07/19/14 Matahpi Peak 9365' #59

Piegan through the smoke

Climbing toward the saddle

 I drove with my friends Chris and Alysa into Glacier National Park and we met Stuart at Logan Pass.  We drove down to Siyeh Bend to start the hike.  The original plan that Chris suggested was to climb Pollock and Bishops Cap.  Entering the park and driving along Lake McDonald we could tell it would be a hazy, smokey day.  As we climbed along the Going-To-The-Sun Road we could see the extent of the smoke.  Views were clouded by the haze and further peaks were just dark shapes.  It was windier as we climbed too and when we made it to the pass to pick up Stuart it was very windy.  We decided then to have an alternate as the routes up Pollock and Bishops Cap were ridge lines we'd rather not traverse in a stiff breeze.  We talked about going up Matahpi because it was straightforward and would be less troublesome in the wind.  Either climb could be done from the trailhead.

View of Matahpi from the saddle

At the trailhead we decided to climb Matahpi.  Not two minutes in we hit avalanche debris and hard packed snow lining the far side of the creek from where it had initially exploded off the shoulder of Piegan.  Other avalanches have ripped here in the past and it can be seen by all the trees broken and fallen or leaning in the uphill direction pointing away from the blasts of bigger Piegan slides.  Some are a couple hundred feet up the slope above the creek.

The well-maintained trail from there is quick walking and before long we were to the climber's trail that led up through the black cliffs to the saddle between Matahpi and Going-To-The-Sun Mountain.  From the beautiful meadow where the climber's trail leaves the main trail you can see the black cliffs.  They are not dangerous as there is a climber's trail that ascends and traverses from ledge to ledge until the top is reached.  It is actually quite fun through that section.  Much more so than the talus and scree slope that leads to the saddle.  Occasionally a band of larger talus could be followed, but in general, this is the most taxing section.

Chris climbing with Going-To-The-Sun in back

We stopped at the saddle so everyone could get on more layers.  The stiff breeze from earlier was now a ravenous gale.  The saddle has quite a drop straight down to the Sexton Glacier on the east side and the wind was pushing us toward the east, wanting to fling us off the mountain.  We pushed on toward the summit and saw another group of four coming down from the top.  We stopped and shouted to one another over the howl of the wind.  They were headed over to Going-To-The-Sun.  Near the top of the mountain there are many ledges and cracks that offer many options.  If we wanted we could take the easiest way, which was equivalent to a steep rocky trail, or we could take harder ways that allowed us to scramble a bit.  It was fun to "choose our own adventure" all the way to the top.

Top of Matahpi

Another beauty of the top, other than the fantastic, albeit smokey views, was that just off the summit to the east were great spots to sit and hang out without the wind.  Down just low enough, 15-20 feet, we were completely out of the wind.  The only problem was that it brought us a bit closer to the edge of an even more massive cliff that dropped straight to the Sexton Glacier.  We weren't right on the edge or anything, but we definitely always knew the cliff was there.  Alysa didn't feel comfortable dropping below the summit and stayed right on the ridge in the wind.

Flowers and rocks along the ridge line

After having a snack we decided to head down.  It was hard to tell what the weather was doing because of the smoke.  It was obviously overcast, but we found it difficult to determine if weather was moving in or if the clouds looked much darker because of the smoke.  We worked our way down the ridge and eventually came to one of the other group that decided not to climb the other peak.  She was huddled behind the only boulder of any size big enough to block the wind.  She looked a bit cold and we each said hello as we passed her.  From the saddle, we dropped back down to the trail through the black cliffs.  We stopped down below the cliffs and had a snack and enjoyed the views of a place we all loved.

Chris and Alysa heading down

From there it was short getting down to the main trail and then a quick walk down to the car.  The wind in the trees was much diminished and we enjoyed the hiking so much more as we dropped lower and lower.  Despite not climbing two peaks like originally planned and despite the smoke and wind, it had been a great day in Glacier National Park.


Elevation gain:  3515'  Total gain:  99,465'

07/17/14 Krag Peak 7510' #58

Krinklehorn through the haze

On the 17th of July I drove with my friends Kyle and Jordan and Kyle's dog, Karma, to the trailhead for Krag Peak.  We had actually set out to climb the neighboring peak, Krinklehorn Peak.  The day was hot and smoky and we started to climb gradually from the trailhead.  The trail starts on an old roadbed and is a good grade to warm up before climbing.  After the old road the trail climbs steeply at first and then breaks into a steady climb at a good grade.  We were ascending through a forest full of large trees and some undergrowth and it was cooler in the shade of the trees.  It was hot climbing, though, and we stopped when we reached a ridge and a breeze.  We had a snack and cooled off in the shade.

