Journeys: Beehive Peak - Day 1

The south face of Beehive Peak had been beckoning to be climbed since I set eyes on it in the cold of January. I had pored over the guide book hundreds of times waiting for the weather to warm, the snow to melt, and for friend's schedules to match up with mine. Finally the day was here and I had an entire weekend assault planned with Bozeman climbing friends, Luke and Julie.

We enjoyed a gorgeous fall hike up Beehive Basin to our campsite on a knoll below the peak. Summer was quickly fading into autumn and with it blankets of wild flowers and green alpine grasses faded into a withered brown that crunched under our feet. The cool fall breeze hinted at the onset of winter and kept us from shedding too many layers. We made our way slowly up the trail stopping often and spotting a moose and her calf laying under a pine tree.

We stopped on the knoll to set up camp and take a break before approaching the first route. After a snack we entered the boulder field that spilled from the base of the peak and delicately picked our way up on a loose trail of scree. My eyes were glued to the rock wall in front of us and I suddenly felt giddy with anticipation. It had been a long winter of waiting.

Julie at camp below Beehive Peak.

Luke enjoying the view back down the basin.

The three of us were attempting a 5.7 crack called Worker Bee. From the ground it seemed like a straight forward crack climb with arm and fist jams accompanied by ample face holds. Famous last words. Forty feet off of the ground I wrestled my way into an off width squeeze box. I thought I could chimney up, but the gear hanging off of my harness stopped me short. I had a good laugh when I took my hands and feet off of the rock and flapped them in the air. I was corked!

I was able to worm my way out of the jam and back down out of the box. I took a deep breath knowing I would have to climb face holds on either side of the too-wide-to-protect crack then started up again. At the top of the squeeze box the rock angled back and I set up a belay. I belayed Luke and Julie up then set off again on lead.

I soon came to another un-protectable off width section that would not accept my body jam attempts. I retreated to a rest stance then made another attempt, this time in a lie back. I pasted my approach shoes on the wall to the right and worked my hands up the left side of the crack. Things went smoothly for 10 feet or so before both the left side of the crack and the wall to right became smooth and much less featured. Gripped and stuck in a lie back 10 feet above an ankle breaking fall I started to wonder if approach shoes had been a good decision over rock shoes. I was soon back down at my rest stance, huffing and puffing.

Solid face climbing and gear placements to the left of the crack made my third attempt a success. I came to another belay stance and set good anchors before belaying Luke and Julie. As frustrating as the off width sections had been on lead it was shaping up to be a fine outing. We were two pitches off the ground enjoying good weather and a fantastic view. Above use we could see at least two more pitches of easy 5th class face climbing to the summit ridge. With the hardest climbing below us we cruised to the top.

The view from the top was only slightly hazy as winds from the south west carried in forest fire smoke from Idaho. We relaxed amongst the blocks on the summit, broad smiles stretched across our faces. Somehow I forgot to take a single photo.

We took the standard rappels to the top of the 4th of July Couloir. The couloir was incredibly loose and dirty and we took turns creeping our way down. Julie went first and Luke and I chuckled as her Chaco sandals forced her into an awkward butt slide maneuver to get down.

Julie on the first of three rappels.

Chaco butt slide down the 4th of July Couloir.

Back at camp I was feeling tired, but relieved to have the first route under our belts. We purified water from a nearby stream and cooked up a big dinner of pasta, veggies, cheese, and crackers. We were undecided on the route for the next day knowing it would be either another 5.7 crack or a 5.8 face route. We decided to sleep on it and see how we felt in the morning. I curled up in my bivy sack and tried to stay awake to star gaze, but exhaustion soon drug me into a deep sleep.