Montana's Granite peak might be the most technical of the state highpoints that are not glaciated. It was not until the 1920s that it was climbed for the first time. To have a good chance of reaching the peak I decided to sign up for a trip guided by Sam of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Before starting the 4-5 day hike I met up with guide Kenny and two more climbers (Lisa & John) for a climbing school covering ropeclimbing on rock and simul-climbing and some other useful techniques.
We met up in Cody, and traveled to close to Buffalo Bill dam where we climbed on a nice location which required walking through a couple tunnels with traffic. The site was quite popular and several climbing parties were there to practice skills and test the different routes available. We climbed on a nice piece of rock with low difficulty, but with a lot of variation in stone and moves.
After we all managed to climb up connected to a single rope we also had some time to enjoy the view and practice being lowered by the guide. Weather was great with slight wind which we hoped would last for another couple of days.
On Saturday we met in the morning at the trial head at west rosebud lake. Our guide Sam divided some food and shared items among our packs while he carried most technical climbing gear including the rope. Once everything was packed my 85 L pack was quite full, but I managed to keep everything including the sleeping pad inside the pack, and only had the mandatory group bear canister attached on the outside of the backpack. Starting weight was about 55 lb, but it quickly moved down in weight as water was consumed together with food.
The first day involved hiking some 4 000 ft of elevation difference along about 7 mile of trail. We started up to the dammed mystic lake feeling pretty good in the nice weather as can be seen from the smiles displayed by Lisa and John below.
Mystic lake (below) provided some nice campgrounds and rest places before we would need to hit the switchbacks up from the valley. The dam itself is actually 85 years old completed in 1927 as a hydro energy plant!
Going up the switchbacks towards the froze-to-death plateau was the real obstacle the first day, we made good progress though and once you reach the man-sized cairn at the top of the switchbacks it is only a small distance further to reach the first good camp sites on the plateau.
Previous campers have build solid windshields of stone as can be seen below where me and Sam pitched our tents at approximately 11 000 ft elevation. The nearby snow field seen in the background provided a convenient source of fresh melt-water.
The sunny weather the first 2 days actually caused the tents to be too warm to stay in them just up to when the sun started setting behind the mountain ranges, although the air was only about 60 degrees, the sun was very strong and exposed skin without sun protection is a good recipe for disaster at this altitude.
The night was somewhat chillier going down to 30s and 40s. The water stream from melting snow started freezing up during the night and created quite interesting ice formations that could be seen the following morning.
Once we got to within a mile of the high-camp we got our first glimpses of granite peak in the sunshine. The shot below shows Granite peak as the highpoint on the left in the picture below.
The higher camp was a bit more arid but also here one could find water in the form of melting snow. A number of wind shields provided the protection from the elements that was much appreciated. compared to the first camp the wind was quite a lot more prominent higher up, even though it was still quite a mild and good weather.
We woke up on the third day around 4 am and left camp for the climb shortly before 5am. Weather forecasts had warned about a 30% storm chance. and with the nature of the sharp granite peak even a mild thunderstorm is an insurmountable obstacle that force you to turn around if close to the peak. The morning/night started clear though and strong stars and moonlight even made it possible to hike completely without headlamp even tohugh the hiking is more rock hopping than following a trail this close to the peak.
Once the sun rose the peak and the path looked very impressive and we hurried up quickly to get into the warmer sunny weather and to hopefully reach the peak before weather would turn foul. It took about 30 mins to climb to the top f the trail near tempest peak ,and then dropping down for close to an hour to the saddle between tempest and Granite peaks. The Route up from the saddle was class 1-2 hiking where a hiking pole was a welcome tool for balance.
Once we reached the notch just before the steep snow bridge we put on harnesses, and roped up and put on other protective gear.
The snow bridge was fine to cross and the warm weather had heavily reduced the distance we needed to travel on the snow. The climbing sections were led by Sam with John, then Lisa and finally me last on the 200ft rope. most sections were ascended using simul-climbing where we moved as a single long rope team with the rope taut between each person. Using the varying rocks to provide critical friction on the rope in case anyone would suffer a fall.
The peak was reached around 9 am shortly before the clouds would move in as we soon found out. We spend a brief break on the top not wanting to push our luck with the weather. We were the first group of people to reach the summit that day and felt happy to avoid any slow traffic on the way up. Below is me posing together with Sam on the top.
I believe I could probably have climbed up solo in the best of conditions, however the path finding and security of the rope surely helped, and for the decent it was a pure necessity, as I would not have wanted to attempt a down-climb without protection. And the prospect of a rescue action due to taking on took tricky of a climb is definitely a scenario to avoid! Also route finding was sometimes hard when it was hard to see the rock surface going down. Most of the views were magnificent showing tranquil lakes, rugged mountain ranges and snowfields among other things.
As can be seen below the weather was inclement and we tried to make out way down as quickly and efficiently as possible, using the rope to lower/rappel down dome of the more vertical sections when no other climbers were direct beneath us.
The snow bridge looked more harrowing from above than I remembered it going up. A good shot can be seen below.
To make things worse the snow bridge was also guarded by a couple of mountain goats! Luckily they were quite shy and by the time we approached they decided to go in another direction. John found a loose stone close to the snow rbidge and we got a first hand demonstration of just how fast a person might accelerate on the steep snow and ice to later crash into the rocks below in massive loud crashes. Luckily the rope and safety gear meant we kept safe!
The Goats were otherwise most notable around the camp sites where they would streak around hoping for some food. But also in desperate search of salts which they lack in the harsh climate on the alpine tundra. This phenomena is mostly seen in the fact that the goats would magically appear when one had to pee, to then try to lick up alll the salts that the urine contains...
The young goats were quite adorable and especially after having reached the peak they were quite entertaining to spot and observe togtheer with a bunch of other four-legged animals such as marmots and pikas.
Coming down from the peak we took some last minute photos as the clouds and rain moved in. By 2 pm we had reached camp again and decided to pack it up and move down to lower camp the same day to hopefully have better weather for the night, and some much needed rest!
The down hike on the fourth day (which could otherwise have been used as an alternative peak day in case of bad weather on the third day) we saw the valleys and nature form another perspective showing some of the water falls, and beautiful lakes in and around the valleys.
The trail near mystic lake actually pass only about 1 ft above the water level of the dammed mystic lake, however if the water rise any further it would just pour over the dam wall so the chance of flooding the trail was quite minimal, and the small size of the lake meant waves were not really a problem either. The fourth day was once again mostly sunny and as we descended towards the trail head the temperature quickly crept upwards.
All in all it was a wonderful experience, with good company. John and Lisa deserve a big congratulations on reaching 49 states and not giving up despite their previous horrible experience on Montana's highest mountain. Likewise, the guide Sam provided expert advice and crucial route finding both on the froze-to-death plateau as well as on the main peak. Over all I had no complaint's whatsoever on this trip especially considering the strenuous nature of the climb!
Stats:
State: Montana
High point: Granite Peak
Elevation: 12 799 ft (3 901 m)
Date: Aug 6th, 2012
Total elevation to date: 233 013 ft (71 495 m)
Access: Hike
Difficulty rating (of 10): 7
Potential Difficulties: weather!, route finding on froze-to-death plateau and upper climb of mountain.
