18T12:09:00.002-07:00

With temperatures in the 50s in town it is hard to believe that skiing could be so good in the nearby Little Belt Mountains.
But, it was Saturday.
Ski-buddies Mark Hertenstein and Jim Heckel shared some new tele bowls with me they had discovered the week previous on the far south end of Weatherwax where a ridge separates it from Deadman.
The wind and sun had slightly crusted the large bowls there, but the skiing was quite good. I could see why they were so excited about finding this new spot. My only concern is that it is just a bit south of the Weatherwax bowls so popular with snowmobilers and can't imagine this area hasn't been discovered and gets hammered by the motorheads.
We'll see.
We went on to the first set of Deadman bowls just downridge to the north and west and found untouched powder in pretty good shape and spent a couple of hours cutting turns.
The snow there is deep and I found myself sinking on some of my turns.
I've been out about a half-dozen times and it is still a week from Christmas.
It looks like there's a good ski year developing.

Our route Saturday marked by my "Spot" finder

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Approaching the Mizpah warming hut.

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Wayne Phillips above the Mizpah bowls.

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We covered much of this country on the ski Sunday from Porphyry Peak (on the left). That's Big Baldy on the right, the highest peak in the Little Belts at over 9,000 feet.

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Wayne Phillips enjoys tea with no crumpets on the final High Porphyry mountaintop.

Early season High Porphyry

2011-12-12T20:46:00.001-07:00

The snow was deep enough to make the High Porphyry backcountry run Sunday, but it was probably a day late.
It was pretty darn good on the Porphyry-Mizpah ridgeline, but the snow had been hit pretty hard by wind and sun and was iced up in many spots.
Saturday, or even Friday, would have been better days for the backcountry.

A layer of hoarfrost covered much of the backcountry route

I had reports that gorgeous bowls in the Weatherwax/Deadman country had some of the best powder ever and the sun shone brightly and warmly on Saturday.

The High Porphyry trip starts at Kings Hill and comes out on Highway 89 at Mile Marker 23, about six miles south of King's Hill Pass. The trip's length is about 12 miles with enough rugged ups and downs that skinning is a must at least three times.
The route follows the Porphyry ridgeline south of the ski hill and swings east toward Highway 89 passing great open bowls of snow at Mizpah Peak and crawling up and down over several small hills.
Many small trees emerged as we broke fresh snow on this route, and the snow wasn't deep enough to cover windfall, making climbing difficult.
There was also a troubling, yet gorgeous layer of hoarfrost that had been deposited, portending trouble for snow stability later in the season.
The elk are loving this country and their hoof prints were everywhere.
We decided against telemarking the final clearcuts and headed out on an old logging road instead.
We'll need substantially more snow before it will be worth our while to backcountry again.

2011-12-05T19:24:00.001-07:00

Earning the turns.

2011-12-05T19:23:00.001-07:00

We skied off the north side of Poprhyry through the trees in "champagne" powder.

2011-12-05T19:22:00.001-07:00

H. Wayne Phillips decked out and ready to go.

Porphyry snow checks out

2011-12-05T19:21:00.001-07:00

We took a quick run up to Kings Hill on Saturday to check the snow and do a few turns.
Things are shaping up quite nicely in the Little Belts.
There were 36 inches of snow on the ridgeline and about 30 on the slopes, with about a foot of that being fresh, wonderful powder. Big Seven and Quicksilver had been skied pretty heavily by the Ski Patrol, in training for next week's opening.
We stayed on Muley and Speculation, with Muley being the best even though the tops of the little evergreens stuck out above the snow.
It was bitterly cold on top because of the wind.
We were surprised to see quite a few other "skinny" skiers on the slopes.

2011-11-21T19:41:00.004-07:00

Pulling a tele turn in deep powder near Flesher Pass.

2011-11-21T19:41:00.002-07:00

Jim Heckel takes the pause that refreshes.

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Continental Divide country near Flesher Pass.

Great snow near Flesher Pass

2011-11-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

You can see the open slopes where we did our tele turns.

