Tobacco Roots Traverse

Having never been into the tobacco root mountains before, I jumped at the opportunity to join Brian for a traverse of the whole range.  The day before, he parked up south meadow creek where we planned to finish and biked to Harrison (thanks!) while I went to the griz game in town.  I then picked him up in Harrison and we drove up cataract creek where we planned to start.

After a few hours of sleep, we were up early and moving by headlamp and bright moonlight to mason lake.  We endured some brief bushwhacking and routefinding difficulties gaining hollowtop mt. in the dark but soon enough found ourselves on top, the high point of the range.  A beautiful sunrise ensued as we began our southbound traverse, headed all the way to south baldy mountain.  

sunrise from mt jefferson

We struck a moderate yet steady pace, running when the terrain allowed but mainly hiking.  The hours and peaks flowed by, until we found ourselves atop granite peak.  We then scree-skied down the E face to granite lake for a water refill, before climbing lonesome peak and continuing south.

Brian giving the mountains a big hug

looking N from granite peak (hollowtop is the furthest peak)

descending to granite lake for water

Branham peak served up the greatest concentration of 3^rd and 4^th class scrambling of the day, which made for slow travel but was very fun.  While downclimbing a short cliffband on the ridge between branham and mt bradley, I had a handhold break off and send a bread loaf sized block tumbling down between my legs, which unfortunately clipped by R knee/quad pretty bad.  Luckily I was able to recover and not go tumbling down the cliff myself but the ensuing knee pain would bother me for the rest of the day and keep me from being able to run. 

branham peak

fun scrambling up mt bradley 

This was especially unfortunate since the terrain from mt bradley and beyond was far more runnable than the northern portion.  We continued along with only a few peaks remaining.  

looking S from mt bradley (S baldy is furthest peak just L of center)

final stretch to south baldy mt

From S baldy, we hiked 3000 or so vert down a steep mining road to Brian’s truck, feeling really good (other than my knee) despite it being a 15 hour outing.  The 90min shuttle predominately on rough roads back to my truck was a little rough but so it goes with big traverses I suppose.

Route:  we bypassed a few unnamed bumps on the ridge and dropped down to granite lake for water but otherwise stayed pretty true to the ridge, hitting the summits of hollowtop mt, mt jefferson, horse mt, little granite, granite peak, lonesome peak, long mt, thompson peak, branham peak, mt bradley, lady of the lake peak, belle pt, porphyry mt and S baldy mt.

Stats: approx. 25mi/10500 vert/class 4 in 15 hrs car-car at moderate pace

Here is Brian's recap of the day.

Rose: a spectacular introduction to the tobacco roots

Thorn: hurting my knee!

Bud: all the great looking ski terrain around bell lake and beyond

Canyon Peak

Due to some ongoing IT band issues, I had to opt out of a long mountain run this weekend and settle for a short(ish) low intensity hike/scramble instead.  I set out for the N ridge of canyon peak, a line Steve and I had tried for last fall but were turned around by chilly, windy, wet conditions (merely at canyon lake).  With gorgeous weather in the forecast and knowing the foliage would be starting to change, I was excited to return, with high hopes for a great fall day in the mountains.

The trail to canyon lake went smoothly, as did the straightforward approach to the base of the N ridge (3hrs from TH).  I saw countless shades of yellow, orange and red foliage, which was a beautiful reminder that winter is only a few short months away.

N ridge of wyant pk. looks fun (steeper than canyon's N ridge) 

base of canyon's N ridge

I was pleasantly surprised to pass a spring at approx. 8200ft shortly before the ridge that served as a bonus water refill.  The route served up a nice dose of exposed 4^th/low 5^th scrambling on fairly solid rock.  I encountered a lot of low 5^th class terrain, doing my best to connect fun-looking sections of crack near the ridge proper.  It looked as though the line of least resistance with more 4^th class could be found further climber’s L.  I lingered on the exposed summit for a few minutes, soaking in the view of a portion of the Bitterroots I haven’t yet spent much time in. 