Kyle and Jordan climbing up the ridge

Not too long after hiking again we made the turn up the drainage that led to the saddle between Krinklehorn and Krag.  If we could, we were planning to climb Krinklehorn first and climb Krag as well if we felt well and had the energy.  The further we climbed up the drainage the more wild it felt.  We made it to a spot where we figured the trail had not been cleared that far yet as we came across more and bigger trees.  The obstacles in climbing over the trees was never too difficult or time-consuming and we made our way to the small creek flowing down the middle of the drainage and right under the massive, crumbly cliffs off a shoulder of Krinklehorn.  It was intimidating being below the cliffs and craning our necks up into the smoky sunlight to get a glimpse of our new world.

Krinklehorn Peak

The trail now followed up above the little creek that we could hear in spots.  Karma was driven mad at wanting to get down to the water she could hear but unwilling and, in spots, unable to make it through the downfall to get 50 feet below the trail.  The trail shortly left the creek and Karma's chance was lost.  Eventually we hit a switchback and climbed out on the southwest slope, where it was drier and the vegetation changed.  The walking was pretty easy on this section of the trail and we could catch glimpses of the saddle where the trail was to cross over and out of this drainage.  The saddle, along with the looming cliffs of Krinklehorn looked mysterious through the hazy smoke.

On the summit

We rested when we hit the saddle and I followed the trail briefly as it dropped off the other side.  It seemed to go down a ways and we decided we would just head for Krag.  To get to Krinklehorn we would have needed to drop down the other side a bit and follow the trail to where it crosses a gully/couloir and then climb that to get to the ridge, where it is straightforward from there.  That would have been more work.  Krag's ridge started right at the saddle.

The going was steep right from the start and then mellowed out a bit after the first 100 feet.  Picking our way up to a highpoint along the ridge and then following the ridge as it meandered up the mountain was quite enjoyable.  About half-way up the ridge flattened out some as it approached the final climb.  For much of the final climb we were able to climb open slopes right below the forested ridge to the east.  Before long we found ourselves on the summit.

Phlox near the summit

The views would have extended further if it hadn't been for all the smoke.  We could barely make out any of Glacier National Park.  Even much of the Whitefish Range was hazy.  the smoke seemed to be coming from the west and we could see very little in that direction.  We could pick out Wam and Stahl at first and by the time we were ready to leave we could hardly see them.  I could see some of the peaks I had climbed in previous summers in the Whitefish Range: Tuchuck and Thompson-Seton, Nasukoin, Lake, Link, Whitefish.  I just love getting different perspectives on mountains.  I was impressed by the view to Krinklehorn and Deep Mountain behind it.

Kyle on Krag Peak

Before heading down, I found a toad right near the summit cairn.  We were all surprised to see a toad up that high, especially with no water nearby.  We wished the toad well and went back down the ridge toward the trail.  On the way, an innocent-looking tree was bent over the path I wanted to take.  A rock below this small tree convinced me to step on it to help make my step over the tree easier.  As soon as I did it rolled out from under me and the tree hugged me (or I hugged it) as I fell to the ground.  I slowly stood up, laughing, and checked my new wounds on my leg.  The tree had cut me with five stabs and I was bleeding down my leg.  Jordan was kind enough to help me clean and bandage the worst two.

Along Krag's ridge

Patched up, we all headed back down the ridge, a little more carefully, to the trail.  We took some final gazes upon Krinklehorn to remember to return and then we headed down the trail.  Some clouds had moved in and helped block the sun as we descended the trail and the temperature was more bearable.  As we followed the trail down we realized it was quite a bit steeper than we had thought on the way up.  This, however, made for a quick descent and we found our way back to the car easily.


Elevation gain:  3470'     Total gain:  95,950'

07/16/14 Werner Peak 6980', Unnamed 7020, and Unnamed 7124 #55, #56, and #57

Werner Peak

On the 16th of July I left Whitefish in the late morning.  I wanted to get up a few peaks and had decided I would go toward Werner Peak and the two ranked summits standing further on the ridge.  Since it is possible to get up Werner without much effort as there is a road all the way to the lookout on the sub-summit with a gate on it no more than one mile from the top I decided to start at a further, lower trailhead southeast of the summit.

I started up a nice trail through a forest.  It climbed steadily to the top of the ridge that went northwest to the summit.  Once on top I was in an old burn and the trail was faint to non-existent with cairns marking the way.  This enjoyable ridge went on for about one mile before I dropped a bit and the trail turned into an old road that linked me up with the road to the lookout at the closure gate.