I don't think I've ever seen better snow at this early in the season near Flesher Pass on the Continental Divide Trail.
We skied about three feet of powder on a stable base ---- five days before Thanksgiving!
The weather was about perfect, 20 degrees, no wind, and some sunlight mixed with clouds.
We skied from Flesher toward Stemple Pass about three miles and found some pretty good, but steep open slopes to do tele turns. It was quite tough climbing back out in the deep snow.
This is still hunting season and we did see one party of hunters not far from the pass.
If I had known how good this snow was going to be I would have opted for an early start and one of the long runs along the CDT --- Stemple/Flesher or Flesher/Rogers.
This bodes well for the ski season and maybe an early end to using our rock skis.

2011-11-13T17:12:00.001-07:00

Jim Heckel cuts turns while doing an early season ski at Showdown.

2011-11-13T17:10:00.001-07:00

Looking before taking the leap.

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A pretty good sampling of the new, deep snow on Showdown.

2011-11-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

Mark Hertenstein enjoys a brief show of sunlight.

2011-11-13T16:44:00.001-07:00

Skiing across U.S. 89 at Kings Hills Pass. Very wintery.

Ski season begins!

2011-11-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

We got our first ski trip in of the season, some two weeks later than last year, but entirely satisfying.
It almost didn't happen because I was skeptical about the conditions. It was 48 degrees in town and the wind was howling and I just couldn't picture good conditions in the mountains.
How wrong I was!
There was six inches to a foot of new powder on Porphyry at Kings Hill in the Little Belts. While there wasn't much of a base, the snow packed down well. Yes, we did need our rock skis and we banged them up.
It was about 20 degrees on the hill and the winds were supposed to be gusting to 50 mph.
We needed very steep slopes to plow through the powder, so we stayed on Quicksilver and the adjacent run to the north.
There was considerable snow blowing around as we cut our way down through the runs.
We did the summit "cap" some five times before calling it a day.

2011-10-26T18:38:00.000-06:00

Cannon Peak in Glacier Park with color at its foot, snow as its crown.

2011-10-26T18:35:00.000-06:00

Larch in brilliant yellow carpeted the hills along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

2011-10-26T18:33:00.000-06:00

Snow has arrived in the high country. Stanton Peak above Lake McDonald in Glacier Park.

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Aspen near Lake McDonald Lodge.

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Maples, aspen, cottonwoods, birch and especially the larch were in brilliant yellow finery last weekend.

Fall larch tour at its colorful best

2011-10-26T18:27:00.001-06:00

It's the shoulder season and I've been dormant, enabled by the baseball playoffs which have kept me tethered to my couch.
We finally got out last weekend to enjoy the larch on the west side of the mountains and managed to hit the peak of the colors.
Answering a Tribune display add from the Laughing Horse Resort in Swan Lake, we stayed there two nights and ventured into Glacier Park two days. The food at the resort restaurant is over the top delicious gourmet. On Saturday night Rob Quist (late of Mission Mountain Wood Band fame) performed with his son Guthrie after dinner. It was a perfect weekend there.
The larch, cottonwoods, birch and aspen were at their colorful best.
In Glacier we hit the North Fork of the Flathead, Bowman Lake and the Polebridge Mercantile on Saturday.
On Sunday it was Lake McDonald to Avalanche Campground where the Going to the Sun Road is closed for the season.
While we traveled to the Swan via Seeley Lake, we headed back to Great Falls along the Middle Fork of the Flathead, which I thought was more luminous, stopping for lunch at the Izack Walton Inn at Essex.
Our hikes were short because the weather was rainy and my wife sick with a head cold.
I suspect there's at least another week of gorgeous West-side color left.
I'd encourage the trip.

2011-10-01T16:34:00.001-06:00

Walking along the "knifey" Corrugate Ridge line.

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Mark Hertenstein atop Mount Wright.

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Here I am a little windblown on the Corrugate Ridge.

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I consider the high peaks of the Teton River country as the heart of the Rocky Mountain Front.

2011-10-01T16:20:00.003-06:00

Mark Hertenstein on the ridgeline with the high point, 8,461 feet, not far away.

2011-10-01T16:18:00.001-06:00

A benefit of coming out late was we were treated to alpine-glow on the Front.

