 |
| Wayne Phillips underneath the arch on steep scree slope |
 |
| Katie got up above us |
 |
| Wayne takes a break beneath one of the outcrops along McGee Coulee |
A couple of years ago I missed the Wayne's Wednesday Walk that went to the giant arch off McGee Coulee in the Little Belts up the Dry Fork of Belt Creek.
Wayne agreed to take Katie and me there Saturday, and I was just blown away by this spectacular off-trail feature hidden in the limestone cliffs.
To reach it we hiked 1.75 miles to some livestock watering tanks and turned up a ridge above a deep gulch, which was flanked on the other side by the cliffs. We found a nice game trail that took us up another quarter-mile to another draw where we walked across the gulch and then side-hilled up to this large arch.
Wayne had discovered it accidentally, and approached it differently, coming steeply up from the bottom through the arch. We found a game trail above the arch. We were able to climb into the cliffs and look at the arch below us. We had come 2.25 miles and gained a little more than 800 feet.
After a scenic lunch on a flat bench in the cliffs we were able to walk cross country on good elk trails, eventually descending to McGee Coulee, having completed a loop.
Because the arch is tucked back in a gulch without a trail, I'm amazed that Wayne was able to discover it.
Walking back down to McGee Coulee we had great views of Otter Mountain (elevation: 6,683 feet), which is at the end of a long ridge above the coulee. We could have easily climbed it, but because of fire smoke and the heat of the day, decided that would be for another time.
Pioneer Ridge Loop (yet again)
 |
| We ascended clockwise through gorgeous grass |
I took Katie on this loop for the first time on a hot Tuesday afternoon. It was the fourth time I've done it this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment