Mystic mountain - 12,100' - north ridge class 2
west granite peak - 12,745' - west slopes class 2
tempest mountain - 12,486' - west ridge class 2+
Granite mountain - 12,799' - east ridge class 4
july 2012
West Rosebud/Granite Peak Group - July 27-31
We slept in late and got to the trailhead where I met someone else I knew! The same mountain guide lady who gave me a ride up the Yankee Boy Basin Road the previous summer as my car couldn't make it the whole way was here at the same trailhead in Montana. She was guiding someone up Granite Peak. She recognized me right away and we talked awhile and exchanged plans. They were off on the trail before us and by the time we started hiking towards Mystic Lake another hour had passed and we didn't see them again until the next day. We got to Mystic Lake around 1PM and noticed it was clouding up considerably. Little did we know this was going to be the wettest and stormiest day of the entire trip! We passed by numerous day-hikers at the enormous Mystic Lake, many of which were fishing. As we continued further west towards the other side we saw less people and shortly before reaching Huckleberry Creek we saw dark clouds quickly moving in. Just our luck though we saw a cave in the rocks just off the trail. Stephan and I both thought the same thing..."It's about to downpour!" and without even speaking a word we both made our way to the cave seconds before the rain started. Talk about perfect timing! We took the packs off and waited for over an hour for the heavy rain to stop. When it did we emerged and prepared to continue up the boot path up Huckleberry Creek.
As we hiked up the Huckleberry Creek Valley it began raining again...only this time even harder. We saw lightning strike very close to us on the ridges and peaks above us and the thunder was deadening. This was one of the worst storms I have been in. Staying dry at this point was impossible. We just kept pushing on and we finally reached Huckleberry Lake. We had to walk around it on wet talus and bushes as it continued to rain. This would be the only lake I hate during the whole trip and the only place I have no interest at ever returning. We agreed to pitch the tent at the first large enough place we find. Just as we reach the south end of the lake we find an area just big enough right on the trail so we make quick work of pitching the tent. Everything was soaked but we manged to keep the crucial things like sleeping bags dry and we simply ate a snack and west to sleep. There was nothing else to do even though we still have a couple hours of daylight left. We decided just to finish the approach to Princess Lake the next day. So that is what we did. We woke to sunny skies and brought everything out to dry. The nice thing about the Rockies is that stuff dries fast! Soon enough we continued up to Princess Lake which was a bit steep especially with packs but we got to the lake and decided to just relax the rest of the day. We fished all afternoon and managed to catch lots of great tasting trout. I'll have to say the money we spent on the fishing stuff and the license was well worth it. After another nice filling dinner and a long days rest we went to bed again. Just as it was getting dark we saw the mountain guide and her client coming down Granite Peak. They mentioned it was a great climb but long. My excitement was too much to get much sleep. I remember getting up to go retrieve the food bag to eat more in the middle of the night.
The next morning we got up at 3AM and our biggest failure of the whole trip was about to go underway. We would have been just as well off if we got up at 4:30 as we wasted over an hour fumbling around trying to walk around Princess Lake. I walked across the narrow rock band in the middle of the lake after getting fed up whacking through wet bushes. Stephan continued around the lake shore and we never saw one another for the next hour. I reached the other end of the lake and stopped to change a sock as my foot slipped and got wet halfway across. I then continued around the lake too far and completely missed the waterfall way to the climbers left. I was completely turned around and once twilight came I finally was able to locate the inlet stream and waterfall. After thousands of calories burned whacking through bushes and talus I reached the base of the waterfall and found the boot path climbing up the right side of the falls. Stephan managed to go too far right up in the trees. It wasn't until the sun rose when we finally met up again above the waterfall near the first Snowball Lake. I had reached the top slightly before him and wisely stopped myself from going any further knowing he would hear my yells if he was in the large valley above me. Once we met up again we complained a lot and continued up past the Snowball Lakes and on to Avalanche Lake. From here we took a break and we agreed to split up once again. Since I was going to also climb Tempest right before Granite I went on ahead hopping the talus around Avalanche Lake and making great time towards the Granite-Tempest saddle. The remaining snow was nice to climb on since all the talus up this valley was dropped by glaciers and loose as hell.
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I decided to veer left and mount the west ridge of Tempest Mountain a little bit higher than the saddle. Here I left my pack and finished the ascent up to the Froze-to-Death Plateau and to its high point at Tempest Mountain where I saw only the second summit register of the whole trip. Views of Granite Peak were amazing. I was getting very excited. I descended back to the saddle where I waited for Stephan to finish climbing the snow. At this saddle we ditched some gear and began ascending Granite Peak. Initially the climbing was easy as we just followed the boot path to the "Snowbridge" which was nothing more than a snow crossing at the top of the SE Couloir. Just past this the meat of the climb started. A beautiful 4th class chimney lie just past the snow crossing. We ascended it but right as I got to the top we heard a clap of thunder. Clouds were building very fast and Stephan didn't want to continue so we went back across the snowbridge and waited under a big rock for awhile hoping the weather would improve. An annoying goat pestered us the whole time. I kept thinking to myself "I sure hope the clouds break up I made it all this way; I'm going to be one of the few who summit Granite Peak on the first attempt!" I know that many people going out to climb it get turned around but luckily after about an hour of waiting we noticed a break in the clouds that I thought was just long enough to climb the final 500 feet to the summit. So off we went, back across the snowbridge and up the first chimney.