Corrugate-Mt. Wright traverse

2011-10-01T16:17:00.003-06:00

With cold and winter weather pressing, Friday's traverse could well be one of the last of this climbing season.
In that case, it may have been a case of saving the best for last.
I returned to Corrugate Ridge on the boundary of the Bob Marshall with Mark Hertenstein for the second time this season.
Since my first trip to the ridge I've studied the maps and conclude that there are many possible day trips in the area, most starting from Teton Pass.
My object on Friday was to show Hertenstein the area. The plan was to do it in reverse of the way I did it in early August, hitting the ridgeline directly from the West Fork of the Teton and doing a traverse clockwise.

Ripe Oregon Grape was copious along the Mount Wright Trail bottom.

My plan nearly went awry when we emerged above the timberline and I discovered that we were one ridge east of our goal.
Fortunately, Hertenstein spied a game trail across the gap between the two ridges, and it wasn't long before we were standing on the ridgeline that is continuous with the Corrugate Ridge.
There are two high points on this section of the ridge, with the highest being 8,461 feet, about 425 feet higher than the lower peak.
The ridge is quite knifey, very reminiscent of nearby Mount Lockhart near the Teton Pass Ski Area.
There is one very "airy" gap near the top that we negotiated gingerly, particularly because the winds began to gust.
Throughout this some of the vistas were obscured, particularly to the south, because of the prescribed burn in the South Fork of the Sun.
However, we had nice views into Glacier, where we could pick out Mounts St. Nicholas and Stimson. To the west, Pentagon, dominated the horizon, although we could see as far as Swan Peak. To the east we could see the white, rounded and extremely steep flanks of Mount Wright.
The walk along the knife-ridge revealed the full Corrugate Ridge and the east-west ridge that connects it to Wright.
It was at this point that we decided to do the slog up Wright rather than come out along its flanks on the bottom.
We found some vegetation that allowed us to get a foothold for about 1,000 feet before we hit the limestone scree.
We crested Wright about 5 p.m. where the sunlight, affected by its autumn angle, lit up the limestone peaks of the Front ---- Werner, Frazier, Choteau.
To the south some of the high peaks like Lockhart, Baldy and Rocky were highlighted in sunlight and smoke.
Then it was down on trail, but for a small section of a gully I'd been curious about for years. We had ascended more than 5,000 feet on this hike.
As we drove out on the Teton Canyon Road we were treated to glorious fall color.
I got home exhilarated by the fantastic scenery and challenge of the Bob Marshall/Rocky Mountain Front country, so close to Great Falls and so accessible.

2011-09-26T19:11:00.001-06:00

Badger Creek Canyon rapids.

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More Badger Creek rapids.

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The very wild Badger Creek in the Badger Two Medicine Wilderness Study Area west of Heart Butte.

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A series of rapids squeeze through the limestone Badger Canyon.

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The Badger Canyon limestone wall looks as though it has been poured out of a cement mixer.

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Badger Creek Rapids in the Badger Two Medicine Wilderness Study Area.

2011-09-26T19:03:00.001-06:00

The Two Medicine River near Marias Pass is all decked out in its autumn robes.

2011-09-26T19:01:00.001-06:00

At Otokomi Lake in Glacier Park.

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The trail to Otokomi Lake was ablaze with yellow, orange and red groundcover.

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Rose Creek tumbles from Otokomi Lake in Glacier across numerous small waterfalls.

Autumn glory in Glacier and Badger Two Med

2011-09-26T18:50:00.003-06:00

To give you an example of how wonderful my hike was Sunday, consider that the glorious autumn colors were only a secondary pleasure.
There aren't many places on the Rocky Mountain Front I haven't been, but up 'til that day Badger Canyon, west of Heart Butte, was one of them.
East Glacier's Lou Bruno righted that by taking a group of us who had attended the Glacier Two Medicine Alliance's annual meeting to the canyon.
I can't tell you how thrilled I was being in that spot and drinking in the towering limestone walls of the canyon through which the steel aqua/blue Badger Creek rushes through in a series of rapids.