exposed final stretch to summit

huge S face and slide path

I used Brian’s great downclimb/descent beta (found here, thanks!) to descend the upper SW ridge, followed by a downward angling scramble/traverse of the huge S face to gain the SE ridge, which I followed to the obvious notch before wyant peak (pt 8578) that grants easy access N down to wyant lake (which was basically dry). 

anorexic canyon lake

On the descent from wyant lake to the canyon lake trail, I was able to walk across the middle of canyon lake it was so low (and compared to a lot of other places our past winter wasn’t even that dry,  but I think helicopter bucket-work during the canyon creek fire in august is likely the bigger culprit).  The hike out was uneventful, as I pondered the seemingly endless number of outings in the bitterroots that I would still like to do (especially with healthy running legs). 

Stats:  approx. 13mi/4400vert/low 5^th in just over 7 hours car-car at a casual/moderate hiking-only pace

Rose: the beauty and solitude once beyond canyon lake

Thorn: seeing the lakes so dry/low (canyon falls wasn’t even flowing the lake was so low)

Bud: returning to the mighty S face with skis

Thoughts: Brunckhorst’s guidebook lists this route at 5.6 but I think that would require seeking the path of most resistance (within reason), which could make for a fun outing

2015 RUT 50k

I had a blast at my first running of the Rut over labor day weekend.  I had signed up for wave 2 so at 6:04am, I found myself toeing the line in the chilly crisp air, excited for the day ahead.  One minute later, the elk bugle sounded and the second of four waves of runners surged forward into the darkness. 

Determined to start conservatively and avoid blowing up later in the race, I maintained a comfortable pace for the initial runnable 12ish miles to the second aid station, arriving in 2:11 (in retrospect I should have run this portion faster).  A friendly volunteer filled my bottles, and it took me a couple seconds to realize it was seth swanson, a week removed from his 4^th place finish at UTMB.  I took this as a good sign for my race.  I thanked him before departing, excited for the upcoming headwaters climb. 

As expected, the steeper terrain played to my strengths, as I was able to pass a lot of people during this climb.  I ran headwaters ridge as best I could (read: slowly) with a huge smile on my face, thoroughly enjoying the terrain, setting and perfect weather.  I arrived at the top of swiftcurrent in 4:31, having apparently passed almost 30 people since the last aid.  I fueled up for the big climb up lone peak, which I tackled at a steady pace but tried not to push too hard, wanting to save some reserves for the final 11 miles from the summit.

headwaters (photo: crystal images)

Nearing the top, I thought to myself how brutal the 3000ft descent was going to be, in contrast to the powder-filled descent of the big couloir last time I raced up/down lone peak, at the inaugural shedhorn skimo race back in april.  Sure enough, the initial portion of the descent was slow going for me, but once off the technical talus I picked up the pace and to my surprise, even passed a few people (I normally don’t pass folks on the downhills).  The 5ish miles to the base of the Africa climb felt a lot longer & slower than I expected.  I saw my mom and sister (and heard their cowbells) on the road just before the andesite aid station, which was a nice mental boost. 

nearing andesite aid (photo: dale)

I ran the final 5ish miles hard, despite both distal IT bands being ON FIRE with pain.  I experienced some hamstring and calf cramping on the little 400ft stinger climb at mile 30 but did my best to push through it, crossing the line in 7:51, spent yet content.

relaxing at the finish (photo: dale)

Rose: great course, weather, and race atmosphere

Thorn: IT band/knee pain

Bud: knowing next time I race up lone peak I’ll get to ski down (shedhorn skimo next spring)

Thoughts: my race went well and I was able to move upward in the field throughout the race (140^th at aid 2 and 93^rd at finish), a lot of time could have been saved during the initial 15ish miles but its hard for me as a new racer to know how hard I can push early without blowing up later, I need to work on my technical downhill running skills, if I race the 50k next year sub 7:30 is certainly possible, its amazing how popular the Rut has become in just 3 years, a big thanks to Foote and Wolfe (and everyone else) for putting on such a great event

Idaho - Borah & Bedstead

With smoke choking the skies of western montana, I set out to Idaho to escape the smoke and enjoy my last few days of summer break with Bria.  We met at the Borah trailhead and the following morning, hiked the standard “chicken out ridge” route.  

scrambling on chicken out ridge

final stretch to the top

a proud idahoan on the summit of mt borah

We felt lucky to only see one other person all day yet several bighorn sheep.  A look in the extensive summit log makes it appear that is not the norm.  We enjoyed a casual pace, summitting in about 4:20, lounged on the summit for nearly half an hour and returned to the TH at about the 8 hour mark.

