A few things had gone wrong this morning. I woke up an hour late (3:30 a.m.). I started hiking and realized I had not changed into my Rec Specs and had to return to my truck. I started hiking again. Three and a half miles later I was "lost" having missed the Phantom Lake trail junction. After reaching Mystic Lake I was supposed to walk for half a mile then make a left onto Phantom Lake Trail. My instincts told me I had walked a mile down the lake and it was time to turn around. I almost made it all the way back to the dam when I passed another hiker going the opposite direction. He was here to climb Granite Peak too. We both hiked in search of Phantom Lake Trail. We found it about five minutes later. The trail sign was post 20 yards up Phantom Lake Trail, nearly impossible to see in the dark even with head lamp. Additionally, a not so helpful crumbling trail cairn sat tucked slightly under a low bough of a pine tree.
Conrad, my new friend, and I hiked up well graded and maintained switch backs to the saddle between Prairie View Mountain and Froze to Death Plateau. We turned off of the maintained trail here and somewhat followed large cairns southwest across the plateau. We crested a small rise about halfway across the plateau and finally saw Granite Peak, the highpoint of Montana. It looked just like it had in all of the photos I had scoured online.
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| It looks like something froze to death on the Froze to Death Plateau. |
We rested and had a snack at some bivy sites below Tempest Mountain. A mountain goat seemed interested and walked close by, but never made a move for our salty urine.
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| Conrad making friends. |
We dropped into the col between Tempest Mountain and Granite Peak. The hike through the col was over boulders and broken rock. It was a knee bashing boulder hopping good time. As we were approaching the start of the 4th class climbing I noticed the moon hanging above the summit ridge. The moon was framed by a deep blue sky contrasted in the foreground by reddish orange rock creating an otherworldly scene.
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Conrad scoping out the line up the east slope.
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We came to the dry snow bridge and the beginning of the 4th class climbing. We crossed the snow bridge and climbed through a gradual 4th class chimney below the often noted "X" feature. At the top of the chimney I expected to see the heavily photographed crux of the climb in between two chimneys. Instead we found a dip that was traversed on large and easy ledges to another gradual 4th class chimney. At the top of this second chimney I could now see the crux of the climb as well as the steep dirty gully leading to the Eye of the Needle feature just below the summit. We scrambled through the crux, traversed left, then scrambled up the dirty gully towards the Eye of the Needle.
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| Conrad making moves on the summit ridge. |
At the Eye of the Needle, Conrad went left and I went right then we met up again on the summit block. We smiled and shook hands knowing we were only half way finished with the adventure. We found the summit register, but could not sign it for lack of anything to write with. We struggled to find the USGS marked. After a bit of searching while taking photos we came across it on an unlikely picnic table formation.
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| Extreme hair brushing on top of Montana! |
After a snack we started the descent. Conrad had brought a light harness and a chunk of rope and opted to rappel in a few spots. With no gear, I down climbed the route. Once off of the technical route and now boulder hopping back through the col to Tempest Mountain, I let my mind drift off. I knew we had a ways to go to get back to the parking lot and I kept trying to imagine what it would feel like to be there.
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| On the way out. Note the goat. |
Once through the col and back on the Froze to Death Plateau I felt like the hardest part was over. It was all downhill from here. Conrad and I cruised down the plateau passing weekenders on their way in to climb the peak. Conrad stopped and chatted with each group kindly dropping beta on the route.
We were on the last three miles below the dam at Mystic Lake. I was moving slowly taking in the scenery that I had missed in the dark on the hike in. The valley reminded me a bit of Yosemite. There were a few granite domes and towers that beckoned to be climbed. The dam and power plant from the early 20th century added a mysterious feel to the whole place. I had the feeling I was standing on top of a secret underground military compound.
We reached the parking lot. I tried to remember imagining what it would be like to be here. I felt numb at this point. It had been just under 16 hours and around 23 miles roundtrip plus the extra mile of missing Phantom Lake trail in the dark made it 24 miles. Conrad added our elevation gain and loss for the trip was about 7800 feet.
I sat down on the gravel of the parking lot behind Conrad's car and we shared a dinner of tuna, ramen, and yogurt.
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