Like a Christmas wreath, scarlet huckleberry bushes surround this Doug Fir

I hadn't explored this section of the Front for a number of reasons, but mostly because the access is so horrible.
I had driven to the gates across the adjacent Blackfeet tribal lands, but had been too shy to enter, fearing I might be trespassing. I had also heard horror stories about the jeep trail that leads to the canyon --- that four or so miles of ruts and jutting stone just waiting to tear your muffler off or drain your oil reservoir.
The trail above the rapids is not obvious. You would not know where to find it, although it has been there for many years, I presume.
It winds its way through dense spruce forest and along hanging limestone shelves above the water.
Bruno took us as far as an overlook above the final set of rapids, but pointed out that it winds its way down to Badger Creek.
Along the way there were great views of Kiyo Crag, Half Dome, Little Plume, Curly Bear and even the Two Med's highest point, Morningstar, which I so love to climb.
Bruno pointed out to the hikers that Badger-Two Med has been arbitrarily left out of wilderness bills over the years for a variety of reasons including a concession to the Blackfeet, who consider it a sacred place for spiritual rituals. He was at a loss to explain why it wasn't considered in the current Heritage wilderness bill those in the Front are trying to get Montana's U.S. senators to tack onto the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.
I couldn't agree with him more.
This is incredibly wild country that gets very little traffic and would make a wonderful addition.
My wife and I did the Badger Canyon hike as a capstone of a weekend to enjoy autumn colors.
We were treated to quite a display of ground cover on a Saturday hike to Otokomi Lake near Glacier Park's Rising Sun Campground. We happened upon a couple of sizeable huckleberry patches, still full of berries along the way. The huckleberries and thimbleberries were lit up in reds, oranges and yellow. Many aspens had turned, but it is still a week or so before the color high-point.
On the way out we stopped at the Glacier Two Med Alliance meeting and enjoyed visiting with folks like Bruno, Gene Sentz, former Congressman Pat Williams, conservation leader Jim Posewitz, and enjoyed Blackfeet singer Jack Gladstone's music at the Rising Wolf Ranch just below Marias Pass.

Our Badger Canyon hike.

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The gorgeous breaks country just outside Great Falls.

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The trail travels just above these lovely rim rocks.

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The new powerpoles with the old give a sense of scale.

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Some of the new road work adjacent to the trail, probably constructed to accommodate the new power poles from the Rainbow Dam upgrade.

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Purple prairie flowers lit up the trail.

Back on River's Edge North Trail

2011-09-19T19:51:00.002-06:00

It has been a couple of years since the River's Edge North Trail was closed to accommodate work related to the Rainbow Dam powerplant upgrade.
It opened several weeks ago and Sunday I finally got out to reacquaint myself with this lovely stretch of the Big 'Mo.
Between the Ryan Dam and Morony Dam trailheads it is 3.6 miles. I started at Morony and walked to Ryan on the low trail and back to Morony on the high trail.
The groundcover is starting to turn the yellows and reds that announce that fall is here. The v-ed up geese overhead emphasize that.
I noticed that new, much larger power poles have gone up. Some earth has been moved to accommodate the machinery to put that into place.
The trail has been moved in spots, softening some of elevation gains and losses that will make this more palatable for fearful mountain-bikers, like myself.
A "For Sale" sign on 360 acres above the trail to the north has gone up, a harbinger of impending development on the trail's fringe.
I had never walked the lower-upper North Trail loop before and enjoyed the circuit immensely, particularly the waving amber grasses of the upper trail that reveals gorgeous views of the Highwood and Little Belt mountain ranges.
A harsh, consistent wind blew throughout my hike, bringing in cooler, wetter weather that replaces six weeks of dry, hot summer.
The North Trail, that threads its way through gullies and dry waterfalls and hugs the river, is a gorgeous Great Falls outdoors asset.

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Stimson (left) and Pinchot peaks dominate the southwest Glacier Park landscape.

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Shot from the top of Ousel Peak in the Great Bear Wilderness Area looking south.

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Harrison Lake in Glacier Park, south of Ousel Peak in the Great Bear Wilderness Area, where I shot this photo.

2011-09-11T14:03:00.001-06:00

You've got to look sharply or you could miss the Ousel Peak trailhead off U.S. 2 just east of West Glaicer.

