Catching up during a hot, smoky, busy month

 

At the saddle below Elk Calf Mountain on Continental Divide

In the Puzzle Creek/Slippery Bill roadless area looking into Glacier Park

Cobalt Lake in Glacier Park

On Midnight Hill below Rogers Pass and the CDT (in background)

Yes, I've been out, but I haven't been as disciplined writing about my trips.

There were trips to Cobalt Lake in Glacier, the Puzzle Creek/Slippery Bill wilderness proposal near Marias Pass, the Pioneer Ridge Loop in the Little Belts, Midnight Hill near Rogers Pass, Mount Helena, and a number of hikes along River's Edge Trail.

Yet, there could have been more if the weather hadn't been so smoky and hot, which kept me indoors.

We supplemented some of the hikes with sightseeing, like a trip to Havre for that city's buffalo jump, and nearby Fort Assinniboine, a foray into Taber, Alberta for a looksee.

Noticeably absent this summer have been hikes in the Rocky Mountain Front.  Again, too smoky and hot to bother.

The highlight of the month was the Puzzle Creek/Slippery Bill hike near Marias Pass.

It was a joint Glacier Two Medicine Alliance/Wild Montana effort.

It was billed as a hike to Elk Calf Mountain, but from the Skyland Road side of the Continental Divide.

The hike introduced me to a roadless area that wilderness advocated would like to see as a bridge between the Badger Two Medicine and the Great Bear Wilderness.

This burned over area is truly wild and we saw plenty of bear sign to prove it.

We did not make the top of Elk Calf because we ran out of time after covering 9.3 miles and an elevation gain and loss of more than 3,700 feet. I think huckleberry feeding breaks cost us.

The hike offered exceptional views into Glacier Park, the Great Bear, the Badger and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. 

We reached a saddle on the true Continental Divide with Elk Calf only 600 feet and about three-quarters of a mile away.  I didn't feel too bad because I've climbed and skied to the top of this mountain on several occasions.  I can say that reaching the top is much easier by following the Continental Divide Trail from Marias Pass. The route we took was mostly marked by stone cairns, which at times were hard to find.  I was glad we had Peter Metcalf, the executive director of the Glacier Two Med Alliance as our leader.

The day was a tad taxing because the day before I had hiked into Cobalt Lake in Glacier's Two Med area, a trek of nearly 12 miles and 3,400 feet gained and lost. 

Most of the other hikes I had done numerous times, but Midnight Hill was also new to me.

It is reached most easily from the Mike Horse Mine Road just south of Rogers Pass.  The distance and elevation gains aren't much, but it offers a nice off-trail experience, although much of it can be reached by following old mining roads.  Beware, though, many of these roads are blocked by deadfall, purposely cut to block vehicles (and hikers).

There are old mine diggings and buildings that are of interest, and the Continental Divide Trail is visible some of the way.

I think it would be possible to drop off the CDT below Rodgers Peak and follow the ridgeline down to a saddle below Midnight Hill.  There would also be access from Montana 200 on an old road.  That's for another trip. 

Oh, there's a good huckleberry crop this year.