I didn't want to climb up the road as the true summit was on the ridge before the lookout.  The ridge also looked fun to climb and had a snow slope clinging to the east side.  At this point, it was a hot afternoon, sunny, and a bit smokey and I realized I may not have taken enough water to make it through the planned route.  I stopped at the snow and filled up one of my bottles wanting to extend my water as much as possible as well as to have something much colder to drink.  Then I carried on to the top of Werner Peak.  From there it was a nice walk over to where the lookout stood.

Unnamed 7020 and Unnamed 7124 in back

There was a woman out lying on a picnic table near the lookout and I asked if she was the lookout.  I learned then that she was not the lookout but that people can rent the lookout.  Her and her husband had driven past the gate and parked at the last snow drift blocking the road perhaps 100 meters from the structure.  I told her where I was heading and that I would see her later.  I headed down the trail from the lookout on my way toward Unnamed 7020.

On that northern ridge were some large snow drifts.  This gave me some comfort as I knew I could fill my bottle again with snow.  I carried on to the low point and then started up the trail as it climbed.  Near the top, the trail cut left to traverse below the summit.  I left the trail there and climbed the mellow ridge up to a rounded top.  There were many small, sub-alpine fir and it made it a bit difficult to determine the true top.  Close to the spot that seemed highest there was a good view north to Unnamed 7124.

I cut west and descended to the trail and followed it onto the north slope.  Here the terrain was steeper and the trail switchbacked many times.  There were larger and steeper snow drifts than on the north side of Werner.  Most helped to make the descent quicker and before long I was at the low point where the trail turned northeast into the China Basin.  Here I left the trail and started climbing the ridge.  Once through an initial thicker section with some downed trees I found myself on a steep, open slope.  It was steep enough to need to climb with small switchbacks.

Unnamed 7124 from Unnamed 7020

I made it through the steep section and found myself in flatter terrain and a small forest.  I worked through the trees and came to another snow slope, where I again filled my bottles with snow.  I continued on from there to the summit.  Unnamed 7124 is a peak with another high point further north.  It looks like it is probably lower when standing on the true summit, but I had to go out to it to feel confident I climbed to the true summit.  From the high point further north I could tell the first summit was the true high point.  I walked back over in that direction and took a short break.

It was a bit smokey, so the views were not great.  I couldn't even see into Glacier.  I knew I had a long way to go back, so I headed down the slope.  Near the low point I met up with the trail and climbed back up toward Unnamed 7020.  Fortunately I didn't need to climb all the way to the top and I traversed below it on the trail.  The same was true going over Werner.  Once I hit the road I took that down directly to the old road and up that to the trail.  The last bit along the ridge in the burn and the sun really made me feel dehydrated.  The end was pleasant through a shady forest and I reached the car quickly.

Elevation gain:  2520'     Total gain: 92,480'

07/15/14 Haystack Butte 7486' #54

Cloudy McDonald Valley guarded by Cannon and Heavens

I knew that the 15th of July would be my last day up at Granite Park.  I wanted to get another hike in before heading down and I thought about going north on the Highline to try to see some more bears.  In the end, I decided to head south on the Highline.  I figured that I had been north the day before and it was a rare opportunity to hike the southern Highline with no one on the trail.  It was still closed from Logan Pass to Haystack Butte.

Approaching Haystack Butte

I left the chalet and hiked south.  It was a bit overcast but the temperature was perfect for hiking.  As I had expected it was great to be hiking all alone on the southern Highline.  I enjoyed it thoroughly and stopped from time to time to look for wildlife.  I made my way through the alpine meadows and boulder fields as the trail wound into and out of small drainages.  I came around a corner and saw that a couple snow drifts had been shoveled by the trail crew.  I wondered if I would see any of them this day.  Shortly after, I found myself at the snowy Haystack saddle.  I had been watching the time as I needed to hike down and meet a ride.  I figured if I moved quickly I could get up and down Haystack Butte and leave enough time to get back to the chalet, pack, and hike down.

Start of cliffs and traverse slope on left

I left where the trail would have been under the snow and started climbing up the ridge toward Haystack.  Eventually I came to the main cliffs on the ridge.  I knew there were Class 3 routes through a bit to the southwest.  I had wanted to climb up these breaks as when I had climbed Haystack Butte in 2008 it had been mostly on snow through the steep section.  I traversed under the cliffs and looked for the route.  I found the two best options, but the beginning was covered by steep snow.  I didn't feel like climbing the steep snow to have to climb onto the rocks.  I knew I could keep traversing and eventually get to the south slope which was a walk-up.  That is what I chose to do.

Mount Gould

I carried on below the steep cliffs and slopes.  After a bit, I started angling up as the slopes above were less steep.  Eventually I could see all the way up.  It was a steep grassy slope and I knew I could get up it to the top.  I worked hard on that slope and was rewarded with better views as I climbed.  After maybe only 15-20 minutes of climbing I topped out pretty much at the large cairn.  I walked along the ridge back toward the northeast to get better views of Mount Gould.  The views were incredible all around and I was glad I could be atop another Glacier National Park summit.