A quick run up Ousel Peak in the smoke

2011-09-11T14:02:00.004-06:00

I spent the end of the week in Kalispell at a meeting and decided to reclimb Ousel Peak (elevation: 6,900) in the Great Bear Wilderness Saturday on the way home.
I had climbed this peak four years ago, but my camera containing the photos of the climb, was stolen.
This is a compact climb that is doable in under four hours if you hustle and rises nearly 4,000 feet from the Middle Fork of the Flathead River valley floor over about 3.6 miles through pretty dense West-side forest.
The trailhead appears suddenly on a curve of Highway 2 about six miles east of West Glacier, so you need to keep a sharp eye for it. There's a road above the river that provides a good parking place for your vehicle about 100 feet east of the trailhead.
It is a pretty one-dimensional climb for almost 3,000 feet ---- straight up and through the thick timber.
The trail emerges on the ridgeline for the last 1,000 feet revealing breaktaking views of the southwest end of Glacier Park including some of the park's most striking peaks --- Jackson, Stimson and St. Nicholas.
Harrison Lake, which sees few visitors, is also visible from the open parts of the ridge.
Unfortunately, the dense smoke from many area forest fires obscured the views with haze.
It took me an hour and 45 minutes to reach the top and an hour and 25 minutes to descend.
There was no one else on this good trail and the last person to have signed the climbers' register had done so four days before I got there.
To the south from the top there are great views of many of the high peaks on the north end of the Great Bear Wilderness in the Bob Marshall complex. There are also good views of the Middle Fork valley far below.
I was treating the climb as a conditioner and so I didn't mind being trapped in the dense timber for most of the hike.
The views from the ridge were payment enough.

2011-09-11T13:51:00.001-06:00

The "beartooth" from which the highway and wilderness gets its name is very visible from the highway.

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Despite it being early September it was hot in Yellowstone and these elk were hanging out in the Gardner River trying to keep cool.

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Many lakes are visible on the Beartooth Highway. Here's a ski lift that operates well into late summer. We saw two skiers at this spot on Labor Day.

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Some of the crowd gathered to try and spot a gray wolf in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley.

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Crazy Creek cascades on the Beartooth Highway.

2011-09-11T13:41:00.001-06:00

Coming down the Showdown lift during Labor Day party at Kings Hill.

2011-09-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

Katie,walking across the dry limestone riverbed of the Boulder River, a riverbed that creates a natural bridge.

Labor Day holiday, the Beartooth Highway and more

2011-09-11T13:37:00.000-06:00

I'm back to work, which would explain the delay in posting.
For years we've spent the Labor Day holiday in the Front or Glacier.
This year we were looking for something different, so we headed south and had the following adventures:

Our goal was a drive of the 69-mile-long Beartooth Highway, which many think is the match or superior to Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Highway. Jury's out. It depends on my mood. I'm still in the Going to the Sun camp;
We stopped along the way and saw the new art addition to the Bair Museum in Martinsdale. It is terrific because they've taken the spectacular art from the house and put it on the wall where you can get a good look at it, putting good facsimiles in the house;
We stayed overnight in Big Timber at the Grand Hotel in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains. The hotel has been converted to a Bed and Breakfast and the restaurant has been upgraded to a first rate eatery. We spent $80, including tax, and got a great night in a classic old hotel with a high-end breakfast the next morning. The restaurant is a bit pricey, but worth it. I ordered vegetarian and asked the chef to surprise me and he whipped up a delicious and well-presented southwestern meal;
We took an evening drive south of Big Timber down into the Boulder River as far as the natural bridge, where the river dives into the limestone aquifer and comes out the other end a good-sized waterfall. I thought the drive took us into a valley far prettier, more remote and less populated than the nearby Paradise Valley. We'll return;
We went through Red Lodge to hit the Beartooth Highway, getting there early enough that the sun was to our back or overhead most of the 8-hours we spent there. We did the drive very leisurely, stopping for four hikes that included the Crazy Creek Cascades, a ridgewalk at the pass, and a stroll past several small lakes into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. I still can't imagine why this highway wasn't included in Yellowstone Park's boundaries;
We drove through Yellowstone's Lamar Valley and despite the heat and broad daylight saw a large wolf out in the open. So did a throng of other tourists who tied up the highway;
We stayed in Gardiner at the Absarokee Lodge, which still charged in-season rates --- $125 a night. We're used to the $70 it charges when we usually visit in mid-October;
Yellowstone was full of fire and we really sweltered and choked on smoke in our river-side motel room, not getting much sleep;
We drove back by way of US 89 and stopped at Kings Hill's Showdown Ski Area where owner George Willett every Labor Day runs the lifts and treats anyone who shows to live music, free lift rides, and a picnic lunch. I'd say upwards of 300 people showed up for a great afternoon of fun. I particularly enjoyed riding the lifts down after climbing Porphyry, where the ski hill is located.