We then drove out trail creek to the kane lake trailhead where we spent the night.  The following afternoon we hiked in the easy 3 miles to kane lake, excited for one final backpacking trip of the summer. 

kane lake and a series of waterfalls

for some reason we thought it would be fun to share a one-person tent

The next morning we awoke to cloudy and windy weather yet set off for the Irish Arete (II/III 5.7 6p) on the devil’s bedstead west, an easy 45 minutes from camp.  Armed with some minimal beta from Pat McGrane’s PDF of Wildhorse Classics (available for free online), we started up the route, ready for adventure.  

irish arete from camp (before hiking out)

lackluster pitch 1

Our first pitch was a combination of seeping/dirty/overgrown cracks, loose rock and slab.  We considered bailing once Bria joined me at the anchor but we were more than 30m off the deck already and things looked better ahead so we decided to continue upwards.  Fortunately the climbing improved, with occasional short sections of enjoyable 5.7/8 crack climbing intermixed with long, loose easy sections. 

pitch 3

easy final pitch

This was the most vaguely described, loose route that I have ever climbed but I attributed it to good training, and enjoyed the freedom that our minimal beta afforded, despite the abundance of loose rock and challenges of finding solid anchors.  Six long pitches put us on the route’s summit, well south of the true summit of bedstead west.  The walkoff back to camp went smoothly, with the highlight being the huge arch/tunnel we passed through. 

windy walkoff

bizarre tunnel found mid-descent back to kane lake

The storm clouds that had been threatening all day opened up that night, battering our little one-man shelter with heavy rain and strong wind for most of the night.  We awoke to beautiful blue skies for the hike out, where I reflected upon all the great climbing & running & scrambling adventures I’ve enjoyed during my 6 weeks of summer freedom (since my internship ended). 

It’s now back to school for me, intermixed with some fall running and climbing as I semi-anxiously await the arrival of old man winter.

Rose: successfully onsighting a 1000ft route with minimal beta

Thorn: slimy wet crack at the crux, tons of loose rock

Bud: a traverse from bedstead east to west (or vice versa) looks like a long, engaging outing

Glacier Park

I had plans to climb in the Bugaboos for a week before school started but my partner bailed (and glacier conditions up there were bad, making access to many of the classic routes difficult/impossible) so I headed to Glacier instead for a few days of solo running. 

Day 1 – snagged a site at avalanche creek and hung out for a few hours before catching a shuttle up to logan pass to run the classic 12mi highline trail.  The skies were terribly smoky but I hoped that since the run was mostly downhill, my lungs would do alright.  Thanks to the late hour, there weren’t many people on the trail but I did run into a lot of wildlife right on the trail – about a dozen bighorn sheep in total and a solo standoff with a black bear eating berries 30ft off the trail who refused to vacate his berry patch.  After a lot of shouting and clapping, I eventually gave in and dipped off the other side of the trail by a safe margin and bypassed him.

bighorn sheep (and smoke)

bear and his berry patch

At the chalet, I bumped into a runner/hiker that had been turned around by rangers closing swiftcurrent pass due to bear activity.  We ran the few miles down to the loop together, and it turns out he worked in many glacier and was supposed to work at 8pm that evening.  With swiftcurrent closed, he had a long journey of hitchhiking in from of him to get back to many glacier.  I wished him luck before catching a shuttle down to avalanche for the evening.  (run was approx. 12mi/960’ up & 3200’ down in 2:25 at casual/sightseeing pace). 

