University Mountain Summit

Crazy Canyon, Lolo National Forest, Montana.

Warm cloudy day, in the 40's at least so warm for this year so far. Headed up from the Crazy Canyon trailhead for a short hike with Geri, then rather than turn where we normally do it was just keep on up the mountain through the ponderosa pines. 

Recent high winds have felled a few of the trees that were off by themselves. Just snapped them into pieces. This one was a good 18 inches across.

After a steady diet of up we made it to the broad rounded top of University Mountain. First time Geri had been up on this summit. Views were of the Rattlesnake, Bitterroots and the Garnet range. Could see some of the summits in the Scapegoat Wilderness as well. Clouds kept the photos from being as great as they could have been. Near the summit we did see the first Bluebirds of the year. Spring is coming soon.

Bitterroot Mountains Ice

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana

A rare warm sunny day this February. So off I went in search of mountain adventures. First choice today was Big Creek but the road was just too icy for my liking. So I started from the Kootenai trailhead. For the first mile I followed the creek back and forth where the ice had taken on new shapes and colors. I thought these looked like dinosaur teeth ready to rip and tear.

Tucked in alongside a boulder it was a mix of "sharks teeth" and what looked like rock candy...

Then there were the clear blobs of ice. These would have been great in a drink.

Up the canyon there was ice everywhere. The past few warm days and cold nights days made the south facing hills into sheets of. Pretty hard to move across, even with crampons on my boots.

I found two ice creations that are no longer attached to where they started from. Now they look as if they had grown from the ground. Hard to tell from the photo but they are about 30 inches tall and several inches around.

Further up the canyon I came across an old fire killed tree that had fallen. It was balanced across a boulder and braced on another tree. This is one of the crazier fallen trees I have seen.

As I neared the Montana/Idaho state border I saw a great ice sculpture coming off the rocks. No stream is in this area so they were created by snowmelt and freezing nights.

I love how the ice changes the landscape. Come spring I would just keep on going past this spot to get to some nearby lakes. Now it is a destination in its own right.

When I got up to it I could see all the pieces that had fallen off. Some where pretty big. Made me pay attention to where I was standing under the ice. If those fell on me they would hurt. When I climbed down from this spot I had to head back to the truck as I had a long way to go before it got dark.

Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain National Recreation Area, Lolo National Forrest, Montana

A few more inches of snow early this morning, so off for an experiment right after lunch. A mile up forest road 365 it is closed to motorized travel with a gate till May 1st for winter range protection. The road is a steady uphill climb for miles and now it is snow covered. On the way up I looked back once and saw a patch of blue sky. As rare as blue sky has been I had to get the camera out and take a picture.

There are some random sections of fence along the road. Just straight sections that are not connected to anything. The end of the fence showed snowfall from the last 24 hours. It was quite windy prior to that so I know this is all fresh.

The higher I went the deeper the snow became. By the time I reached 6 miles I could have used snowshoes. This little 4 foot tall tree was doing its best to stand up to the snow.

So after a little over 2 hours up uphill walking I pulled off my boots and put on my skinny skies for the trip back down. Would have been better if I had used a slightly wider ski but a steady 6 miles of downhill is a nice way to go. Lot less effort than walking back down. Saved about an hour time wise. Mostly the experiment worked. I need to get the skies on the pack for the trip up a little better next time but I have a plan. Now I will go further up the mountain with my quick trip down. So far 53 days of measurable snow in Missoula, with more on the way tonight this trip will happen again soon.

Kootenai Creek

Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana

Pretty icy at the trailhead parking area, and it continued to the trail. After a mile I stayed along the creek where the ice was pretty amazing. Biggest issue was listening to the ice and checking each step as I crossed back and forth on ice bridges. Some of the pools below the ice are deep and I didn't want to go for a cold swim. It was cloudy so it seemed even colder in the valley.

The way the ice formed made for an otherworldly experience. That is why I like this canyon so much, each time I go into it I see something new.

Went about 4 miles up the canyon and was going to go further, but one of my crampons broke. That was something I never expected to happen but even good gear has a bad day now and then. Have to see what Grivel says when they get back to me. Probably tell me to buy a new pair.

I followed along the trail to get back to the truck and all along the uphill side there was ice on most of the rocks. Winter is in full swing in the Western Montana mountains.

Mount Sentinel Summit

Pattee Canyon Recreation Area, Montana

Between snowstorms there was time for Geri and I to hike the Mount Sentinel Loop. This is a fun trip that starts at the University of Montana by going east on the Kim Williams Trail, then south on the Hellgate Canyon trail for a bit over 1900 feet of steady climbing then just a little more up to the summit. Once your pretty high up the trail you can see the summit area.

Looking across Hellgate Canyon to Mount Jumbo and the Rattlesnake Wilderness in the distance all I see are places I have been and places I have yet to go.

From the summit you can see nearby University Mountain. Today wasn't a day to get to the top of both. Will save that trip for another weekend.

Not wanting to hike back the way we had come it was down the southwest side of the mountain to the "M" Trail and back to where the car was parked. Every step of the entire loop was on snow, or ice covered by fresh snow. In other words…Montana winter.

Pegnelly Ridge

Missoula Parks and Lolo National Forest, Montana.

With todays warming trend I headed out for a quick "straight up the ridge" to get a look over the Missoula and Bitterroot Valley's. Left my traction devices at the house so the snow packed trails were a bit more challenging than they would normally be. There were 2 sets of ski tracks on the upper slope. Someone was making good use of the snow for a bit of fun and a quick decent back to the trailhead.

Views across the valley to Lolo Peak were pretty good, needed the payoff as temps in the upper 20s had me sweating on the way up.

Bass Creek Waterfall/Icefall

Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana.

First day of the new year and a great day for an adventure. With the cold weather of the past weeks continuing I decided to see if the falls leading into Bass Creek would be fully iced up. From the looks of Bass Creek itself there was a good chance for lots of ice.

I could see sun up high on some of the ridges, and blue sky as well. Along the valley floor it was cold, 10 degrees in Missoula when I left the house, it was colder along my route.

Once I could see the ice of the falls from my route, I just had to get right up to the sculpture. Didn't think it would collapse while I was at the base, but having seen what it looks like after it has collapsed still made me careful. All totaled its a bit over 90 feet tall and the base it was over 6 feet thick. But you can still hear a trickle of water under it all.

I like how the ice really looks like flowing water, even up close.

After spending some time trying to safely get to the top of the ice I gave up and headed back to the truck. Even with crampons it was a bit more than I was willing to risk. More snow than I have seen along Bass Creek.