2011-08-26T10:18:00.001-06:00

Alpineglow on Goat Mountain above my Rising Sun Campground as I left the park Thursday.

2011-08-26T10:16:00.001-06:00

I love mountain goats, but this guy was a pest, blocking my way to the top of Mount Oberlin. I had to go around him by climbing through the cliffs.

2011-08-26T10:15:00.002-06:00

This bighorn sheep got a little too close for my comfort as I climbed Mount Oberlin Thursday.

2011-08-26T10:13:00.001-06:00

The trail down to the Swiftcurrent valley looks a tad precipitous as it rounds a corner.

2011-08-26T10:11:00.001-06:00

Buck, the Swiftcurrent lookout ranger, from his high-perched post.

2011-08-26T10:09:00.001-06:00

A view of Mount Stanton's east face, shot from the Highline Trail.

2011-08-26T10:06:00.001-06:00

From the top of Mount Stanton, Byron Wallis starts the trek down the ridgeline and across the saddle to adjacent Mount Vaught in Glacier.

Summer's last hurrah ---- three easy Glacier peaks

2011-08-26T10:03:00.002-06:00

Mount Gould area from Swiftcurrent Lookout

It's back to work on Monday, so I spent this past week in Glacier Park car camping and day hiking.
I climbed three easy peaks and looked at a fourth in gorgeous late summer weather.
I went up Mount Stanton (elevation: 7,750 feet) Tuesday from the Lake McDonald area's Trout Creek Trail with Byron Wallis, visiting from France. He went on to climb adjacent Mount Vaught, another 1,100 feet higher. I turned back to save myself for the following days. Stanton is climbed often enough that there is a "climber's" trail most of the way. It is accessed off the Trout Creek Trail at the Howe Ridge intersection.
While this is considered a "lesser" peak, it still rises 4,600 feet from the lake, which is considerable for any peak. There is some interesting Class 3 rock along the way and even a piece of Class 4 on the descent to the saddle between Stanton and Vaught.
The views of the lakes below --- McDonald, Rogers, Trout and Camas --- are worth the climb. In addition there are outstanding views of the high Livingston Range peaks in the park to the north and west and glaciated Great Northern in the Swan Range to the southwest.
I love the "classic" hikes in the park and consider the Highline Trail walk-through to Many Glacier as one of the three best trail hikes to the park.
On Wednesday I walked this 15.9 mile trail from Logan Pass to Many and threw in another 2.4 miles with some elevation gain to walk up to the Swiftcurrent Mountain lookout (elevation 8,436).
I've been to tons of fire lookouts and think the views here are the best. You're in the center of the park and it was a clear, cloudless day offering views as far out on the Great Plains as the Sweetgrass Hills to the East and every major peak in the park.
While there were hordes of people starting from Logan Pass, the crowds thinned out as the trail progresses to Haystack and then Granite Park chalet.
Atop Swiftcurrent Lookout I encountered six more people, and from Swiftcurrent Pass down to Red Rock Falls, almost two hours later, I saw no one.
Both sides of the Garden Wall offer thrilling views and alpine hiking.
I used the $10 hiker's shuttle to get from Many, where I drove my car, to St. Mary, where I picked up the free park shuttle to Logan Pass. I left Many at 7:30 a.m., and arrived at Logan Pass at 9:15 a.m. What was nice was knowing that my car was at the end of the hike, and I didn't have to rush to pick up any shuttle.
I think Glacier has the right idea with the shuttles but still needs to work out how to get folks from places like Many, Chief Mountain, Cutbank Creek and Two Medicine to other destinations in a timely fashion. You really have to think through your connections.
On Thursday I (sadly) left the park, but on the way up drove to Logan Pass and decided to climb Mount Oberlin (elevation: 8,180 feet). This is the easiest mountain climb in the park, with an elevation gain of 1,534 feet, about the gain of going up Mount Helena.
This is a deceptive mountain. From Logan Pass it is a piece of cake. From McDonald Creek and the west side it looks like climbing it would be a technical feat.
I was a bit tired from my long walk Wednesday, so I leisurely walked up the mountain and in doing so, was able see eight mountain goats and five bighorn sheep. All these creatures seemed very accustomed to seeing hikers and got uncomfortably close to me.
Views from the top of Oberlin were amazing.
This is a very satisfying thing to do if you don't have much time. From bottom to top and back, with some time on top, took two hours and 20 minutes.

