At 11,316 feet, Hilgard Peak is the high point of the Madison Range and the highest point in Montana OUTSIDE OF THE BEARTOOTHS. I struggled to find detailed information on climbing the peak online. I found a somewhat helpful description of a 4th class route up the east ridge in Thomas Turiano's Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone. I was going for the summit in one big push from my truck, to the summit, and back to my truck in one day. I hoped I knew what I was getting myself into on a remote peak in southwest Montana.
My eyes flutter open then immediately dart to the clock in the dashboard. 6:30 a.m. A small shot of adrenaline jolts my system as I realize I have lingered too long. I throw open the car door and am blasted by the brisk morning air. Wide awake I strike out on the trail setting a fast pace.
Five miles later I reach Avalanche Lake. Campfires crackle, dogs bark, and the smell of coffee fills the air as weekend backpackers start their morning. I stop for a snack and prepare to begin the real adventure - two miles of cross country travel over a ridge above 10,000 feet and through a basin covered with boulder fields. I pick a point on the ridge to the north and start marching.
45 minutes of trudging and 4th class rock scrambling brings me to the top of an unnamed summit. I can see Hilgard Peak for the first time. Add Dutchman Peak, Echo Peak, and a handful of alpine lakes and one has a terrific view of the southern Madison Range. I eat another snack and toy with the idea of a long and rocky ridge traverse to Hilgard Peak. I back off after 15 minutes when I give up down climbing a blank face with committing moves. Instead I descend a steep and loose gully on the north face of the unnamed peak.
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| Summit of unnamed peak. Hilgard Peak in the background. |
I stopped in the basin to empty all of the dirt and rock out of my shoes. I continued through the boulder fields lining the basin. The gentle pitch of the basin did not last long and soon I was march up steep slopes toward the East Col. I passed through a higher hanging basin with a teal blue lake in it then continued up to the East Col. I looked up at the east face of Hilgard Peak and tried to remember exactly where the guidebook said the route was.
I chose the northern most gully on the east face and started climbing. The gully had grass and dirt in a narrow strip in the gut. Otherwise it was 4th class all the way to the top. I proudly stood on the summit. I looked north and saw another summit just to the north separated by a small and airy notch. From the south summit, the north summit looked taller. Which summit was the taller of the two? I took some photos and scrambled around. I looked at the traverse between the two summits and finally worked up the courage to go for it. Descending the south summit was dangerously loose. I was certain one of the blocks I was climbing over was going to pitch off the mountain and take me down with it. I made it down to the notch and skipped across it. The north summit on the other side was just as loose. I was standing in a small pile of fine gravel just big enough for both of my feet. Behind me was nothing but air. I made a low 5th class move over a block and sprinted for the summit on better ground. Good luck down climbing that I thought to myself.
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| On the south and taller summit of Hilgard Peak. |
On the north summit I found a register and signed it. The register indicated that the south summit was the taller of the two. At least I had stood on the tallest one. And now back through the airy notch. I did not stand on the south summit again. I started down in a hurry. It had already been a long day and I surely had seven or eight hard miles to get back to my truck. I retraced my steps past Avalanche Lake and back down the established trail.
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| The interesting summit register on the north summit. |
Thankfully my truck started just fine and had no flat tires.
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