Despite some busy six day school
weeks in September, I was able to get out for a few great outings and enjoy the
changing foliage. First was a lolo peak
loop, up lantern ridge and down mill creek.
With the Rut less than a week away, I took it easy, summitting in 2:44
and back to the car in 4:44. About 18mi
and 6000 vert. Awesome loop, can’t
believe it’s taken me this long to get around to it.
 |
| looking down on lantern ridge from atop N lolo peak |
 |
| carlton lake. looking forward to the typical early season skiing up here in the very near future |
On a Sunday in mid-Sept, I tried
to sneak in a morning on trapper’s cowboy ridge before a storm was forecasted
to arrive. Bria was unfortunately battling
a cold so opted to only join til the saddle above gem lake. From there I dropped into and crossed the
trapper creek basin to the base of N trapper’s SE couloir. Years ago I climbed N trapper for my first
time in late June and with axe/crampons, was able to climb snow all the way up
the couloir (including over the chockstone).
This time around I took the slabby out-and-back traverse on the S face to bypass the chockstone
before continuing up the fun 3rd and 4th class scrambling
to the summit.
 |
| changing colors at middle lake |
 |
| from the saddle dropping N into the trapper basin (photo: bria) |
 |
| base of N trapper's SE couloir |
 |
| trapper peak from atop N trapper |
It was cool to read through the
various summit entries before departing on the traverse to trapper. Armed with approach shoes, I did my best to
stay true to the exposed ridge (lots of fun 4th class up to 5.4), but
had to vacate it twice (which entailed some route-finding blunders) before
reaching the big flat saddle.
 |
approximate beta of my route at the first prominent point you must vacate the ridgecrest
when traveling S from N trapper (may not be the easiest or preferred route) |
 |
| a look back at N trapper from trapper's summit |
By this point, the forecasted
storm had arrived, in the form of howling winds and some snow flurries. I continued making my way S towards trapper,
well below the ridge on the W side. I
mistakenly went too far since by the time I decided to cut up to the ridge
proper, I was forced to deal with steep, loose dirt and a lot of slab. Once on the ridge, I continued up some fun 3rd
and 4th class terrain to trapper’s summit. After a quick snack, I began the descent down
the main trail before cutting skier’s L at approx. 9000ft to find the baker
ridge trail which I took down to baker lake and the car.
There is definitely room for
improvement on my route-finding and time on this decent (but far cry from the
tetons) scrambling loop. About 9mi/4200
vert/up to 5.4 but could probably be kept to low 5th class with
diligent route-finding
A week later, with stormy
weather precluding ridgeline scrambling, I set out for a fred burr to mill
creek loop, another outing that has been on my to-do list for a long time. After stashing a bike at the mill TH, I drove
to fred burr TH and set off, excited for a day of exploration into a new corner
of the bitterroot. I passed a couple on
horseback before the reservoir and didn’t know it at the time but I wouldn’t see
another person the rest of the day.
 |
| largest of several buttresses in the first few miles of fred burr canyon |
 |
| an empty fred burr reservoir |
 |
| green, yellow, orange and red as the first of several storm cells approaches |
Other than a few wet creek
crossings beyond the reservoir, the trail was in great shape and made for easy
running. This all came to a screeching
halt about a mile before the switchbacks up to fred burr lake. A microburst wind effect has created a
sizeable stretch of horrendous downfall, with countless trees stacked up across
one another, forcing me to climb, crawl and shimmy through the mess. Forward progress was ridiculously slow but
eventually the downfall ended just as abruptly as it started and I hiked the
switchbacks up to fred burr lake (3:38).
The stretch of trail from here S to lockwood and heinrich lakes was
outstanding and by far the highlight of the day.
 |
| the start of the blow down |
 |
| fred burr lake |
 |
| looking S to the fred burr/mill divide |
 |
| looking N to the upper end of fred burr canyon |
 |
| lockwood lake |
Once at the junction with the mill creek
trail, I was well behind schedule and had to opt out of the short out-and-back
to mill lake and begin the gradual 12mi descent to the mill TH (trail was
well-cleared and in overall great shape). The hour bike ride at the end of
the day was a bit rough but couldn’t put a damper on my excitement for a great
day out. It felt extra rewarding to have had such a fun time in spite of the dreary weather - a sporadic mix of sun, rain, hail,
and multiple sustained downpours that made for an annoyingly large number of
jacket transitions throughout the day.
About 27mi/3600 vert in 7:10
TH-to-TH
Thoughts – I’m a little confused
how it took me so long, despite running 90% of the mileage and no long
breaks. Other than the stretch of blow
down (a big caveat), the trail was in great shape and definitely recommended
for those looking for a beautiful marathon of running deep in the bitterroot
wilderness
