Badger Two: Elk Calf, Flattop twice

Madelon Martin on top Flattop Mountain

Purple Fireweed offsets the fields of Pearly Everlasting

Katie crests Elk Calf Mountain the Badger Two Med

Katie and her "Girls" celebrate the top of Elk Calf

A serious bushwhack

Mountain Ash in Fall color

More Fall color

The closure of the east side of Glacier Park because of the pandemic has pushed us back into re-exploring easily accessible parts of the Badger Two Medicine this summer.

We returned twice to the Pike Creek Road just west of Marias Pass in the past five days to get to the Flattop-Elk Calf mountains area.

I had climbed Elk Calf (elevation: 7,607 feet) twice before, most recently in 2005, on skis with friend Wayne Phillips.

Katie and I climbed Flattop (elevation: 6,647 feet) about five days ago and so enjoyed the experience that we returned with friends to reclimb it and Elk Calf, too.

These are much easier to climb in the summer because the Pike Creek Road delivers you to an area about 500 below Flattop.  It is a three mile drive from U.S. 2 to where the road ends.

This area has been severely scarred by logging and fire and there's tons of deadfall to deal with on and off the trail.

This is off-trail until you hit the ridge line where you pick up a trail that leads to Elk Calf, the site of a former Forest Service Lookout.

Both Elk Calf and Flattop peaks offer exceptional views into Glacier Park's southern end.  It seems as though the big three mountains near Marias Pass in the park, Elk, Little Dog and Summit, are upon you.

Our views on both days were obscured by smoke from fires that had been blown in from California.  

Another reason to climb these peaks is the copious huckleberries along the way.  They were fully ripened and ready to eat and collect.

Rather than do an out and back on Elk Calf, we decided to drop over a saddle and go straight for our trail rather than return to Flattop.  We paid the price with a robust bushwhack!