Beartooth Etching
2019-09-02, Day 1
Lake Mary sits on a high shelf above the valley floor and Rock Creek, which is mostly out of view beneath the eroded cliffs. Opposite the lake and up the valley waits the north face of Mount Lockhart (11,644 ft; 3,550 m) with its steep near-vertical couloir, Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.
To look down on Lake Mary from this vantage point, we left the trail at Crow Lake to the north, and found a route south bushwhacking through the forest up the drainage. Mushrooms of the Boletus genus were everywhere, but I didn't recognize the exact species so we did not indulge. Some seemed to be porcini, and perhaps they were, though lighter in color than those I am used to seeing in the Southern Rockies.
Eventually, we emerged into a tumble of talus, sparse trees, and tundra vegetation, and climbed to this pass. The route required slow navigation up a 35˚ slope, with somewhat frequent pausing to breathe. I came to appreciate how much work trail builders do when it comes to keeping one's ankles straight during the ascent. Interestingly, we saw not a single person the entire first day of the adventure.
The forest on the left of the frame looks somewhat scrubby from this vantage, but when we entered we discovered ancient Limber Pines (Pinus flexilis) and an almost park-like open understory with deep soft duff and wizened, twisted individuals surrounding us. It was most enjoyable walking on the springy duff after spending a good deal of time on talus, always wondering whether the rocks might roll on the next step.
Beartooth Etching
2019-09-02, Day 1
Lake Mary sits on a high shelf above the valley floor and Rock Creek, which is mostly out of view beneath the eroded cliffs. Opposite the lake and up the valley waits the north face of Mount Lockhart (11,644 ft; 3,550 m) with its steep near-vertical couloir, Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.
To look down on Lake Mary from this vantage point, we left the trail at Crow Lake to the north, and found a route south bushwhacking through the forest up the drainage. Mushrooms of the Boletus genus were everywhere, but I didn't recognize the exact species so we did not indulge. Some seemed to be porcini, and perhaps they were, though lighter in color than those I am used to seeing in the Southern Rockies.
Eventually, we emerged into a tumble of talus, sparse trees, and tundra vegetation, and climbed to this pass. The route required slow navigation up a 35˚ slope, with somewhat frequent pausing to breathe. I came to appreciate how much work trail builders do when it comes to keeping one's ankles straight during the ascent. Interestingly, we saw not a single person the entire first day of the adventure.
The forest on the left of the frame looks somewhat scrubby from this vantage, but when we entered we discovered ancient Limber Pines (Pinus flexilis) and an almost park-like open understory with deep soft duff and wizened, twisted individuals surrounding us. It was most enjoyable walking on the springy duff after spending a good deal of time on talus, always wondering whether the rocks might roll on the next step.