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We continued on fantastic rock up one chimney to the next until we got to the upper part of the climb where it started snowing! A small amount of hail and snow making the rocks just wet enough to make the climbing harder. I kept a keen eye on the clouds and noticed they were not all that bad. The crux of our climb was making an exposed move from one ledge up to another with wet rock just below the final chimney to the summit. The hail stopped just as quick as it came and the rocks were drying quick. Just as we reached the summit we saw a big break in the clouds just to the southwest with blue sky! Confirming the direction the clouds were traveling we had a sigh of relief and was actually able to stay on the summit for about 15 minutes to sign the massive register and take in the beauty of being on top of Montana.
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We began the descent and made a couple rappels on the bomb proof anchors on the route. We never used any protection climbing but we just felt safer rappelling some areas since the rock was still damp. We got a couple nice sun breaks on the way down which was nice. When we reached the saddle once again we prepared to glissade again and had a blast glissading the snow quite a ways back towards Avalanche Lake. Unfortunately the snow ended 600 feet above the lake and the remaining talus was very loose and sharp making tedious descending. By this point we both were very tired. I had also done Tempest and Granite itself was a long climb. We still had to walk all the way around Avalanche Lake and down back to camp. The afternoon glow was getting very nice and we got one final view of Granite Peak for the day just as the sun set behind the peaks to the west. We reached camp just as it got dark and went right to bed. We decided to take the next day off to rest before I would climb Mystic Mountain and Granite West.
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The next morning I knew the way around Princess Lake so getting around was much quicker. I continued the same way as the day before past Snowball Lakes but instead of heading to Avalanche Lake I climbed up the slabs further right towards Storm Lakes and started straight up to the North Ridge of Mystic Mountain. This long talus climb wasn't as loose as it looked. The easy traverse south to the broad summit was a nice morning walk. Once on the summit I had great views of Glacier Peak and Mount Villard across the valley. I looked across the Storm Lakes Basin to Granite West and studied the traverse and was off. The first part of the traverse was an easy descent to the first saddle. The climb up to unnamed point 11,908 was a short scramble but I had to stay to the right to avoid the cliffs dropping into Storm Lakes. From the summit of unnamed 11,908 (which lies halfway between Mystic and Granite West), the next part of the traverse was the crux. Staying just off the ridgecrest to the right towards Glacier Peak there was sustained third class scrambling up and down until the next saddle. Climbing to this saddle from Storm Lake would have been easy to do on moderate angle talus if you aren't interested in the traverse. I continued on the ridge as the terrain eased and I had the final talus climb to the summit of Granite West Peak. The view of the Granite Traverse from here was incredible and I knew I had to do this traverse someday.
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I began the long descent down the west face talus slope to Storm Lakes. I was able to fit in a glissade down part of the way on a lingering snowfield to help save my knees. After finally reaching Storm Lakes I hiked along their shores and retraced my steps once again back to camp at Princess Lake. Stephan and I then made the long hike back down Huckleberry Creek and then the Mystic Lake trail to the car which was very painful for me as the Mystic/Granite West climbs was over 10 miles all on rocks and talus. We decided a long break was in order since we had been out for over 2 weeks so we drove back to Red Lodge to meet up with a friend for a night in a house, some good food and a shower.
Granite Peak information
Overview
Granite Peak is the highest point in Montana and is considered one of the most difficult of the 50 state high points. Located in the Beartooth Range in the Northern Rocky Mountains, Granite Peak lives up to it’s name as a large chunk of granite towering over southern Montana. Climbing Granite Peak is a time consuming endeavor which should not be taken lightly. Although climbing Granite as a day hike is possible, most climb it as an overnight trip using a high camp at one of a few very scenic places. The standard route to the summit involves a strenuous 10 - 12 mile, 6300 foot, hike followed by sections of exposed class 3 and 4 rock climbing. This mountain is not recommended for the novice climber, however there many nearby peaks that are a bit easier for one to gain experience and comfort on less challenging terrain before tackling Granite. Although people climb Granite Peak without a rope, the exposure on the final 200 ft. of the summit block dictates that most at least use a rope for the descent. If not comfortable with extreme exposure, a rope, harness, slings, and a rappel device is highly recommended.