Day 2 – smoke was even worse and high chance of heavy rain/storms prompted me to take a rest day.  Was nice to relax at camp and accomplish everything on my to-do list that could be done from my truck without power/internet. 

Day 3 – thanks to rain/cold front that night, I awoke Saturday to beautiful blue skies and thus set out for the classic 20mi gunsight pass trail, that has been on my tick-list for a LONG time (initially as a backpack but now as a run).  I caught a shuttle up to logan pass, where a trace of new snow had fallen overnight.  The combo of blue skies and fresh snow on the high peaks was a spectacular sight, made all the more special by all the dreary smoke in recent days. 

fresh snow on the garden wall

On the following shuttle ride down to the trailhead, we saw a grizzly near siyeh bend, which reminded me of why I had swapped one of the bottles in my running vest for a canister of bear spray.  The initial 6 miles to gunsight lake were largely in the forest but as I neared the lake, the views steadily grew more and more remarkable. 

blackfoot mountain

I was pleasantly surprised by how flat and runnable the switchbacks were going up the pass, where I encountered a few mountain goats and pondered upon how many great wildlife sightings I’ve recently had.  My knee was bothering me on the run down to lake ellen wilson but with the perfect weather and gorgeous setting, it was pure trail bliss. 

up the pass

this baby mt. goat greeted me at the pass

a look down at gunsight lake

a look back at "the gunsight" from lincoln pass

The climb up lincoln pass to the sperry chalet was again completely runnable on a great trail.  I think the approx. 8 miles from gunsight lake to the chalet was the best/most scenic 8 miles that I have ever run.  Whether you hike, run or backpack it, everyone should go do this trail.  The 6ish mile descent from the chalet was pale in comparison.  (run was approx. 20mi/3360’ up & 5420’ down in 4:20 at moderate pace).

Day 4 – I had plans for a long day from siyeh bend to many glacier and beyond but thick smoke and an upset knee prompted me to hit the road home instead.

Rose: the incredible 8 miles from gunsight lake to sperry chalet

Thorn: smoke! 

Bud: future adventures in the big, beautiful mountains of glacier park

High 5 Traverse Recon

Last weekend (8/15), Bria and I made plans to backpack into canyon lake and climb the N ridge of canyon peak but a lightning caused fire broke out near canyon lake the following day so our plans changed to the N face of el capitan up little rock creek (supposedly III 5.7 8p).

Bria’s L knee was bothering her on the hike in and slowly getting worse so we decided to call it at the lower lake and camp there (despite planning on camping at the upper lakes).  We had a relaxing (and hazy) evening before heading to bed, having decided to evaluate her knee in the morning and act accordingly.

In the morning, with Bria’s knee feeling better but not great and knowing we still had a long approach to the N face, we decided to bail on that objective, and instead opted for a slow-paced hike to the upper lakes.  We followed a mix of faint trail, many conflicting cairns and some minor bushwhacking to the upper elbow-shaped lake where we spent an enjoyable afternoon, relaxing and having lunch.  A slow descent with much more bushwhacking than the ascent put us back in camp for the evening before hiking out the next morning. 

water refill at upper lake (photo: bria)

While it was a bummer to have bailed on our original objective, we made the right choice and I attributed the experience to being good recon for the high 5 traverse approach, which I planned to attempt in 2 days.

Also, I recently read a Loren Rausch quote about failing/bailing in the mountains that I really liked – “I’m not saying failing is fun, I hate failing, but it is important in tracing the learning curve.  So if you’re in the mountains of Montana (or any mountains) don’t be afraid to fail, harness the ego, smile at being alive in the midst of an adventure, and fail greatly.”

After an afternoon cragging at lost horse and an evening of car camping, Bria hit the road home early the next morning and I set out to tackle the high 5 traverse (el capitan, lonesome bachelor and the 3 como peaks).  Thanks to Brian for the beta and inspiration.

I made good time on the mostly runnable trail to the lower lake, arriving in 1:08 before shifting gears for the faint “trail”/cairns/bushwhack to the upper lakes.  The highlight of this section was spooking a bull moose from within a hundred feet, which was bedded down in some tall grass and trees.  This was a little terrifying but fortunately he proceeded to smash through the vegetation away from, rather than towards me.  I saw him again a few minutes later but from a safer distance and I snapped a great picture (but lost my camera later in the day). 