Bishops Cap

Before heading down, I saw a couple trail crew workers far below on the trail.  I could recognize Mark from the summit but not the other.  I felt bad I didn't have the time to hike down and have lunch with them.  I needed to head back and worked back down the grassy slope and then below the cliffs to the ridge.  As I was mostly down the ridge I saw another worker just above the saddle.  I yelled out to him and hiked up to talk.  I could tell it was R.J. and climbed up the snow to the trail to say hello.  We caught up for about 15 minutes and he had to get back to work and I had to get back to the chalet.

The peaks near Logan Pass

I made it back and rushed to pack my bag and eat some lunch.  Then I found out the ride was delayed an hour and I relaxed a bit before hiking out of Granite Park, my home for the previous three weeks.  I hiked down the Loop Trail and carried on down to Packer's Roost, where I caught my ride.

Elevation gain:  2045'     Total gain:  89,960'

07/13/14 Unnamed 7980 and Swiftcurrent Mountain 8436' #53

View of Unnamed 7980 taken on July 7

I finished shoveling snow up at Granite Park on the 12th of July and decided to climb Unnamed 7980 in the morning.  The peak-climbing website I use to help track my climbs calls this peak The Garden Wall.  Since the Garden Wall is long and has higher points on it than this, I choose not to use the name and call it Unnamed 7980 instead.  This was a peak that I had been looking at often while I had been staying up at Granite.  I looked at it closely when I hiked up to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook on the 7th of July and had been using the scope to try to see a way up while I sat outside the chalet.  I felt I had a good idea of the best possible route and decided to see if it would go on the 13th.  I spoke with a guest that I had heard had tried the day before and he suggested I try the way I had been intending.  He had taken the ridge and became cliffed out and had to descend.

Upper portion of ascent gully

I left the chalet in the morning and quickly found myself at the Grinnell Glacier Overlook Trail and started up that.  I was surprised at how much snow had melted higher up on the slope and made my way across it quite easily.  I carried on to the overlook and found I was a bit intimidated by the view of the peak.  I followed goat trails from the overlook to where a gully cuts through the middle of the cliffs.  The view up the gully was not great as it was filled with loose rock.  It was, however, the only logical way up toward the ridge.

View of Mount Gould and Grinnell Glacier from the summit

The gully was steep and very loose and I slowly picked my way up it toward the ridge.  Near the ridge it became less steep and I found many ways to get out on the upper face.  Here I found the route finding to be very enjoyable with fun little passages between rocks and through cliff bands.  Before long I was standing on top.  There was another summit just to the south that looked to be about the same height.  I found my way over into a notch and then out onto the east face where I found passage up to the top.  From the top of that summit I could tell that the first summit was higher.  I walked back over to the highest point and enjoyed a snack along with some incredible views.

After the break, I worked my way back down to the gully and then carefully down that to the goat trail.  I decided that since I had never been to the second overlook, reached by following the goat trail, I would walk over to it.  I had descended a slightly different way instead of exiting the bottom of the gully and as I passed below it I saw a marmot licking the salt off a rock where I had placed a hand to pull myself up it.  I passed below this and carried on around the mountain below all the high cliffs and eventually found myself out in the second overlook.  The view of the glacier was great, as was the view down the whole valley.  A goat came into the saddle the same time as me but from the south and he crossed below me and headed out onto the east face of the mountain.  He stopped from time to time, seeming to take in the views.

View down the valley

After enjoying this new viewpoint I headed back along the goat trail to the maintained trail and down that back to the chalet.  I spoke with Morgan and he wanted to climb Swiftcurrent that afternoon.  I told him that after a nap I would join him.

Unnamed 7980 from the second overlook

In the afternoon, we left the chalet and started hiking up to Swiftcurrent Lookout.  Morgan had never been up it and I was excited to be going with him.  We made good time up to the junction and carried on toward the lookout.  Below us we spotted a couple bighorn rams and pointed them out to a couple hikers coming down the trail.  We continued on and quickly found ourselves up on top.  Buck was in the lookout and saw and recognized us and came out to sit on the steps with us.  He poured us some wine and we sat up top, taking in the views with a glass of wine.  It was beautiful and the weather was better than the 3rd and we stayed up top for some time.  Eventually we figured we should head back and get dinner.  We said goodbye and hiked back down to the chalet.

Iceberg and Wilbur from the lookout

Since I climbed Swiftcurrent Mountain on the 3rd I will only count that ascent toward my goal.

Elevation gain:  3145'     Total gain:  87,915'