Mount Oberlin from Logan Pass parking lot.

Mount Oberlin from west side valley floor, McDonald Creek.

2011-08-20T13:29:00.002-06:00

Mark Hertenstein has a water-stop along the Red Mountain traverse.

2011-08-20T13:27:00.001-06:00

This pica, living at the top of the biggest mountain in the Bob Marshall complex, is the true King of the Hill.

2011-08-20T13:25:00.001-06:00

I wore a (sort of) red shirt for the Red Mountain climb. A view across the Scapegoat.

2011-08-20T13:23:00.001-06:00

Looking toward Arrastra and Daly peaks to the west from the ridge walk.

2011-08-20T13:21:00.001-06:00

A three-quarters moon above the Red Mountain flank.

2011-08-20T13:19:00.002-06:00

The steep and seemingly endless slog up Red Creek flank through the burn.

2011-08-20T13:17:00.001-06:00

The full Red Mountain traverse that went counter-clockwise.

Red Mountain, high summer, high point

2011-08-20T13:06:00.002-06:00

A late blooming lupine.

Red Mountain is the highest point not only in the Scapegoat Wilderness Area at 9,411 feet, but also the Bob Marshall Complex of wilderness areas that includes the contiguous Bob Marshall and Great Bear areas.
It makes for an enticing target for Montana peak baggers not only because of its height but because it is so easy to climb.
Pick a ridge and walk up this "roller" not far from the Continental Divide.
By contrast, the third tallest peak in the complex, Holland Peak in the Swans, is 9,356 feet, and has a challenging approach to its summit cap, and the second highest peak, Rocky in the Front is 9,392 feet involves some use of the hands and more than 4,000 feet vertical.
I've climbed Red five times from three different aspects and on Friday did a traverse from east to west.
It was a perfect summer day with temperatures on the peak in the 60s and a clear blue sky except on the northern-most horizon where fires in the Bob were smudging the north vistas.
Otherwise I figured we could see the Rattlesnake and Bitterroot mountain ranges near Missoula, the mighty Mission Mountains, the Flint Creeks, Belts, and even portions of the Tobacco Roots.
It was fun to look deep into the Scapegoat and the Swan Range and see the Front mountains.
Red Mountain has a scarlet red peak, of course, but also a blonde peak almost 200 feet lower.
I was surprised we saw no wildlife but an aggressive pica at the top of Red Mountain. Grizzlies had churned up huge stretches of the mountain.
I hadn't traversed the mountain before, so this was a good exercise.
It was the first time I had climbed it since fire roared through the Red Creek bottom, which uncovered the traces of an old road, which made climbing easier at the bottom.
There was no getting around the slog up the burned southwest facing flank of Red Creek, nor the downed timber and steep descent down a ridgeline to Copper Creek.
There were huge huckleberries to compensate, somewhat.
This traverse will be on my list of "must do" walk throughs.

2011-08-17T16:47:00.001-06:00

Twin Peaks arise above Hoadley Reef and provide a breathtaking view out the Patrol Mountain Lookout window.