I arrived at the upper lakes in 2:17 and while re-filling water, realized I had dropped my camera at some point since seeing the moose (presumably when I caught my foot on a hidden rock in some tall grass and took a minor fall).  I irrationally thought it could be found, so after a little indecision I turned around and set out to find it.  After some hopeless searching, I returned to the upper lakes after a 90min detour, unsure of what to do next.  My excitement for the traverse was diminished by the lost camera (and lost 90 minutes of daylight) so I decided just to climb el cap and the lonesome bachelor and then call it a day. 

I ascended the 3^rd class ledges and grassy slopes just R of the obvious twin gullies to gain the S ridge and boulder hopped another 1000 vertical to the summit of el cap (3:34 excluding camera detour).  The smoke and haze really diminished the views but it was still great to visit this commanding mountain for my first time. 

generic el capitan picture taken from summitpost.org (photo: mike hoyt)

I dropped down to the saddle and continued south towards the lonesome bachelor, ascending the N ridge until it got really steep shortly before the summit.  I traversed R out a ledge onto the W face and followed my nose up low 5^th class weaknesses intermixed with ledges to the summit (4:47).  I looked longingly east towards west como peak but knew the remainder of the traverse was better saved for another day.  I reversed my route for the descent, arriving back at the TH in 8:47 (excluding 90min camera search detour).

Stats: approx. 19mi/6300 vert/low 5^th class in 8:47 car-car at moderate pace

Rose: seeing a bull moose from so close

Thorn: LOSING MY CAMERA!

Bud: returning soon for the full traverse

Thoughts: descending from the upper to lower lake is slower/harder than on the way up        

3 Joe Traverse

I spent the anniversary of my brother’s death alone in the mountains, completing the 3 joe traverse in the Bitterroots.  I first completed this traverse last August 1^st with him, which would be the last day that we would ever spend together.  Returning this year was an emotional challenge to say the least, and the day was filled with tears, sadness and memories - both good and bad.  I can’t believe it’s already been a year since his passing and not a day goes by that I don’t think about how much I love and miss him.

I took off from the main bass creek TH shortly after 7am, cutting switchbacks up to the summer TH and made good time up to the water refill spot at 7600ft about a hundred feet R of the trail.  I continued to the summit of little st. joe (2:24) where I passed 2 folks camping a mere 200ft from the summit.  

big st joe from little (picture from last august)

I continued west along the ridge, sticking to the rocky 3^rd/4^th class ridgeline proper between the top of the pinball wizard and the final cliffs of big st. joe, which I found to be much more enjoyable than the steep, loose sidehill climber’s trail off the N side of the ridge we did last year.  I ascended the 4^th class gully through the final cliffband of big st. joe’s E ridge but I think next time I’ll try the ridge proper instead (possible low 5^th class).  I arrived at the summit in 3:53 where a look back in the summit log at mine and Kit’s entry from last August brought forth many memories and tears.

a difficult sight to bear

After a long break for reflection and food, I continued west to stormy joe, staying south of the initial rocky ridgeline before gaining the upper ridge and the summit at the 5 hour mark.  The descent down the SW ridge to the trail went quickly and I found myself at the outlet of bass lake in 5:50, ready for a water refill and excited for the run out, having been only hiking thus far all day.  I ran down the nice summer trail on the N side of the creek.  I maintained a moderate pace for the first few miles but proceeded to charge the final few miles in memory of Kit, wanting to arrive at the TH totally spent (7:19).

I have no pictures from this outing since I lost my camera a few days later.

Stats: approx. 19mi/6800 vert/class 4 in 7:19 car-car at moderate pace (except last 3mi)

Thoughts: this is an enjoyable traverse, I believe the class 4 gully near the summit of big st. joe can be bypassed via class 3 terrain on climber’s R for those so inclined, sub 7hrs is certainly possible for me next time