Mount Powell and Deer Lodge Mountain Summits

Flint Mountains, Anaconda-Deer Lodge National Forest, Montana

Finally a chance to do some mountaineering with others. Met at 5:30 am for the 2 hour drive to the climb. No trails today, parked at the side of a single-track dirt road and started going uphill. Dark clouds kept me looking skyward as most of the day would be spent above treeline. By mid-morning the clouds lost their menace and a wonderful blue sky kept us company. Out of the first trees and up a large open meadow we went. Two elk kept a weary eye on us as we went up into a whitebark pine forest.

Once out of the trees we could see the summit of Mount Powell still over a 1,000 feet above us. Looked easier than it was. The 8 miles from the truck to the summit took me almost 4 hours, and there was a long way to go still.

So many small clusters of flowers blooming up high. I took a lot of pictures of them. Timing to catch them all in bloom was luck, but wow what a sight!

These purple ones were my favorites. I like how this picture came out as well.

After having a bite to eat we started down towards the ridge to get to Deer Lodge Mountain. Pretty steep down climb to catch the ridge...

...and the route we followed along the crest once we got to it. If you don't like high places and long drop offs this wasn't a climb for you.

One thing I never expected to find was an unexploded WWII practice artillery round. After 13 miles off trail I stumbled upon it. Called the coordinates in to the forest service when I got to town and it is going to be disposed of. Turns out there was a training range nearby during WWII and every year or two someone still finds a round.

This Missouri Iris was 300 yards from the end of the hike, and is a native plant here, but one I rarely see in the wild. Also known as "Blue Flag" it is the state flower of Tennessee and national symbol of France. Here in Montana it is just one more pretty flower.

When the day was done we had covered over 16 off-trail miles in a big loop, hit the summit of 2 mountain peaks and climbed and descended over 10,000 vertical feet. Great day in the mountains!